Pat Carroll, voice of Ursula in The Little Mermaid, dies aged 95
The comedian and actor won Emmy, Drama Desk, and Grammy Awards in a career spanning more than seven decades.
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- Patrick Cremona
Published: Monday, 1 August 2022 at 11:19 am
Pat Carroll – who voiced Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid – has passed away aged 95.
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The sad news was reported by her daughter Kerry Karsian in The Hollywood Reporter, with the cause of death given as pneumonia.
In a career spanning more than seven decades, Carroll was a revered comedian and actor who won Emmy, Drama Desk, and Grammy Awards and was also nominated for a Tony.
She made her screen debut in 1948 in the film Hometown Girl and became better known in the subsequent three decades for her performances on variety shows – including her Emmy Award-winning turn in the popular sketch comedy show Caesar’s Hour.
She also had an extensive career as a voiceover actor, with her first voice role coming in the animated television series The Super 6 in 1966 and future credits including Yogi’s Treasure Hunt, Scooby-Doo, Garfield and Superman.
Her one-woman show Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein was also very successful in this period, winning several major theatre awards before the recorded version won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama in 1980.
Ursula in The Little Mermaid. Disney
But it was her performance as Ursula for which Carroll will be most remembered, with the star having gone on to reprise the role in various TV spinoffs, games, and even Disneyland amusement park rides.
And she continued acting until late into her life, with her final credit coming in an episode of The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse in 2020, voicing Ursula for one final time.
Several fans took to Twitter to pay tribute to her work after hearing the news, with one fan writing: "What an incredible loss… Pat Carroll gave us one of the most iconic voice acting roles ever, showcasing her talent on the god-tier villain song Poor Unfortunate Souls.
"Not to mention she’s an Emmy-winning, Grammy-winning, and Tony-nominated actress. Rest In Peace, legend."
Another fan wrote: "R.I.P. PAT CARROLL (1927 - 2022). We've lost another legend. The one & only Pat Carroll, who is probably best known for her absolutely ICONIC turn as Ursula in The Little Mermaid, has passed away. Disney villain songs don't get any better..."
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And a third commented: "Devastated to report the passing of Pat Carroll, the voice of Ursula, one of Disney's greatest villains at 95. But even at such an age, she still had the skill as two years ago on 'The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse' she still brought life to the sea witch. RIP."
Authors
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
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