Samuel E. Wright

Samuel E. Wright (November 20, 1946 in Camden, South Carolina - May 24, 2021 in Walden, New York) was an American film and theater actor and singer who was best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid, and the voice of Kron in Disney's Dinosaur.

Career
Samuel E. Wright was nominated for a Tony Award 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 classic The Lion King. 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.

Personal life and death
Wright was married to Amanda Wright, a dance director, who he had met in a production of Two Gentlemen of Verona in London's West End. They had three children: Keely, Dee, and Sam. Wright died from prostate cancer at his home in Walden, New York, on May 24, 2021.

Filmography

 * The Little Mermaid (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) (1992-1994) as Sebastian
 * Raw Toonage (1992) as Sebastian
 * Marsupilami (1993) as Sebastian
 * The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea (2000) as Sebastian
 * Dinosaur (2000) as Kron the Iguanodon
 * House of Mouse (2001-2003) as Sebastian
 * The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008) as Sebastian

Discography
"Under the Sea": As Sebastian in the 1989 Disney Film, "The Little Mermaid".

"Kiss the Girl": As Sebastian in the 1989 Disney Film, "The Little Mermaid".