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Samuel E. Wright

Samuel E. Wright

Actor · Died May 24, 2021, aged 74 · Camden, South Carolina, USA

Samuel E. Wright (November 20, 1946 - May 24, 2021) was an American actor, vocal actor, and singer, best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid, Dizzy Gillespie in Bird, and the part of Mufasa in the original cast of The Lion King on Broadway.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 20, 1946
Died
May 24, 2021 (aged 74)
From
Camden, South Carolina, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 64 days to Oct 27Down 15% in 30 days

What are Samuel E. Wright's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
29%
Bonds
26%
Survival
24%
Ideas
11%
Power
5%
Society
5%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 3 of 5 analyzed roles.

Mentor
3 of 5
Ally
1 of 5
Shadow
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Hopeful
4
Melancholic
5
Warm
3
Contemplative
2
Joyful
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Samuel E. Wright's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (6).

Subscription and free streaming for Samuel E. Wright's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Little Mermaid Live!(2019)

    as Sebastian (archive footage) (voice)

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning(2008)

    as Sebastian (voice)

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Disney Princess Sing Along Songs, Vol. 3 - Perfectly Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Sebastian (voice)

  • Disney Princess Sing Along Songs, Vol. 2 - Enchanted Tea Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Sebastian (voice)

  • Jonny Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 4 episodes · as Dante · as Jericho

  • Marsupilami - Le trésor du Marsupilami (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Sebastian

  • Marsupilami - Les marsupiades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Sebastian

  • Marsupilami - Le rallye du Marsupilami (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Sebastian

  • Le marsupilami dans la Pampa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Sebastian

  • Le marsupilami à New-York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Sebastian

  • Le Marsupilami à Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Sebastian

  • Disney's House of Mouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 4 episodes · as Sebastian · as Sebastian (voice)

  • Dinosaur(2000)

    as Kron (voice)

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea(2000)

    as Sebastian (voice)

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Marsupilami (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 39 episodes · as Sebastian (voice)

  • Queen(1993)

    Show 3 episodes · as Alfred

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Raw Toonage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · as Sebastian (voice)

  • The Little Mermaid(1992)

    Show 31 episodes · as Sebastian (voice)

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Sebastian's Caribbean Jamboree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Sebastian

  • Sebastian's Party Gras (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Sebastian

  • Separate but Equal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Artis Patterson

  • Separate But Equal(1991)

    Show 2 episodes · as Artis Patterson

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Little Mermaid's Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · as Sebastian (voice)

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Defense Attorney Dubois · as Defense Attorney Jerome Osborn · as Defense Attorney Morris Stokely

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Sebastian (archive footage) (voice)

  • The Little Mermaid(1989)

    as Sebastian (voice)

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Me and Him(1988)

    as Paramedic 1

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Bird(1988)

    as Dizzy Gillespie

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Gift of Amazing Grace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Morris

  • Brass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Capt. Michael Shore

  • The Cosby Show(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Dan Morgan

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Simon & Simon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Enos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 18 episodes · as Turk Adams

  • Hollow Image (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Scottie

  • Ball Four (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 7 episodes · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 35 titles from 1976 to 2019; peak year 1988.

Biggest box office

Dinosaur (2000)

$350M worldwide

Highest rated

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Dinosaur (2000)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19762019

Peak 1988 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting35 of 35: 35 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score60th

By decade

1970s2 · acting1980s8 · acting1990s11 · acting2000s13 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Samuel E. Wright's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · actor

The Little Mermaid Live! (2019)

74th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Midcredits 94th · 82% liked

Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 41. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Samuel E. Wright's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 13 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 10 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 10 · minimalMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 43 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Samuel E. Wright work with?

People who share at least 2 of Samuel E. Wright's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jodi Benson shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Producers