Ernie Sabella

Ernest Sabella[1] (born September 19, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known as the voice of Pumbaa from The Lion King franchise, and played the role of Leon Carosi in the TV sitcom Saved By The Bell. His work in Broadway theatre includes starring roles in Guys and Dolls and Man of La Mancha.

Ernie Sabella
Born	Ernest Sabella (1949-09-19) September 19, 1949 Westchester, New York, U.S.[1]
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1976–present
Spouse(s)	Cheryl Sabella ( m. 1999)

Life and career

Born in Westchester County, New York, Sabella graduated from the University of Miami,[2] where he studied at the Department of Theatre Arts and performed at the university's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre.

His stage credits include The Robber Bridegroom (1976), Little Johnny Jones (1982), Guys and Dolls (1992) as Harry the Horse, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996), Chicago as Amos Hart (replacement), Man of La Mancha (2002, as Sancho Panza) and Sweet Charity (2005).[3]

Film credits include Quiz Show (1994) as the car salesman, In & Out (1997) as Aldo Hooper, Disney's The Lion King (1994) and multiple sequels and spin-offs as Pumbaa. He also has worked with Nathan Lane, who had voiced Timon, in Guys and Dolls, Mouse Hunt, The Producers (in a deleted scene) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In the latter production, Sabella portrayed Marcus Lycus while Lane played Pseudolus. Sabella also joined Lane for his Saturday Night Live monologue, where they sang "Hakuna Matata".

On television, Sabella portrayed apartment manager Lou Donatelli in the Jason Bateman comedy It's Your Move (1984–85).[4] He appeared in an episode of Cheers titled "Love Thy Neighbor" (Season Four Episode Eight air date November 21, 1985)[4] in which he played the role of a private investigator named Santo Carbone, who was Carla Tortelli's cousin. He played store owner and landlord Donald Twinkacetti on Perfect Strangers (1986–1987). [4] He played Leo in the short-lived situation comedy Encore! Encore! starring Nathan Lane (2000).[4] Sabella had a five-episode stint on Saved by the Bell in 1991 as Leon Carosi,[4] an uptight resort manager and owner who employed the main cast's characters. Leah Remini was featured as his daughter. His other recurring roles include the lazy teacher Mr. Petrachelli on That's So Raven (2003), the floundering attorney Harland Bassett on The Practice (2000-2001), and characters on Newhart (1983).[4]

In the Quantum Leap episode "Catch a Falling Star", he played the dual role of Manny, a stage actor, and Sancho Panza, Manny's character in a touring production of Man of La Mancha. Sabella had a brief appearance as a naked man on a subway train in a 1992 episode of Seinfeld titled "The Subway".[4]

He starred in a series of television commercials for NyQuil cold medicine in 1994 and was seen in a MasterCard commercial (2007).

Sabella co-starred as Sidney Bernstein in the Broadway musical comedy Curtains, which opened officially on March 22, 2007[5] and ran until June 29, 2008.

He played the role of apartment building superintendent Leon in the 9th episode "Hold Outs" of the 6th season (2015) of the CBS police procedural drama Blue Bloods. [4]

In 2015, Sabella reprised his voice role as Pumbaa in the TV pilot movie The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar.

In 2016, Sabella became a full-time cast member for the Disney Junior television series The Lion Guard.[6]

Personal life

Sabella met his wife Cheryl backstage during a Broadway performance of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1996, they married in 1999.[7][2] His wife works as a computer programmer in their home town.[2]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	City Heat	Ballistics Expert
1986	Tough Guys	Hotel Clerk
1988	Fright Night Part 2	Dr. Harrison
1990	Faith	Stanley
	Going Under	The Mole
1994	The Lion King	Pumbaa (voice)
	Quiz Show	Car Salesman
1995	Roommates	Stash
1996	Around the World with Timon & Pumbaa	Pumbaa (voice)	Direct-to-video
1997	In & Out	Aldo Hopper
	Mouse Hunt	Maury, the Cat Care Society Owner
1998	The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride	Pumbaa (voice)	Direct-to-video
1999	The Out-of-Towners	Getaway Driver
2001	Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse	Pumbaa (voice)	Direct-to-video
2004	The Lion King 1½	Pumbaa (voice)	Direct-to-video
2010	Listen to Your Heart	Tony
2015	The Challenger	Frankie
2016	Bakery in Brooklyn	Dave

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Broadway on Showtime	Sing Song, Big Harp	Episode: "Little Johnny Jones", "The Robber Bridegroom
1982	St. Elsewhere	Patient	Episode: "Pilot"
1982–1984	Cagney & Lacey	Cabbie	Episodes: "A Killer's Dozen", "Recreational Use"
1983	The New Odd Couple	Policeman	Episode: "My Strife in Court"
1983	13 Thirteenth Avenue	Vlastock Spoltechzep	TV Movie
1983	Newhart	Ed Halstead, Police Officer	Episodes: "The Looks of Love", "The Man Who Came Forever", "A View from the Bench"
1983–1984	Knots Landing	Frank Edmunds	Episodes: "Finishing Touches", "Loss of Innocence"
1983–1987	Hill Street Blues	Pauli, Paulie Shellcop, Paulie	4 episodes
1984	Alice	Franklin	Episode: "Vera, the Horse Thief"
	Oh Madeline	Phelps	Episode: "Monday Night Madeline"
	The Facts of Life	Husband	Episode: "All by Herself"
	The New Mike Hammer	Salvatore Juno	Episodes: "The Perfect Twenty", "Vickie's Song"
	Domestic Life	Ralph Pomeroy	Episode: "Showdown at Walla Walla"
	100 Centre Street	Harry Pike	TV Movie
	Punky Brewster	Elroy Kramer	Episode: "Parents Night"
1984–1985	It's Your Move	Lou Donatelli	18 episodes
1985	Diff'rent Strokes	Ben	Episode: "Sam's Missing"
	Hardcastle and McCormick	Clyde Whitley	Episode: "Strange Hold"
	Cheers	Santo Carbone, Stan	Episodes: "Love Thy Neighbor", "Whodunit"
	Copacabana	Sam Gropper	TV Movie
1986	It's a Living	Walter Cliff	Episode: "Gander Gap"
	Benson	Bo	Episode: "Parade Rest"
1986–1987	Perfect Strangers	Mr. Donald 'Twinkie' Twinkacetti	22 episodes
1987	Roxie	Vito Carteri	6 episodes
	Married... with Children	Mr. Pond	Episode: "Peggy Sue Got Work"
	Hunter	Earnie	Episode: "Turning Point"
1988	Sledge Hammer!	Al Fresco	Episode: "The Secret of My Excess"
	Mr. Belvedere	Mr. Plumer	Episode: "Roommates"
1989	A Fine Romance	George Shipman	13 episodes
	Open House		Episode: "Murder, He Wrote"
	My Two Dads	Officer Ringer	Episode: "Dad Patrol"
	Quantum Leap	Manny, Sancho Panza	Episode: "Catch a Falling Star - May 21, 1979"
1990	Coach	Ernie	Episode: "Men Don't Heal"
1990–1991	Good Grief	Tyrone, Flipper	Episodes: "The Big Bang Theory", "Cub Scouts and Horses & Whiskers on Kittens"
1991	Babes	Mo	Episode: "The Last Temptation of Marlene"
	Murphy Brown	Julian	Episode: "Small"
	Saved by the Bell	Leon Carosi	6 episodes
	Major Dad	Phil	Episode: "Lady in Waiting"
1992	Seinfeld	Naked Man	Episode: "The Subway"
	A Different World	Campus Security	Episode: "The Cat's in the Cradle"
	Davis Rules	Coach	Episode: "Strike Down the Band"
	Dangerous Curves	Jack Kilty	Episode: "Die Laughing"
	Just My Imagination	Arnold Mayer	TV Movie
1994	Mad About You	Maurice	Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part"
1995	Pins and Needles	Marvin	TV Movie
	Blame It on Ernie	Unknown role	Unknown episodes
1995–1999	Timon & Pumbaa	Pumbaa, Bampuu (voice)	85 episodes
1997	Disney's One Saturday Morning	Pumbaa (voice)
1998–1999	Encore! Encore!	Leo	5 episodes
1999–2001	The Practice	Harland Bassett	4 episodes
1999	Malcolm & Eddie	Mort Diamond	Episode: "The Tapawingo Witch Project"
	Annie	Mr. Bundles	TV Movie
2000	Find Out Why	Pumbaa (voice)	8 episodes
	Providence	Lou Keppler	3 episodes
2001	Ed	Gary Swirdlock	Episode: "Hook, Line and Sinker"
2001–2002	Disney's House of Mouse	Pumbaa (voice)	14 episodes
2003	That's So Raven	Mr. Petrachelli	Episodes: " Escape Claus", "Mother Dearest"
2015	Blue Bloods	Leon	Episode: "Holds Out"
2015	The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar	Pumbaa (voice)	TV Movie
2016–2019	The Lion Guard	Pumbaa (voice)	10 episodes

Video games

Year	Title	Role
1995	Animated Storybook: The Lion King	Pumbaa
	Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Pinball
	The Lion King: Activity Center
	Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games
1998	The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Active Play
2000	The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure
2003	Timon & Pumbaa Virtual Safari
2004	Who Wants to be King of the Jungle
2005	Kingdom Hearts II
2007	Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix

Theme park attractions

Year	Title	Role
1995–2018	Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable	Pumbaa
2008–2012	Wild About Safety

Awards and nominations

• 1996 - Daytime Emmy Award - Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - Nominated
• 2005 - DVDX Award for Best Animated Character Performance (Voice and Animation in a DVD Premiere Movie) - Nominated

References

1. "Ernie Sabella Biography". FilmReference.com. Film Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
2. "A real character: Actor Ernie Sabella sets up shop in Southern Nevada" Las Vegas Sun, January 17, 2002
3. Sabella Broadway" ibdb.com, retrieved February 15, 2018
4. "Ernie Sabella Credits" tvguide.com, retrieved February 15, 2018
5. Bacalzo, Dan (January 4, 2007). "Full Cast Set for Broadway's Curtains: Ernie Sabella Joins Musical". TM Theater News. TheaterMania Inc. Archived from the original on March 6, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
6. Lion Guard ew.com
7. Gladstone, Douglas. "Remember The Naked Subway Rider In Seinfeld? Meet Ernie Sabella" Westchester Magazine, June 2014

External links

• Ernie Sabella at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ernie Sabella on IMDb
• Ernie Sabella at the American Film Institute Catalog