Pat Carroll, TV and Stage Actress and Voice of Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid,’ Dies at 95

Pat Carroll, an Emmy-winning actress who appeared on “Laverne & Shirley” and was the voice of Ursula in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” has died at the age of 95 from pneumonia, her daughter Tara Karsian announced on her Facebook page.

“It is with a heavy heart that I write that my mother, Pat Carroll, has passed away at the grand old age of 95,” Karsian announced. “We ask that you honor her by having a raucous laugh at absolutely anything today (and everyday forward) because besides her brilliant talent and love, she leaves my sister Kerry and I with the greatest gift of all, imbuing us with humor and the ability to laugh… even in the saddest of times.”

Carroll made her onscreen debut in the 1948 film “Hometown Girl,”  and subsequently made a mark in television. She won an Emmy in 1956 for her work on “Caesar’s Hour” and starred as a regular on the sitcom “Make Room for Daddy” from 1961 to 1964, appearing on a number of variety shows along the way.

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She played the mother of Shirley on “Laverne & Shirley” in 1976, and her litany of TV appearances also included “The Love Boat,” “Trapper John, M.D.,” “Designing Women” and a three-episode stint on “ER.”

Carroll is perhaps best known as the voice of the villain Ursula in Disney’s 1989 classic “The Little Mermaid,” for which she also sang “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” She reprised the voice role in 2000’s direct-to-video sequel and in a pair of Mickey specials, “Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse” and “Mickey’s House of Villain,” as well as in the “Kingdom Hearts” video game series. Her voice worked continued with a role on “Tangled: The Series” from 2017-2018.

She was also a noteworthy stage actress, earning a Tony nomination for her 1955 role in “Catch a Star!” and a Drama Desk Award for her one-woman show “Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein.”

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