NATIONWIDE — Robert Downey Jr., Bette Midler, Ming-Na Wen and James Earl Jones are among the 11 people who will be named as Disney Legends this summer, The Walt Disney Company has announced.

  • Disney announces newest class of Disney Legends
  • Other honorees include Mark Hamil, Orah Winfrey and Tim Conway
  • Group will be honored at the D23 Expo in August 

"The Disney Legends Award is the highest honor we can bestow; it's a recognition of talent, a celebration of achievement, and an expression of profound gratitude to the remarkable men and women who have made an indelible mark on our company and our creative legacy," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.

The newest class of honorees also includes Wing Chao, Jon Favreau, Kenny Ortega, Barnette Ricci, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer and Hans Zimmer. They will be honored during a ceremony at this year's D23 Expo in August. Each will receive a two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that "signifies the imagination, creativity and magic" they brought to the company.

Downey Jr., Midler and others join a prestigious group that includes past honorees such as Whoopi Goldberg, Stan Lee, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Hamill and the late Tim Conway, who died this week.

For a full list of the new Disney Legends and their credits, visit the D23 website.

The D23 Expo will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center from August 23 to August 25.