Disney’s Longest-Serving Cast Member Shares Tales of 62 Years at Disneyland, Lunch With Walt Disney

Disney's cast members are essential to the magic and Disney honored its longest standing cast member today.

Henry Ameen, 92 years old, has a history with Disneyland since 1958. His story is one of the most compelling I've heard about cast member careers at the Disney Parks which includes stories of lunch with Walt Disney himself and monitoring the iconic fireworks shows as a Disneyland firefighter.

Keep reading for the full story highlighting this 92 year old cast member's career.

Meet Disney's Longest Standing Cast Member

Henry Ameen has worked at Disneyland since 1958 when he first started as a Jungle Cruise skipper. But this wasn't the first time he experienced Disneyland, his memories of Disneyland go back to 1955 when he visited the park on his honeymoon.

He is “affectionately” referred to as Hank and he began his career at Disney after serving many years in the United States Air Force. After working as a Skipper for a few summer seasons, Hank joined the Garden Grove Fire Department and began his 35 year career as a city fireman.

Hank's Career as a Disneyland Firefighter

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But that didn't end Hank's career at Disneyland, he missed Disneyland so much he began working as a Disneyland Resort firefighter and helped monitor the safety for the evening firework shows. Hank shared with Disney Parks Blog, “I have a passion for what I do because I feel like we are protecting the magic.”

Disneyland employs firefighters to help monitor the safety of the large firework shows. These are the cast members that are responsible for deciding whether or not weather conditions are safe for fireworks. This is one of the most important roles in the parks when it comes to safety!

Hank says his favorite memories center around the community with his fellow Disneyland Resort firefighters. According to Hank, “I have great pride in the people I work with. I learn from them and hopefully they learn from me.”

Hank Celebrates 62nd Service Anniversary

Hank celebrated his 62nd service anniversary on October 8, 2024 and holds the “legendary status” as the current longest standing employee of The Walt Disney Company. Disney CEO Bob Iger, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro, and Disneyland President Ken Potrock all stopped by to thank Hank for this years of service as you can see in the photo closer to the top of the article.

This long history brings with it some amazing memories, like enjoying lunch with Walt Disney, “He started walking towards my table, but I never thought that he would sit with me. He pulled up a chair and he asked me questions like, ‘How do you like working here? How do you like the food? What can I do?’ It was maybe a 10-minute conversation. That was a wonderful memory.”

Hank's time at Disneyland has encompassed many different experiences like “hosting Olympians at Disneyland in 1964, to watching iconic attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean be built right before his eyes, to enjoying cast picnics with Walt Disney and his family, to winning the bronze, silver and gold medal in the Disneyland 10k Marathons.”

At 92 years old, Hank remains active by swimming, working at the gym or walking around Disneyland before the parks open. When asked about his plans of retirement, Hank shared that “As long as I can smile and laugh, I’m going to be here.”

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