Who voiced the sea witch Ursula?

Pat Carroll provided the voice of the sea witch Ursula in The Little Mermaid (1989).

Carroll’s performance made Ursula one of Disney’s most recognizable villains. She gave the character a theatrical, sarcastic delivery while also handling Ursula’s musical numbers, including “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Ursula manipulates Ariel into surrendering her voice, promising to give her human legs so she can pursue Prince Eric.

The character’s visual design was inspired in part by the drag performer Divine, while Carroll developed a deep, commanding vocal style drawing on theatrical performance and salesmanship. Ursula was originally written with Bea Arthur in mind, and other performers were considered before Carroll took the role after an earlier casting did not work out.

The answer refers specifically to the 1989 animated film. Later versions use different performers: Melissa McCarthy played Ursula in the 2023 live-action film, and Sherie Rene Scott originated the Broadway musical role. Those adaptations do not change Carroll’s status as the canonical voice of the original animated Ursula.