Pat Carroll, voice of Ursula in The Little Mermaid has died aged 95
She voiced one of Disney's greatest villains
Last updated 1st Aug 2022
Emmy Award-winning actress Pat Carrol, who was best known for voicing Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid, has died aged 95.
Pat's daughter Kerry Karsian told The Hollywood Reporter that her mother passed away on Saturday of pneumonia at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Pat had her first film credit in the 1948 film Hometown Girl as Lorelei Crawford and went on to work in film, television and on stage. In 1957 she won Best Supporting Performance by an Actress at the Emmy Awards for her work on the NBC sitcom Caesar's Hour.
In the world of musical theatre, Pat played Ugly Stepsister Prunella in the 1965 television film of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, she played Reno Sweeney in a production of Anything Goes in the 70s and played Mrs. Meers in the pre-Broadway run of Thoroughly Modern Millie at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2000.
But Pat's biggest role came as the villain Ursula in Walt Disney Animation Studio's 1989 adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Other names such as Charlotte Rae and Elaine Stritch auditioned for the role but it was Pat who could perform 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' the way Howard Ashman intended.
Ursula was a role that Pat enjoyed so much that she would often return to voice the role for various Disney video games such as Kingdom Hearts.
The Disney films that transferred to the stage
Beauty and the Beast
Disney bosses did not waste much time at all with getting Beauty and the Beast to the stage after the animated film was released in 1991! Opening on Broadway in 1994, Beauty and the Beast starred Terrence Mann as the Beast and Susan Egan as Belle, who later voiced Meg in Disney's Hercules. The musical ran until 2007 on Broadway, and in the West End from 1997 to 1999, following the same plot as the film: after her father is imprisoned by a beastly creature in the depths of the woods, Belle trades her freedom for his, but grows to love her captor.
Beauty and the Beast (2021)
After two decades away, a brand new production of Beauty and the Beast which went on a UK & Ireland tour and a summer run in the West End in 2022!
The Lion King
The Lion King is one of the most spectacular stage productions of all time! Following the same story as the 1994 animated film, the musical premiered on Broadway in 1997 and in the West End in 1999 - where it still continues to run. The show is renowned for its innovative use of staging and costumes, as well as puppetry for some of the animals.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
One of the less popular movies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame has some of the most beautiful music from Disney's catalogue. Although it was never performed in the West End or Broadway, it ran successfully in Berlin from 1999 until 2002 and more or less followed the same plot as the 1996 film: Quasimodo is a kindly but lonely bellringer who longs to ingratiate himself in society and is controlled by his evil stepfather, Frollo. When he finally does break free, he falls in love with Esmeralda the gypsy... But so does Frollo.
Mary Poppins
Fans of Mary Poppins will know that the novel's original author, P. L. Travers, was something of a road block when it came to the 1964 film - and this was the case again when theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh approached her in 1993 to make a stage show; allowing it to go ahead but with certain stipulations. Mary Poppins pretty much followed the same plot as the film, but there were a few changes along the way. The show made its stage debut in the West End in 2004 - the only Disney musical to premiere in the UK - before opening on Broadway in 2006, with a West End revival in 2019.
Tarzan
Phil Collins returned to Tarzan after writing five songs for the original 1999 animated film, penning nine more for the stage show, which opened on Broadway in 2006 and ran for just over a year before performances all over the world, including a five-year run in Germany. It followed the story of the film: Jane and her father discover Tarzan living among gorillas, and his family's safety is jeopardised by the group Jane and her father arrived with.
The Little Mermaid
The stage show of The Little Mermaid was met with huge enthusiasm from theatre producers - but a brick wall came in the form of creating an underwater space on stage... So director Francesca Zambello had the actors wear Heelys and used lighting in a clever way to reflect water. Sierra Boggess originated the role of Ariel when the show premiered on Broadway in 2008 - her debut Broadway performance - and has gone on to become a huge stage star. The show closed just over 18 months later.
Aladdin
Aladdin the musical premiered in Seattle in 2011, before a Toronto tryout in 2013 and settling on Broadway in 2014. A West End production starred former Sugababe and Eurovision hopeful Jade Ewen as Jasmine, opening in 2016 and closing in 2019. A special performance of the show was filmed in August 2019 a week after it had closed at the Prince Edward Theatre, starring cast members from the original Broadway production, as well as the West End, and Australian and US tours.
Pinocchio
The on-stage version of Pinocchio premiered in December 2017 at the Royal National Theatre in London, running until April 2018. The National Theatre are well-known for their clever use of puppetry, which of course tied in well with a story about a boy made of wood!
Frozen
As one of the most popular Disney films of all time, it was no surprise that bosses chose to put Frozen on the stage! It follows the storyline of the 2013 film, with Queen Elsa struggling to control her snowy powers and accidentally injuring her sister Anna. Premiering on Broadway in 2018, the show was suspended in March 2020 due to the global pandemic and toured the US instead of returning to Broadway.
However, a West End production opened in April 2021 after being postponed, with Les Misérables star Samantha Barks as Elsa.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Disney's 1971 film Bedknobs and Broomsticks is an absolute classic, the original film is based on stories by Mary Norton, starred Angela Lansbury, included animated characters and had a flying bed! So it's no surprise that the film has finally been given the stage treatment.
The musical adaptation of Bedknobs and Broomsticks opened at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne in August 2021 which kicked off a UK & Ireland tour which ran until May 2022.
Newsies
Inspired by the New York newsboys strike of 1899, Newsies first arrived on screen in the 1992 with music Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman. Despite a disappointing performance at the box office, the film's cult following led the way for a stage adaptation to be made.
The stage musical of Newsies arrived on Broadway in 2012 following a run in New Jersey, and picked up eight Tony nominations with the musical becoming well known for its impressive ensemble of dancers. Ten years later the musical finally came to the UK with a new production at the Troubadour Theatre in Wembley.
Pat is survived by her daughter, Kerry and her granddaughter, Evan.