Pat Carroll, Actress Who Voiced Ursula In ‘The Little Mermaid,’ Dies At 95

Pat Carroll, an accomplished stage and screen actress who also voiced one of the most memorable Disney villains, died from pneumonia on Saturday. The actress passed away at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and she was 95.

While she continued to provide her iconic voice as Ursula in other venues after appearing in the celebrated animated film, Carroll also leaves behind a massive filmography of TV roles as well as memorable parts on Broadway. She voiced Ursula as recently as 2020 with appearances in animated shows, Disney specials and the video game series Kingdom Hearts.

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Patricia Ann Carroll was born on May 5, 1927, in Shreveport, Louisiana. She got her start in acting at the age of five when her family moved to Los Angeles. Carroll attended the Catholic University of America while stationed in Washington D.C. as a civilian actress technician in the U.S. Army. Carroll cut her teeth in local theater shows and stock productions all over the states.

Her first TV credit came in 1952 when she appeared in The Red Buttons Show, and three years later her Broadway debut in Catch A Star! earned the young actress her a Tony Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Her early career momentum continued when Carroll won an Emmy Award in 1956 for Caesar’s Hour.

Carroll would go on to have a healthy career in TV comedy with appearances on shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley and The Danny Thomas Show. She then began providing voices for animated projects starting in the 80s and amassed credits like Superman, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and the English dub of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro.

She also came back to the theater with many celebrated performances over her long career. In a D.C. production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, Carroll gave an acclaimed performance as the iconic Shakespeare character Sir John Falstaff, and she also won a Drama Desk Award for her performance as Gertrude Stein in the production Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein.

Carroll is survived by her children Kerry Karsian, Sean Karsian, and actress Tara Karsian, who she had with her ex-husband Lee Karsian.