Pat Carroll

2022 - 7 - 31

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Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Pat Carroll, TV Mainstay Turned Stage Star, Dies at 95 (The New York Times)

Tired of sitcoms and game shows, she reinvented herself in a one-woman show about Gertrude Stein — and, later, in a gender-bending Shakespeare role.

Although she spent most of her career on television (where her later work included appearances on “ER” and “Designing Women”) and the stage, Ms. Carroll also had some memorable roles on the big screen. That role, she once said, was “the one thing in my life that I’m probably most proud of.” “I don’t even care if, after I’m gone, the only thing that I’m associated with is Ursula,” she added. “I realized that what I was learning was not going to advance what I wished to do,” she said in 2011. Ms. Carroll won Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards in 1980 for the performance, and in 1981 her recording of the play won a Grammy Award in the “best spoken word” category. She was also seen frequently on sitcoms like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and dramas like “Police Woman.” But a part she took in 1977, when she was 50, inspired her to change direction. In 1947, Ms. Carroll left Los Angeles for Plymouth, Mass., where she worked at the Priscilla Beach Theater and, she said, ate, drank and breathed the theater. “I always thought experience was the best preparation.” Ms. Carroll married Lee Karsian, a William Morris agent, in 1955. It was not the agents’ or directors’ or producers’ fault that the phone was not ringing. The sight is so eerie you grab onto your seat.” What they find instead is a Falstaff who could have stepped out of a formal painted portrait: a balding, aged knight with scattered tufts of silver hair and whiskers, an enormous belly, pink cheeks and squinting, froggy eyes that peer out through boozy mists.

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Image courtesy of "Hollywood Reporter"

Pat Carroll, Emmy-Winning Actress and Voice of Ursula in 'The Little ... (Hollywood Reporter)

The boisterous comedienne appeared on 'Caesar's Hour' and 'The Danny Thomas Show' and won acclaim playing Gertrude Stein in a one-woman play.

Carroll won the part and went on to voice the character in several video games and a 1993 Little Mermaid CBS series. Carroll first starred on Broadway in 1955 in the musical revue Catch a Star! written by Danny and Neil Simon. The performance earned her a Tony nomination. The key was a recording that he had made of him singing the song. Writer-directors Ron Clements and John Musker saw Ursula more like a bellowing aquatic version of Bea Arthur, but her agent took offense when the script likened the actress to a witch — and passed. Undoubtedly, her most memorable character was Ursula for the 1989 Disney feature The Little Mermaid. It would prove to be one of her favorite roles. Once Carroll heard and saw that, the rest was easy. Carroll’s enthusiasm made the octopus-like character uniquely her own and Ursula would become one of Disney’s most memorable villains. But it was during the ‘80s that her voiceover career skyrocketed; she could be heard on the cartoons Yogi’s Treasure Hunt, Galaxy High School, Foofur, Pound Puppies and Superman. Alas, her agent quickly nixed the idea. Carroll also was a game show favorite. Carroll’s perky personality, screwball wit and impeccable timing made her a great second banana, and Red Buttons, Jimmy Durante, Mickey Rooney, Steve Allen and Charley Weaver were among those who called upon her to make their programs funnier. It was impossible for them to fumble.

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Image courtesy of "The A.V. Club"

R.I.P. Pat Carroll, The Little Mermaid's Ursula (The A.V. Club)

Grammy and Emmy-winning actor and comedian Pat Carroll, who worked in television and onstage for decades before putting in one of the most iconic ...

As is often the case with voice actors from the period known as the Disney Renaissance, Carroll returned to other Disney projects to play Ursula in TV appearances and sequels and spin-offs as recently as in a 2020 Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse short. The recording of the show won her a Grammy Award in 1980 for Best Spoken Word, Documentary, Or Drama. Carroll began to do voice acting in the ‘80s, working on Galaxy High School, Yogi’s Treasure Hunt, Foofur, Pound Puppies, and the original English dub of My Neighbor Totoro. Grammy and Emmy-winning actor and comedian Pat Carroll, who worked in television and onstage for decades before putting in one of the most iconic performances in animated movie history as Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, has died.

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Image courtesy of "TMZ"

Pat Carroll, Voice of Ursula in 'Little Mermaid,' Dead at 95 (TMZ)

The longtime actress and comedian passed away at her Cape Cod home Saturday after a bout with pneumonia -- according to her daughter, Kerry Karsian, who ...

As many have rightly said, she was a pioneer in the biz. 'Little Mermaid' Star Pat Carroll Voice of Ursula Dead at 95 Pat Carroll, Voice of Ursula in 'Little Mermaid,' Dead at 95

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Image courtesy of "ABC News"

Pat Carroll, Emmy winner and voice of Ursula, dies at 95 (ABC News)

Pat Carroll, a comedic television mainstay for decades, and the voice Ursula in “The Little Mermaid,” has died.

So when we have a chance, theatrically, to see one and this one, she’s a biggie, it’s kind of fascinating for us.” And her throaty rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” would make her one of Disney’s most memorable villains. She won an Emmy for her work on the sketch comedy series “Caesar’s Hour” in 1956, was a regular on “Make Room for Daddy” with Danny Thomas, a guest star on “The DuPont Show with June Allyson” and a variety show regular stopping by “The Danny Kaye Show,” “The Red Skelton Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.”

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Image courtesy of "Variety"

Pat Carroll, Voice of Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid' and Veteran ... (Variety)

Pat Carroll, who voiced Ursula in "The Little Mermaid" and whose acting career spanned over seven decades, died Saturday. She was 95.

Carroll’s first role came in 1947 in the film “Hometown Girl.” She became a regular presence on variety shows over the next three decades. Carroll drew critical acclaim for her performance as Gertrude Stein in her one-woman theater show. Born on May 5, 1927 in Shreveport, La., Patricia Ann Carroll’s family relocated to Los Angeles when she was five years old.

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Image courtesy of "The Hill"

Pat Carroll, voice of Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid,' dies (The Hill)

(NEXSTAR) – Actor Pat Carroll died Saturday in her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, multiple news outlets reported Sunday. She was 95 years old.

We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. Her voice acting as Ursula may not have won her any prestigious awards, but Carroll’s voice did earn her a Grammy in 1981. By the time she took away Ariel’s voice in the 1989 animated “Little Mermaid,” Carroll had dozens of acting credits to her name dating back to the 1940s.

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Image courtesy of "BuzzFeed News"

Pat Carroll, Who Voiced Ursula In "The Little Mermaid," Has Died At 95 (BuzzFeed News)

"We ask that you honor her by having a raucous laugh at absolutely anything today (and everyday forward)," her daughters said in a statement.

The show won her a Drama Desk Award for Best Actress and the Outer Circle Drama Critics' award for Best Production Off Broadway in 1980. Carroll was married to Lee Karsian until they divorced in 1976. "I knew something was happening when my children told me, 'Mom, you're repeating everything three times,'" she said. But she had an accomplished career long before that, especially in the early decades of TV. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1927, Carroll and her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 5. I think people are fascinated by mean characters ... I'm even intrigued by her when I look at it." Carroll was best known for her role voicing Ursula, the villain with an unmistakable laugh in the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid. She has said in interviews that it was a "lifelong ambition" of hers to be in a Disney movie.

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Image courtesy of "New York Post"

Pat Carroll, voice of Ursula in 'Little Mermaid,' dead at 95 (New York Post)

Carroll, who was 95, began acting as a child in Los Angeles and got her big screen start with 1947's "Hometown Girl."

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Image courtesy of "Crow River Media"

'Little Mermaid' voice actress Pat Carroll dead at 95 (Crow River Media)

Emmy-winning actress Pat Carroll has died aged 95. Best known as the voice of Ursula from Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' passed away at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on July 30 after fighting pneumonia. Confirming the actress' death, her daughter ...

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Image courtesy of "CBS News"

Pat Carroll, Emmy winner and voice of Ursula in "The Little Mermaid ... (CBS News)

Carroll would often say that Ursula was one of her favorite roles, saying that she saw the character as an "ex-Shakespearean actress who now sold cars."

So when we have a chance, theatrically, to see one and this one, she's a biggie, it's kind of fascinating for us." But her throaty rendition of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" would make her one of Disney's most memorable villains. She won an Emmy for her work on the sketch comedy series "Caesar's Hour" in 1956, was a regular on "Make Room for Daddy" with Danny Thomas, a guest star on "The DuPont Show with June Allyson" and a variety show regular stopping by "The Danny Kaye Show," "The Red Skelton Show" and "The Carol Burnett Show."

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Image courtesy of "NBC News"

Pat Carroll, Emmy winner and voice of Ursula, dies at 95 (NBC News)

Pat Carroll, a comedic television mainstay for decades, Emmy-winner for “Caesar's Hour” and the voice of Ursula in “The Little Mermaid,” has died.

And her throaty rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” would make her one of Disney’s most memorable villains. She won an Emmy for her work on the sketch comedy series “Caesar’s Hour” in 1956, was a regular on “Make Room for Daddy” with Danny Thomas, a guest star on “The DuPont Show with June Allyson” and a variety show regular stopping by “The Danny Kaye Show,” “The Red Skelton Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.” A new generation would come to know and love her voice thanks to Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which came out in 1989.

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Image courtesy of "Cinema Blend"

Pat Carroll, The Little Mermaid's Ursula, Is Dead At 95 (Cinema Blend)

Pat Carroll, the Emmy and Grammy-winning voice of Ursula from 1989's The Little Mermaid, has died.

Pat Carroll mostly did voice work in the last 20 years, but she continued doing live-action film and television as well. After originally voicing Ursula in 1989's The Little Mermaid, she continued to play the role for decades – her last performance being an episode of The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse on Disney+ (opens in new tab) in 2020. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Pat Carroll's first credit was the 1948 film Hometown Girl, though the vast majority of her work in the late 20th century was on television.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Pat Carroll, voice of Ursula in Disney's 'The Little Mermaid,' dead at ... (CNN)

Pat Carroll, the Emmy-winning actress best known as the voice of the villainous sea witch Ursula in Disney's "The Little Mermaid," has died at the age of ...

She also provided the vocals for the sea witches' signature song, "Poor Unfortunate Souls." In 1988, she voiced the role of Granny in the English version of the Japanese classic animation "My Neighbor Totoro." But it was her performance a year later as one of Disney's most memorable villains, in "The Little Mermaid," that catapulted her to international fame. Carroll landed her first voiceover gig in 1966, for the animated television series "The Super 6."

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

Pat Carroll, Emmy winner and voice of Ursula, dies at 95 (NPR)

Her daughter Kerry Karsian, a casting agent, said Carroll died at her home in Cape Cod, Mass., on Saturday. Her other daughter Tara Karsian wrote on Instagram ...

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Image courtesy of "/FILM"

Pat Carroll, Voice Of Ursula In The Little Mermaid, Has Died At 95 (/FILM)

Carroll received a Tony Award nomination for the 1955 musical "Catch a Star," and her Emmy win came in 1957 for her sketch-comedy work on "Caesar's Hour."

Through her long and fruitful career, she brought laughter and joy to many people and left an unforgettable mark on the world of animation as one of the best Disney villains. In 1989, Pat Carroll voiced the scene-chewing, octopus-tentacled sea witch Ursula in "The Little Mermaid," opposite Jodi Benson (seen posing with her in front of the Ariel's Undersea Adventure attraction at Disney California Adventure in the top photo). The film served as a major turning point for Disney animation, kicking off what is now known as the Disney Renaissance period. Carroll was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1927; at an early age, she uprooted with her family to Los Angeles. After performing with stock companies and in nightclubs and army productions, the multitalented thespian and comedian began appearing off-Broadway and on television.

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Image courtesy of "Playbill.com"

Tony Nominee and Voice of Little Mermaid's Ursula Pat Carroll ... (Playbill.com)

In 1947, she appeared in her first film, Hometown Girl, which was quickly followed by a litany of television performances, winning an Emmy for her appearance on ...

In 1947, she appeared in her first film, Hometown Girl, which was quickly followed by a litany of television performances, winning an Emmy for her appearance on Sid Caesar’s House. She was a common face on many mid-century variety shows, including those helmed by Steve Allen, Red Buttons, Danny Kaye, Red Skelton, and Carol Burnett, and she was a regular on the sitcom Make Room for Daddy from 1961 through 1964. A particular favorite of the company, she also lent her voice to additional characters on Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, A Goofy Movie, and Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers. The news was first shared by Deadline.

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Image courtesy of "TV Insider"

Pat Carroll, Voice of Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid', Dies at 95 (TV Insider)

She also appeared in 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' 'Laverne & Shirley,' 'ER' and more.

Her most memorable role, however, came in 1989, when she voiced the sea witch Ursula in the Disney feature The Little Mermaid. She would go on to reprise the role in several other productions over the years, including a 1993 Little Mermaid CBS series and the Disney+ 2020 animated series The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Carroll would appear in various sketch/variety shows, including The Danny Thomas Show, The Red Skelton Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. Then, in 1976, she joined the popular sitcom Laverne & Shirley. Over the next three decades, she would continue to make guest appearances in several TV shows, including Busting Loose, The Love Boat, Too Close For Comfort, and ER. Born on May 5, 1927, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Carroll would begin her acting career in 1947, landing a role in the film Hometown Girl. From there, she went on to star in numerous television shows, including the sitcom Make Room for Daddy, Studio 57, The Steve Allen Show, and Caesar’s Hour, for which she received an Emmy Award.

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Image courtesy of "ABC News"

'The Little Mermaid' star Pat Carroll, the voice of Ursula, dies at 95 (ABC News)

Emmy and Grammy winner Pat Carroll, famous for voicing Ursula in "The Little Mermaid," has died. She was 95.

On film, she appeared in a pair of Doris Day-starring films in the '60s, the English dub of "My Neighbor Totoro" in 1988 and both "Freedom Writers" and "Nancy Drew" in 2007. Her son Sean Karsian died in 2009. Of this, Tara Karsian wrote, "Truer words were never written and this is how we'll always remember her."

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Image courtesy of "Vanity Fair"

Pat Carroll, Voice of The Little Mermaid's Ursula, Dies at 95 (Vanity Fair)

The Emmy- and Grammy-winning actress, who also voiced characters on “Garfield” and “Scooby-Doo,” died of pneumonia at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

“Then I noticed that I was not using contractions very much when I talked—there are no contractions at all in the first act of Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein.” Carroll is survived by her two daughters—Kerry and Tara Karsian, as well as her granddaughter, Evan. Carroll is best known for her voiceover work, which began with 1966’s animated TV series The Super 6. She also voiced Ursula’s similarly sinister sister Morgana for 2000’s sequel, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.

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Image courtesy of "The Dallas Morning News"

Pat Carroll, voice of Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid,' dies at 95 (The Dallas Morning News)

Pat Carroll, a comedic television mainstay for decades, Emmy-winner for “Caesar's Hour” and the voice Ursula in “The Little Mermaid,” has died. She was 95.

And her throaty rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” would make her one of Disney’s most memorable villains. A new generation would come to know and love her voice thanks to Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which came out in 1989. She won an Emmy for her work on the sketch comedy series “Caesar’s Hour” in 1956, was a regular on “Make Room for Daddy” with Danny Thomas, a guest star on “The DuPont Show with June Allyson” and a variety show regular stopping by “The Danny Kaye Show,” “The Red Skelton Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.”

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Image courtesy of "Deadline"

Pat Carroll Dies: Veteran Actress Of Stage, TV, Film And Voice Of ... (Deadline)

Comedian and actress Pat Carroll, a television pioneer and an Emmy, Drama Desk and Grammy winner, died at her home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts on July 30 ...

She graduated from Immaculate Heart High School, and then attended Catholic University of America after enlisting in the US Army. She voiced Ursula in The Little Mermaid and in several cartoon series. In early 1976, Carroll was cast as Lily, the mother of Shirley Feeney in the episode “Mother Knows Worst” on the hit ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley. She also was in the CBS sitcom Busting Loose, The Ted Knight Show, and the syndicated She’s The Sheriff.

Pat Carroll, voice of Ursula from 'The Little Mermaid,' dies at 95 (Deseret News)

Actress and comedienne Pat Carroll passed away this weekend at 95 years old, concluding a life full of smiles and laughter. Pat Carroll is well-known for ...

But Carroll’s most indisputably memorable role would come later in the actress and comedienne’s life, after a spell of only playing maternal roles on television. Her role as one of the wicked stepsisters, Prunella, in the 1965 musical rendition of “Cinderella” was one of her most prominent stage roles. Carroll lost a bout with pneumonia on July 30, her daughter Kerry Karsian told the Hollywood Reporter, leaving behind a legacy on both stage and screen.

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