# Ernie Sabella
**Ernie Sabella** (birth name Ernest Sabella; born 1949 in Westchester, New York) is an American actor, singer, and voice actor best known as the voice of Pumbaa the warthog in Disney's *The Lion King* franchise.[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ernie-sabella/credits/3000502796/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/) Alongside a screen and television career spanning decades, he has appeared extensively on Broadway in musicals and plays.[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949, Westchester, New York, USA[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258) |
| Signature role | Pumbaa the Warthog in *The Lion King* (1994) and its sequels, series, and spin-offs, except the 2019 reboot[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/) |
| Broadway highlights | Sancho Panza in *Man of La Mancha* (2002), Herman in *Sweet Charity* (2005), Sidney Bernstein in *Curtains* (2007), Lycus in *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum* (1996)[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258) |
| Screen roles | Hotel clerk in *Tough Guys* (1986), car salesman in *Quiz Show* (1994), Maury in *Mouse Hunt* (1997), getaway driver in *The Out-of-Towners* (1999)[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/sabella-ernie/) |
| Nomination | Daytime Emmy, Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program, for *Timon & Pumbaa* (1996)[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/awards/) |
| Family | Brother of performer David Sabella; married to Cheryl, a computer programmer[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/bio/) |
## The Lion King and Pumbaa
Sabella's best-known work is voicing Pumbaa, the flatulent warthog who befriends Timon the meerkat, in *The Lion King* (1994), in which he was paired with [Nathan Lane](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathan-lane) as Timon.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ernie-sabella) He continued in the role across the franchise: the direct-to-video sequel *The Lion King II: Simba's Pride* (1998), the midquel *[The Lion King 1½](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-lion-king-11-2)* (2004), the television series *The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa* and *Disney's House of Mouse*, and the Disney Junior series *The Lion Guard* and its 2015 film *The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar*.[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ernie-sabella/credits/3000502796/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ernie-sabella) He did not voice Pumbaa in the 2019 photorealistic remake, in which [Seth Rogen](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-rogen) took the part.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/)
Nathan Lane has recounted that some of Pumbaa's comic business was improvised in the studio: recording early in the morning while tired, Sabella began making tongue-raspberry "fart" sounds in mid-dialogue to keep Lane laughing, and one take of that ended up in the film. Lane has joked that this made Pumbaa "the first flatulent character" in a Disney film.[8](https://as.com/meristation/cine/un-actor-mitico-de-broadway-revela-que-una-de-las-escenas-mas-divertidas-de-el-rey-leon-fue-100-improvisada-n/)
For the voice work itself he received a 1996 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for *Timon & Pumbaa*, and a 2005 DVDX Award nomination for Best Animated Character Performance for *The Lion King 1½*; IMDb lists five nominations in total across his career.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/awards/) On Rotten Tomatoes, *The Lion King* is his highest-rated film at 92 percent from critics, and *The Out-of-Towners* (1999) his lowest at 28 percent.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ernie-sabella)
## Screen career
His film debut credit in the AFI Catalog is *City Heat* (1984) as a ballistics expert, followed by the hotel clerk in *Tough Guys* (1986) and Dr. Harrison in *Fright Night Part 2* (1989).[9](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/269592) Later live-action roles include Stash in *Roommates* (1995), Aldo Hooper in *In & Out* (1997), Maury, the Cat Care Society owner, in *[Mouse Hunt](https://www.edgepedia.org/mouse-hunt)* (1997), and the getaway driver in *The Out-of-Towners* (1999).[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/sabella-ernie/) • [10](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ernie-Sabella/) More recent film work includes Tony in *Listen to Your Heart* (2010), Frankie in *The Challenger* (2015), and Dave in *Bakery in Brooklyn* (2016).[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ernie-sabella)
Television guest appearances run from early credits such as *Alice*, *The Facts of Life*, *Cheers*, and *Hill Street Blues* through *Seinfeld*, *Perfect Strangers* (as Mr. Donald "Twinkie" Twinkacetti), *Mad About You*, *The Practice* (as attorney Harland Bassett across two seasons), *Ed*, *Providence*, *The Good Wife*, and *Blue Bloods*.[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ernie-sabella/credits/3000502796/) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ernie-sabella/) On *That's So Raven* he played Mr. Petracelli.[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/sabella-ernie/) In *Toy Story* (1995) he appears among the voice cast and in the soundtrack credits.[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ernie-sabella/credits/3000502796/)
## Broadway career
Sabella's Broadway record stretches from *The Robber Bridegroom* (1976), where he played Big Harp and understudied Little Harp, through revivals of *Little Johnny Jones* (1981–1982, as Whitney Wilson) and *Guys and Dolls* (1992, as Harry the Horse).[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258) In the 1996 revival of *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum* he played Lycus, and he has been associated with the revival of *Chicago* as a replacement Amos Hart on Broadway and in the second national tour.[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258) • [12](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10116771)
**Leading stage roles.** He starred as [Sancho Panza](https://www.edgepedia.org/sancho-panza) in the 2002 Broadway revival of *Man of La Mancha* at the Martin Beck Theatre, alongside [Brian Stokes Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-stokes-mitchell) and [Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-elizabeth-mastrantonio).[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/bio/) In 2005 he played Herman in the Broadway revival of *Sweet Charity*, originally with Christina Applegate, and in 2007 he was in the original Broadway cast of *Curtains* as Sidney Bernstein.[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/bio/)
Sabella and Nathan Lane, his Pumbaa–Timon partner, have frequently been teamed on stage and screen.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/bio/) In 2025 the two reunited with [Jason Weaver](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-weaver) at the [Hollywood Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-bowl) for a performance of "Hakuna Matata" as part of *The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl*, in which Sabella appeared as himself.[10](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ernie-Sabella/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ernie-sabella)
## Personal life
Sabella was born in Westchester, New York, and is the brother of performer David Sabella.[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258) He is married to Cheryl, a computer programmer.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/bio/)
## References
1. [Ernie Sabella List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ernie-sabella/credits/3000502796/)
2. [Ernie Sabella, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/)
3. [Ernie Sabella, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernie-sabella-73258)
4. [Sabella, Ernie, Disney A to Z, D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/sabella-ernie/)
5. [Ernie Sabella, Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/awards/)
6. [Ernie Sabella, Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754676/bio/)
7. [Ernie Sabella Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ernie-sabella)
8. [Un actor mítico de Broadway revela que una de las escenas más divertidas de 'El Rey León' fue 100% improvisada, MeriStation/AS](https://as.com/meristation/cine/un-actor-mitico-de-broadway-revela-que-una-de-las-escenas-mas-divertidas-de-el-rey-leon-fue-100-improvisada-n/)
9. [Ernie Sabella, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/269592)
10. [Ernie Sabella, Broadway & Theatre Credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ernie-Sabella/)
11. [Ernie Sabella, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ernie-sabella/)
12. [Ernie Sabella, Ovrtur Database of Musical Theatre History](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10116771)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Voice performers and animation voice actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license