‘The Lion King’
Co-Director Roger Allers Dead at 76
Published
January 18, 2026
11:52 AM PST
Filmmaker Roger Allers — perhaps best known for co-directing Walt Disney Feature Animation’s “The Lion King” — has died.
Film producer Dave Bossert confirmed the death on Facebook, writing, “I am deeply saddened by the news that our friend Roger Allers has passed on to his next journey. We were just trading emails this past week while he was traveling in Egypt, which makes this loss feel all the more unreal.”
Bossert worked with Allers on many films through the ’80s and ’90s and described Allers as “one of the kindest people you could hope to know and work alongside.”
According to Bossert, even after the phenomenal success of “The Lion King,” the success “never went to his head.”
“Roger treated everyone with genuine kindness and respect, regardless of title or position,” Bossert wrote.
Before co-directing 1994’s ‘Lion King’ with Rob Minkoff, Allers spent years as an animator and writer, working on notable projects including “Beauty and the Beast,” “Oliver & Company,” “Sesame Street,” “The Electric Company,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Aladdin.”
Allers married Leslee Hackenson in 1977 before reportedly filing for divorce in 2020. They shared two children — a daughter, Leah, and a son, Aidan.
He was 76.
RIP
