Samuel Ernest Wright (November 20, 1946 – May 24, 2021) 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", 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 film Dinosaur.
Early life Wright was born on November 20, 1946, in Camden, South Carolina. He was a student at Camden High School, where he was involved with sports and the arts.
Career In 1968, Wright moved to New York City to pursue his acting career full time. Wright originated the part of "Sam" in Over Here! on Broadway (1974). In addition, on Broadway, Wright replaced Ben Vereen as the Leading Player in Pippin (1972).
Wright played Enos' partner Officer Turk Adams in the TV series Enos, the Dukes of Hazzard spin-off in 1980–81. Wright was nominated for a Tony Award in 1984 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Tap Dance Kid. He portrayed jazz trumpeter and composer Dizzy Gillespie in the 1988 Clint Eastwood film Bird.
He originated the role of Mayor Joe Clark in Mule Bone (1991). 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.
He also played the part of Jericho on the short-lived Fox television program Jonny Zero in 2005.
Music and voice-over work Wright narrated the 1988 documentary film Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser, produced by Clint Eastwood.See film credits on IMDB.
Wright performed and recorded several songs for the Walt Disney Pictures animated film The Little Mermaid, as Sebastian the Crab, and is widely known for the songs "Under the Sea", and "Kiss the Girl". He voiced Sebastian in The Little Mermaid 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!. Wright also voiced Kron, the leader of the Iguanadon herd, Dinosaur, another Disney animated film.
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.
Personal life and death Wright 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. They married on June 14, 1974. Together they had three children: Keely, Dee, and Sam Jr.
Wright died from prostate cancer at his home in Walden, New York, on May 24, 2021, aged 74. The cancer had been diagnosed 3 years earlier.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1988 Bird Dizzy Gillespie Me and Him Paramedic #1 1989 The Little MermaidSebastian (voice) 1993 Strapped Dave 2000 Dinosaur Kron (voice) The Little Mermaid II: Return to the SeaSebastian (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 1985 Brass Captain Michael Shore 1986 The Gift of Amazing Grace Morris Episode: "The Gift of Amazing Grace"The Cosby ShowDr. Dan MorganEpisode: "Close to Home" 1991 Separate but Equal Artis Patterson TV mini-series Sebastian's Caribbean JamboreeSebastian (voice)Television specialSebastian's Party Gras! 1992–1994 The Little Mermaid 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 1997New York UndercoverGil JeffersonEpisode: "Fade Out" 2001–2002 House of Mouse Sebastian (voice) 6 episodes
Video games Year Title Role 1992 Ariel the Little MermaidSebastian 1997 Ariel's Story Studio 1999 Disney's Arcade Frenzy 2000 The Little Mermaid II: The Video Game
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 1983 The Tap Dance Kid William Sheridan 1989 Welcome to the Club Bruce Aiken 1991 Mule Bone Mayor Joe Clark 1997 Promises, Promises Mr. Kirkeby Off-Broadway The Lion King Mufasa Broadway
Discography Sebastian from The Little Mermaid (1990) Sebastian: Party Gras! (1991) The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea (1992)
References
External links
Samuel E. Wright at AllMusic