Samuel E. Wright

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Samuel E. Wright
Wright in 2008
Born(1946-11-20)November 20, 1946
Camden, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedMay 24, 2021(2021-05-24) (aged 74)
Walden, New York, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active1968–2008
Spouse
Amanda Wright
​
(m. 1974)​
Children3

Samuel Ernest Wright (November 20, 1946 – May 24, 2021)

CGI/live-action film Dinosaur
.

Early life

Wright was born on November 20, 1946, in Camden, South Carolina.[1][3] Wright was a student at Camden High School, where he was involved with sports and the arts.[4]

Career

In 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

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

Wright 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 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

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.[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

Film

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

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

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

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

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b "Samuel Wright Obituary (1946 - 2021) - Walden, NY - Times Herald-Record". legacy.com. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Meyer, Dan (May 26, 2021). "Tony Nominee Samuel E. Wright Dies at 74". Playbill. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b c d "Samuel E. Wright". Playbill. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  9. ^ See film credits on IMDB.
  10. ^ a b Granville, Kari (December 23, 1989). "Without Him, Sebastian Would Be Speechless". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Samuel E. Wright – There's Something Funny Going On (1973, Vinyl)". Discog.com. 1973. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  13. ^ Heffley, Lynne (November 16, 1991). "As a Crab or 'Bird,' Wright Gives 100%". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  14. Vulture
    . Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d Holmes, Adam (May 25, 2021). "Samuel Wright, Voice Of The Little Mermaid's Sebastian, Is Dead At 74". CinemaBlend.
  16. ^ a b Welsh, Daniel (May 26, 2021). "Samuel E Wright, The Little Mermaid Star, Has Died Aged 74". HuffPost.
  17. ^ a b c "Samuel E Wright". Turner Classic Movies.
  18. ^ "Discover More About the First Year of Life on Family Channel Documentary". The Los Angeles Times. November 17, 1991. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  19. ^ "As Crab or 'Bird,' Wright Gives 100%". The Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1991. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  20. ^ "Raw Toonage". TV.com.
  21. ^ "Alex Haley's Queen". TV.com.
  22. ^ a b "Sebastian Voices (Little Mermaid)". Behind the Voice Actors.
  23. ^ "FADE OUT NEW YORK UNDERCOVER SEASON 3". Rotten Tomatoes.
  24. ^ a b Armstrong, Vanessa. "SAMUEL E. WRIGHT, VOICE OF SEBASTIAN IN THE LITTLE MERMAID, DIES AT 74". SyFy.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ a b c "Nominees for Best Featured Actor in a Musical". Playbill. June 4, 1998.

External links

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