Samuel E. Wright, Voice of The Little Mermaid’s Sebastian, Dead at 74
He was not on the list.
Two-time Tony nominee and voice of Sebastian in Disney’s The Little Mermaid Samuel E. Wright died yesterday at his home in Walden, New York, of prostate cancer. He was 74.
Wright’s death was announced on the Facebook page of the town of Montgomery, which reports on local news in the Hudson Valley. “Sam and his family have impacted countless Hudson Valley youth always inspiring them to reach higher and dig deeper to become the best version of themselves,” the post reads. “On top of his passion for the arts and his love for his family, Sam was most known for walking into a room and simply providing PURE JOY to those he interacted with. He loved to entertain, he loved to make people smile and laugh and he loved to love.” Wright’s daughter, Dee, confirmed the news of his passing, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “He was the brightest light.”
Wright, who was born in South Carolina, worked extensively on Broadway, including in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin. He earned Tony nominations for his roles as William Sheridan in The Tap Dance Kid (1983) as well as Mufasa in The Lion King (1997). In his most well-known role, Wright starred as Sebastian the crab in 1989’s The Little Mermaid, providing lead vocals for the Oscar-winning song “Under the Sea” and the Oscar-nominated “Kiss the Girl.” In addition to appearances on TV shows like Ball Four and All My Children, Wright played jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie in Clint Eastwood’s 1988 Charlie Parker biopic, Bird. Along with his wife, Wright co-founded the Hudson Valley Conservatory, a performing-arts school for children. He is survived by his wife, Amanda, and their children, Keely, Dee, and Sam.
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Bird Dizzy Gillespie
Me and Him Paramedic #1
1989 The Little Mermaid Sebastian (voice)
1991 Sebastian's Caribbean Jamboree Direct-to-video
1993 Strapped Dave
2000 Dinosaur Kron the Iguanodon (voice)
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Sebastian (voice) Direct-to-video
2008 The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning Direct-to-video; Final role
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1976 Ball Four C. B. Travis 5 episodes
1979 Hollow Image Scotty Television film
1980–1981 Enos Officer Turk Adams 18 episodes
1982 The Neighborhood Moving Man Television film
1986 The Gift of Amazing Grace Morris Episode: "The Gift of Amazing Grace"
The Cosby Show Dr. Dan Morgan Episode: "Close to Home"
1992–1994 The Little Mermaid Sebastian (voice) 31 episodes
1992 Raw Toonage Episode: "Draining Cats and Dogs/Mars vs. Man"
1993 Alex Haley's Queen Alfred 2 episodes
Marsupilami Sebastian (voice) 8 episodes
1994–2000 Law & Order Jerome Osborn, Dubois, and Morris Stokely 3 episodes
2001–2002 Disney's House of Mouse Sebastian (voice) 6 episodes
2003 Mickeypalooza Television special
Video games
Year Title Role
1992 Ariel the Little Mermaid Sebastian
1997 Ariel's Story Studio
1999 Disney's Arcade Frenzy
Theatre
Year Title Role Notes
1971 Jesus Christ Superstar Reporter, Leper, Apostle Broadway
1971, 1973 Two Gentlemen of Verona Valentine, Performer Broadway, West End
1972 Pippin Leading player Broadway
1974 Over Here! Sam Broadway
1983 The Tap Dance Kid William Sheridan Broadway
1989 Welcome to the Club Bruce Aiken Broadway
1991 Mule Bone Mayor Joe Clark Broadway
1997 Promises, Promises Mr. Kirkeby Off-Broadway
The Lion King Mufasa Broadway
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