Actress Pat Carroll passed away July 30 following a bout of pneumonia. She was 95. The news was first shared by Deadline.
Born in Shreveport, LA May 5, 1927, Ms. Carroll showed a talent for performing from a young age, which inspired her parents to move the family to Los Angeles when she was five years old. 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. In 1965, she co-starred as the wicked stepsister Prunella in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella opposite Lesley Ann Warren in the title role.
On stage, Ms. Carroll appeared in the original Broadway companies of Catch a Star! and Dancing in the Endzone, and in revivals of the plays Electra and The Show Off. Ms. Carroll was Tony nominated for her Broadway debut in Catch a Star!, losing to Lotte Lenya in The Threepenny Opera. Ms. Carroll would later star in a production of The Threepenny Opera for The Actors Studio before making a triumphant return to New York with her one woman show in which she embodied icon Gertrude Stein. For Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Ms. Carroll was awarded the Drama Desk for Outstanding Actress, and the 1980 Grammy for Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama.
In 1989, Ms. Carroll inhabited the role for which she is most remembered, the sea witch Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid. Ms. Carroll reprised the role many times, lending her vocal talents to the role as recently as 2020. In total, she voiced Ursula in 18 separate Disney-helmed productions, including films, television specials, and video games, making her one of the most consistent character voice performers in the later history of the animation studio. 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.
Ms. Carroll is survived by her daughters, Kerry Karsian and Tara Karsian, and granddaughter Evan Karsian-McCormick.
