Ernie Sabella

Ernest "Ernie" Sabella is an American actor and voice actor born on September 19, 1949, in Westchester County, New York. He is known for voicing the warthog Pumbaa in Disney's The Lion King series; He also has a long career in Broadway musicals and television series.

Stage and television

After graduating from Westlake High School in Thornwood, he studied theater at the University of Miami. On Broadway, he appeared in musicals such as The Robber Bridegroom, Little Johnny Jones, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Sweet Charity. He played Harry the Horse in 1992's Guys and Dolls and Sancho Panza in 2002's Man of La Mancha; He was one of the actors who took over the role of Amos Hart in Chicago.

His best-known television role is that of grumpy store owner Donald "Twinkie" Twinkacetti in the early seasons (1986–1987) of Perfect Strangers. In 1991, he played Leon Carosi in Saved by the Bell; He appeared as a guest star in many TV series such as Cheers, Seinfeld, Married... with Children, Mad About You, The Practice and The Good Wife.

Pumbaa

In 1994, he voiced Pumbaa in The Lion King and sang Hakuna Matata with Nathan Lane. He continued the character in the sequels and the Timon and Pumbaa cartoon series; For this work, he was nominated for best performance in an animated program at the Daytime Emmy Awards in 1996. He also starred in the 1997 movie Mouse Hunt.

Sabella, whose voice has been recognized across generations, is known as a versatile character actor who spans stage and screen.