Richard M. Sherman (1928-2024) was an Academy Award-winning songwriter who, with his brother Robert B. Sherman, formed the songwriting team the Sherman Brothers and composed many popular songs, including many for Disney films, records, theme parks, and other media.
He made a cameo appearance in the fifth installment of the web series Disney Drive-On with The Muppets, meeting Walter.
The Sherman Brothers' best known song is probably "It's a Small World" (performed in The Muppet Show episode 317). They composed all of the songs and the score for Mary Poppins (winning an Oscar for "Chim Chim Cheree" and for original score, while their other songs included "A Spoonful of Sugar"); on the same film, Richard M. provided a few character voices (including a penguin and a member of the Pearly Band).
The Shermans' other Disney compositions include songs from Winnie the Pooh, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Aristocats, the hit single "Tall Paul" (sung by Annette Funicello), and "One Little Spark" for the theme park attraction Journey into Imagination with Figment (sung in 2002 by Dave Goelz as Figment), among others. Outside of Disney, the brothers wrote songs for the films Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (including "Hushabye Mountain"), Snoopy, Come Home, and Charlotte's Web. In 2009, both brothers were the featured subjects of the documentary The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story.