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R.I.P. Pat Carroll, staple on classic television and Ursula's voice in The Little Mermaid
The Emmy award-winning actress was 95.
Pat Carroll was just five years old when she relocated from Shreveport, Louisiana to Los Angeles with her family, allowing her to grow up surrounded by the entertainment industry.
Carroll hit her stride as an actress and comedian during the golden age of television.
She made her first appearance on the big screen in the 1948 film Hometown Girl before becoming a regular on the sketch comedy show Caesar's Hour, which ran from 1954 to 1957.
Making 45 appearances on Caesar's Hour, Carroll won an Emmy for Best Supporting Performance next to star Sid Caesar.
Throughout the Fifties and Sixties, Carroll jumped from show to show, reaching more viewers and further-establishing her name as a comedic relief staple across entertainment.
She bacame a regular on The Danny Thomas Show, also known as Make Room for Daddy, appearing in 40 episodes. Carroll portrayed Bunny Halper, the wife of the main character's boss. The show, which featured the backdoor pilot to The Andy Griffith Show in season seven, featured Caroll in three of its 11 total seasons.
Bunny often appeared across from her husband Charlie Halper, played by Sid Melton, who was in 90 episodes of the long-running comedy.
It was no surprise to see Pat Carroll on The Carol Burnett Show, The DuPont Show with June Allyson or The Danny Kaye Show. Carroll played Prunella, one of the stepsisters in the 1965 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.
Carroll also collected a Grammy during her expansive career, earning the trophy for the Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama category in her recording of Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein.
Later generations would come to know Carroll's voice in Disney's The Little Mermaid as the villainous character Ursula. The part gave Carroll an international audience and is documented as one of her favorite roles throughout her career. Along with lines in the animated film, Carroll sang the well-remembered song in the movie titled "Poor Unfortunate Souls."
She was no stranger to voice roles prior to The Little Mermaid, heard in the 1966 animated TV series The Super 6 and the English-version of the Japanese film My Neighbor Totoro.
Carroll would go on to play the voice role of Ursula in many variations including the 2002 movie Mickey's House of Villains and in multiple video games.
Her voice could also be heard as Grandma Arbuckle in A Garfield Christmas and Garfield's Thanksgiving, both released before her role as Ursula.
No matter how you know the name Pat Carroll, her various works across multiple decades signify what she has meant to film and entertainment.
Carroll passed away Saturday at her home, according to ABC. She was 95.
39 Comments
My Three Sons, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat.
Miep Gies helped Anne Frank and her family when they were in hiding. And lived a very long life, dying one month before her 101st birthday. Revenge is sweet.
I usually try to catch my own typos, but hey were all human, even the staff @ MeTV that provide us with entertaining stories and quizzes.
A memory to one of her favorite roles during her career:
Carroll's voice in Disney's The Little Mermaid as the villainous character Ursula.
RIP Pat Carroll.