Samuel Ernest Wright (November 20, 1946 – May 24, 2021)[1] was an American actor. He was best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid, for which he provided the lead vocals to "Under the Sea",[2] which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He played Dizzy Gillespie in Bird, the biographical film about Charlie Parker. Wright also played the part of Mufasa in the original cast of The Lion King on Broadway and voiced Kron the Iguanodon in the 2000 CGI/live-action film Dinosaur.
Samuel E. Wright | |
|---|---|
 Wright in 2008 | |
| Born | November 20, 1946 Camden, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 2021 (aged 74) Walden, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Wallkill Valley Cemetery, Walden, New York, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1968–2008 |
| Spouse |
Amanda Wright (m. 1974) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
editWright was born on November 20, 1946, in Camden, South Carolina.[1][3] He was a student at Camden High School, where he was involved with sports and the arts.[4]
Career
editIn 1968, Wright moved to New York City to pursue his acting career full time.[3] Wright originated the part of "Sam" in Over Here! on Broadway[5] (1974). In addition, on Broadway, Wright replaced Ben Vereen as the Leading Player in Pippin[1] (1972).
Wright played Enos' partner Officer Turk Adams in the TV series Enos, the Dukes of Hazzard spin-off in 1980–81.[6] Wright was nominated for a Tony Award in 1984 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Tap Dance Kid.[3] He portrayed jazz trumpeter and composer Dizzy Gillespie in the 1988 Clint Eastwood film Bird.[7]
He originated the role of Mayor Joe Clark in Mule Bone (1991).[8] He was nominated for a Tony Award again in 1998 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical as the original lead actor for Mufasa in The Lion King, the Broadway version of Disney's animated classic of the same name.[3]
He also played the part of Jericho on the short-lived Fox television program Jonny Zero in 2005.[6]
Music and voice-over work
editWright narrated the 1988 documentary film Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser, produced by Clint Eastwood.[9]
Wright performed and recorded several songs for the Walt Disney Pictures animated film The Little Mermaid, as Sebastian the Crab,[10] and is widely known for the songs "Under the Sea", and "Kiss the Girl". He voiced Sebastian in The Little Mermaid's sequels and spin-offs, including The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (the latter being his final voice role), and recorded several albums in reggae style, among them Sebastian from The Little Mermaid and Sebastian: Party Gras!.[11] Wright also voiced Kron, the leader of the Iguanadon herd, in another Disney animation Dinosaur.[6]
He released a soul music single in 1973, "There's Something Funny Going On" backed with "Three Hundred Pounds of Hungry" on the Paramount Records label.[12]
Personal life and death
editWright met his wife Amanda Wright, a dance director, at a production of William Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona in London's West End.[3] They married on June 14, 1974.[4] Together they had three children: Keely, Dee, and Sam Jr.[10][13]
Wright died from prostate cancer at his home in Walden, New York on May 24, 2021, aged 74. The cancer had been diagnosed three years earlier.[14]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Bird | Dizzy Gillespie | [15] | |
| Me and Him | Paramedic #1 | |||
| 1989 | The Little Mermaid | Sebastian (voice) | [6] | |
| 1993 | Strapped | Dave | [16] | |
| 2000 | Dinosaur | Kron (voice) | [15] | |
| The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea | Sebastian (voice) | Direct-to-video | [15] | |
| 2008 | The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning | Direct-to-video; Final role | [15] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Ball Four | C. B. Travis | 5 episodes | [1] |
| 1979 | Hollow Image | Scotty | Television film | [17] |
| 1980–1981 | Enos | Officer Turk Adams | 18 episodes | [6] |
| 1982 | The Neighborhood | Moving Man | Television film | [17] |
| 1985 | Brass | Captain Michael Shore | ||
| 1986 | The Gift of Amazing Grace | Morris | Episode: "The Gift of Amazing Grace" | |
| The Cosby Show | Dr. Dan Morgan | Episode: "Close to Home" | [1] | |
| 1991 | Separate but Equal | Artis Patterson | TV mini-series | [17] |
| Sebastian's Caribbean Jamboree | Sebastian (voice) | Television special | ||
| Sebastian's Party Gras! | [18][19] | |||
| 1992–1994 | The Little Mermaid | 31 episodes | [7][6] | |
| 1992 | Raw Toonage | Episode: "Draining Cats and Dogs/Mars vs. Man" | [20] | |
| 1993 | Alex Haley's Queen | Alfred | 2 episodes | [21] |
| Marsupilami | Sebastian (voice) | 8 episodes | [22] | |
| 1994–2000 | Law & Order | Jerome Osborn, Dubois, and Morris Stokely | 3 episodes | [16] |
| 1997 | New York Undercover | Gil Jefferson | Episode: "Fade Out" | [23] |
| 2001–2002 | House of Mouse | Sebastian (voice) | 6 episodes | [24] |
| 2003 | Mickeypalooza | Television special | [25] |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Ariel the Little Mermaid | Sebastian | [24] |
| 1997 | Ariel's Story Studio | [22] | |
| 1999 | Disney's Arcade Frenzy | ||
| 2000 | The Little Mermaid II: The Video Game |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Reporter, Leper, Apostle | Broadway | |
| 1971, 1973 | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Valentine, Performer | Broadway, West End | [26][8] |
| 1972 | Pippin | Leading player | Broadway | [25] |
| 1974 | Over Here! | Sam | [5][8] | |
| 1983 | The Tap Dance Kid | William Sheridan | [7][5] | |
| 1989 | Welcome to the Club | Bruce Aiken | [26] | |
| 1991 | Mule Bone | Mayor Joe Clark | [8] | |
| 1997 | Promises, Promises | Mr. Kirkeby | Off-Broadway | [26] |
| The Lion King | Mufasa | Broadway | [7] |
Discography
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Barnes, Mike (May 25, 2021). "Samuel E. Wright, Voice of Sebastian the Crab in 'The Little Mermaid,' Dies at 74". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Victorian, Brande (October 10, 2013). "'What More Is You Looking For?' Meet Samuel E. Wright, The Voice Of Sebastian On 'The Little Mermaid'". Madame Noire. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Morales, Christina (May 26, 2021). "Samuel E. Wright, the Voice of Sebastian in 'The Little Mermaid,' Dies at 72". The New York Times. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "Samuel Wright Obituary (1946 - 2021) - Walden, NY - Times Herald-Record". legacy.com. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c Meyer, Dan (May 26, 2021). "Tony Nominee Samuel E. Wright Dies at 74". Playbill. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Evans, Greg (May 25, 2021). "Samuel E. Wright Dies: 'The Little Mermaid's Sebastian The Crab, Broadway's Mufasa Was 74". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ a b c d "Samuel E Wright: Tributes paid to actor who voiced crab in The Little Mermaid". BBC News. May 26, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Samuel E. Wright". Playbill. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ See film credits on IMDB.
- ^ a b Granville, Kari (December 23, 1989). "Without Him, Sebastian Would Be Speechless". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (May 25, 2021). "Samuel E. Wright, voice of Sebastian the Crab in 'The Little Mermaid,' dies at 74". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Samuel E. Wright – There's Something Funny Going On (1973, Vinyl)". Discog.com. 1973. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Heffley, Lynne (November 16, 1991). "As a Crab or 'Bird,' Wright Gives 100%". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ Sinha, Charu (May 25, 2021). "Samuel E. Wright, Voice of The Little Mermaid's Sebastian, Dead at 74". Vulture. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Holmes, Adam (May 25, 2021). "Samuel Wright, Voice Of The Little Mermaid's Sebastian, Is Dead At 74". CinemaBlend.
- ^ a b Welsh, Daniel (May 26, 2021). "Samuel E Wright, The Little Mermaid Star, Has Died Aged 74". HuffPost.
- ^ a b c "Samuel E Wright". Turner Classic Movies.
- ^ "Discover More About the First Year of Life on Family Channel Documentary". The Los Angeles Times. November 17, 1991. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ "As Crab or 'Bird,' Wright Gives 100%". The Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1991. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Raw Toonage". TV.com.
- ^ "Alex Haley's Queen". TV.com.
- ^ a b "Sebastian Voices (Little Mermaid)". Behind the Voice Actors.
- ^ "FADE OUT NEW YORK UNDERCOVER SEASON 3". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ a b Armstrong, Vanessa. "SAMUEL E. WRIGHT, VOICE OF SEBASTIAN IN THE LITTLE MERMAID, DIES AT 74". SyFy.
- ^ a b Garner, Glenn. "Samuel E. Wright, Known as the Voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, Dead at 74". People. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Nominees for Best Featured Actor in a Musical". Playbill. June 4, 1998.
External links
edit
- Samuel E. Wright at IMDb
- Samuel E. Wright at AllMusic
- Samuel E. Wright discography at Discogs