Samuel E. Wright
Encyclopedia
Samuel E. Wright is an American
film and theater actor
and singer who is best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney
's The Little Mermaid
, for which he provided the main vocals to "Under the Sea
", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
. He also voiced Kron in Disney's CGI film Dinosaur
.
in 1984 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Tap Dance Kid
, and 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
. Wright played Enos' partner Turk in the TV series Enos
. Wright originated the part of "Sam" in Over Here!
on Broadway. Wright also played the part of Jericho on the short lived Fox
TV show Jonny Zero
.
He ran his own drama school in Walden, New York
called the Hudson Valley Conservatory and wrote a short play Radio Days about the era when people listened to radio like they watch TV today. The play features different bits of music and excerpts from various musicals. But this play was mainly written as a didactic play for child actors. He also wrote a Shakespearian style play called Love's Labor, a historical fiction play about Shakespeare's own life and how he began down his path of tragic works after losing his son Hamnet which was performed at the Hudson Valley Conservatory to rave reviews. His major projects involved teaching, directing and inspiring young performers in his Master Company, an audition only class at his Conservatory.
, as Sebastian the Crab. He is most renowned for the songs, "Under the Sea", and "Kiss the Girl".
Wright released a soul music record in 1973 called 'There's something funny going om' b/w 'Three hundred pounds of hungry' on the New York Paramount label
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and theater actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and singer who is best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
's The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (1989 film)
The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
, for which he provided the main vocals to "Under the Sea
Under the Sea
-Parodies:In 1991, this song was parodied by musician Tom Smith with his song, "On The PC". This song was re-written in 1999 as "PC99".The song was parodied on the TV show Kappa Mikey where Mikey tries to convince a squid to live on land with him....
", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
. He also voiced Kron in Disney's CGI film Dinosaur
Dinosaur (film)
Dinosaur is a 2000 American computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on May 19, 2000, and is the 39th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.
Career
Samuel E. Wright was nominated for a Tony AwardTony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
in 1984 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Tap Dance Kid
The Tap Dance Kid
The Tap Dance Kid is a musical based on the novel Nobody's Family is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh. It was written by Charles Blackwell with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics by Robert Lorick.-Productions:...
, and again in 1998 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical as the original lead actor for Mufasa in The Lion King
The Lion King (musical)
The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
, the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
version of Disney's animated classic of the same name
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
. Wright played Enos' partner Turk in the TV series Enos
Enos (TV series)
Enos is an American television series from the 1980–1981 season that aired on the CBS network. A spinoff of The Dukes of Hazzard, Enos focused on the adventures of Enos Strate, a former small-town deputy in Hazzard County, now having moved to Los Angeles to join the L.A.P.D...
. Wright originated the part of "Sam" in Over Here!
Over Here!
Over Here! is a musical with a score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and book by Will Holt. The original Broadway production was directed by Tom Moore and choreographed by Patricia Birch, with scenic design by Douglas W. Schmidt and costumes by Carrie F...
on Broadway. Wright also played the part of Jericho on the short lived Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
TV show Jonny Zero
Jonny Zero
Jonny Zero is an action-crime drama television series that aired on the Fox network in 2005. It starred Franky G, GQ, and Brennan Hesser. It was cancelled after eight episodes. It began airing on Monday nights on ABC TV in Australia in early 2007.-Plot:...
.
He ran his own drama school in Walden, New York
Walden, New York
Walden is the largest of three villages of the Town of Montgomery in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 6,978 at the 2010 census. It has the ZIP Code 12586 and the 778 telephone exchange within the 845 area code...
called the Hudson Valley Conservatory and wrote a short play Radio Days about the era when people listened to radio like they watch TV today. The play features different bits of music and excerpts from various musicals. But this play was mainly written as a didactic play for child actors. He also wrote a Shakespearian style play called Love's Labor, a historical fiction play about Shakespeare's own life and how he began down his path of tragic works after losing his son Hamnet which was performed at the Hudson Valley Conservatory to rave reviews. His major projects involved teaching, directing and inspiring young performers in his Master Company, an audition only class at his Conservatory.
Filmography
- The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid (1989 film)The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
(1989) as Sebastian the crab - Sebastian's Party Gras (1990) as Self/Sebastian
- Sebastian's Caribbean Jamboree (1991) as Self/Sebastian
- The Little Mermaid (TV series)The Little Mermaid (TV series)The Little Mermaid is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation based on the 1989 Disney film of the same name. It features the adventures of Ariel as a mermaid prior to the events of the film. This series is the first Disney television series to be spun...
(1992–1994) as Sebastian - Raw ToonageRaw ToonageDisney's Raw Toonage is a half hour Disney animated cartoon series that aired on the CBS network in the fall of 1992.-History and production:...
(1992) as Sebastian - MarsupilamiMarsupilamiMarsupilami is a fictional comic book species created by André Franquin, first published on 31 January 1952 in the magazine Spirou. Since then it appeared regularly in the popular Belgian comic book series Spirou et Fantasio until Franquin stopped working on the series in 1968 and the character...
(1993) as Sebastian - The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea (2000) as Sebastian
- DinosaurDinosaur (film)Dinosaur is a 2000 American computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on May 19, 2000, and is the 39th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
(2000) as Kron the IguanodonIguanodonIguanodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived roughly halfway between the first of the swift bipedal hypsilophodontids and the ornithopods' culmination in the duck-billed dinosaurs... - House of Mouse (2001–2002) as Sebastian
- The Little Mermaid: Ariel's BeginningThe Little Mermaid: Ariel's BeginningThe Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is a 2008 Disney animated feature film, and the direct-to-video prequel to the 1989 film The Little Mermaid...
(2008) as Sebastian
Music
Wright has performed and recorded several songs for the Walt Disney Animated film, The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid (1989 film)
The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
, as Sebastian the Crab. He is most renowned for the songs, "Under the Sea", and "Kiss the Girl".
Wright released a soul music record in 1973 called 'There's something funny going om' b/w 'Three hundred pounds of hungry' on the New York Paramount label