2008 Grand Marshal Emeril Lagasse

Every Parade needs a Grand Marshal, and the Rose Parade has had some of the world's most distinguished individuals serving in that honored position. Past Grand Marshals have included actors, astronauts, writers, artists, athletes and political figures.

Grand Marshal Slide Show

Early Grand Marshals were local heroes, many of them Tournament organizers. The first Grand Marshal from outside Pasadena was San Francisco Mayor James Rolph in 1930, and as the Tournament grew, so did the stature of its Grand Marshals. Mary Pickford, Earl Warren, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gregory Peck, Bob Hope, Erma Bombeck, Henry "Hank" Aaron, the Apollo 12 astronauts, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Kate Smith, Gerald Ford, Lee Iaccoca, James Stewart, Pele and Angela Lansbury are just a few of the distinguished individuals who have held the honored position. 1966 Grand Marshal Walt Disney rode in the Parade with Mickey Mouse, and Edgar Bergen brought Charlie McCarthy along in 1940. Shirley Temple, who was a 10-year old movie star when she led the 50th Rose Parade returned as diplomat Shirley Temple Black to serve as Grand Marshal of the Tournament's Centennial celebration in 1989.