He was best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid, for which he provided the lead vocals to "Under the Sea",[2] which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Wright also played the part of Mufasa in the original cast of The Lion King on Broadway and voiced Kron the Iguanodon in the 2000 CGI/live-action film Dinosaur.

[6] Wright was nominated for a Tony Award in 1984 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Tap Dance Kid.

[6] He released a soul music single in 1973, "There's Something Funny Going On" backed with "Three Hundred Pounds of Hungry" on the Paramount Records label.

[4] Together they had three children: Keely, Dee, and Sam Jr.[10][13] Wright died from prostate cancer at his home in Walden, New York on May 24, 2021, aged 74.