Which actor voiced Sarabi in the original film?

Madge Sinclair voiced Sarabi in the original 1994 film The Lion King.

Sarabi is Mufasa’s mate, Simba’s mother, the queen of the Pride Lands, and the leader of the lionesses’ hunting party. Although she has relatively little dialogue compared with Simba, Mufasa, or Scar, her role becomes important after Mufasa’s death and Simba’s apparent disappearance.

Sinclair was a Jamaican actress known for Roots, Coming to America, and television work including Trapper John, M.D. Her performance as Sarabi was her final film role; she died in December 1995. The character was voiced by different actors in later productions: Alfre Woodard played Sarabi in the 2019 remake, while Tiffany Boone voiced her in Mufasa: The Lion King.

A common mix-up is confusing Sarabi with Nala. Moira Kelly voiced adult Nala in the 1994 film, while Whoopi Goldberg voiced the hyena Shenzi. Sarabi’s name means “mirage” in Swahili.