# Emily Mortimer

The Voice Talents (in alphabetical order) Rowan Atkinson (Zazu) is in fine feather as the voice of Mufasa's major-domo assigned to the thankless task of tutoring and minding a cocky cub. The popular comedian, well known to British television viewers for his wildly imaginative appearances as "Mr. Bean" (seen here on HBO) and "Black Adder," adds a delightful vocal interpretation to the character while supervising animator Ellen Woodbury and her "Zazu" team drew major inspiration from his expressive rubbery-faced antics. Atkinson started out to be an electrical engineer and received degrees from Newcastle and Oxford Universities before turning his attentions to performing. In 1977, he attracted wide critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival and, the following year, he mounted his own revue at London's Hampstead Theater. He went on to become a founding member of the BBC's "Not the Nine O'clock News," which spawned four series, best-selling albums and books and earned the British Academy Award. Atkinson himself was named BBC Personality of the Year for his contribution.
In 1981, the comedian became the youngest performer to have a one-man show in London's West End, where his sold-out season at the Globe Theater earned him the Society of West End Theater's Award for Comedy Performance of the Year. In 1983, he embarked with writer Richard Curtis on their situation tragedy, "Black Adder," for the BBC. Over the ensuing five years, the series' four seasons won three British Academy Awards, an International Emmy, three ACE Awards, etc. Atkinson was again named BBC Personality of the Year.
Atkinson's other stage credits include a 1985 leading role in "The Nerd" at the Aldwych Theater and a six-month West End run in "The Sneeze," a collection of humorous one-act plays by Chekhov, in 1988. He also did a second West End one-man show in 1986, which went on to Broadway and was staged in other parts of the world as well.
His most recent and recurring television undertaking is the silent comedy series, "Mr. Bean," for ITV and HBO. It is the highest-rated comedy show on British television and has won several International Emmys, two Banff Awards among others. His own production company, Tiger Television, continues to create new episodes and is planning a feature film starring the popular misfit.
Atkinson's film credits include the smash hit comedy, "Four Weddings and a Funeral," (he plays the tongue-tied preacher), "The Tall Guy," "The Witches," "Never Say Never Again" and Steven Wright's "The Appointments of Dennis Jennings," which won the 1989 Oscar for Best Short Film.
Matthew Broderick (Adult Simba) brings humor, drama and enormous appeal to the film's "mane" character as he struggles to accept the responsibilities that come with being an adult.
"It's a real honor to be in a Disney animated film," says Broderick. "I grew up with them and have loved them ever since I saw 'Snow White' when I was a kid. I thought 'The Lion King' was a great story and it was fascinating to collaborate with the directors and animators and to see it evolve. Instead of sending you a script, they take you into a big room and show you pictures as they talk you through the story with a pointer.
"Doing a voice for Disney is incredibly precise and, from my point of view, it seemed to be much more about making it perfect. With live-action movies, you're always compromising and never seem to have enough time. On this film, they were able to re-do things until they got it just the way they wanted it. As an actor, I took my part very seriously and gave it everything I had. The only real difference was I didn't have to worry about how I looked."
Born in New York City, the son of artist Patricia Broderick and the late actor James Broderick, Matthew made his professional stage debut at the age of 17 in the off-off Broadway production of Horton Foote's "On Valentine's Day," co-starring with his father. Two years later, he won the Outer Critics Circle Award as Best Supporting Actor and a Villager Award for his performance in Harvey Fierstein's drama, "Torch Song Trilogy," appearing as the child who is adopted by the play's hero.
Broderick's career continued to gain momentum when he simultaneously landed parts in two Neil Simon projects -- the Broadway production of "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and the feature film, "Max Dugan Returns." The play earned the actor a Tony Award. His relationship with Simon continued as he went on to star in both the stage and screen productions of "Biloxi Blues," directed by Mike Nichols.
In addition to Simon, Broderick has been closely associated with award-winning writer Horton Foote, appearing in both the stage and screen versions of "On Valentine's Day," the film "1918" and the off-Broadway show, "Widow Claire."
Broderick's feature film credits also include: "WarGames," "Ladyhawke," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Project X," "Torch Song Trilogy," "Family Business," "Glory," "The Freshman" and "The Night We Never Met." For television, he starred in the Showtime production of Athol Fugard's "Master Harold...and the Boys."
The actor recently finished shooting "The Road to Welville" with Sir Anthony Hopkins and is currently working on both sides of the camera as he makes his film directing debut and stars in "Infinity," with Patricia Arquette.
Niketa Calame (Young Nala) is the spirited voice behind Simba's young soul mate. The talented teen is perfectly cast for the role, which marks her film debut. Currently a student at Orville Wright Middle School in Los Angeles, she also attends Regina's School of Performing Arts, where she is studying acting and singing. Calame has appeared in the Hanna-Barbera "Rappin' and Rhyming" video as well as in several local stage productions and dance competitions. She will soon be heard as part of a new recording group for Silas/MCA Records called D.E.F.
Jim Cummings (Ed) is the "silent partner" in the hyena trio who is short on dialogue but long of laughs. Ranging from a snicker to a guffaw to a side-splitting bellylaugh, Cummings provides a virtual catalogue of laughs for the character and is responsible for generating more than a few from moviegoers with his vocal "Jim-nastics."
Cummings is one of the busiest and most versatile voice talents in Hollywood today. For Disney alone, he has portrayed the characters of Pooh and Tigger (since Paul Winchell's retirement) in the Emmy Award-winning series "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" as well as the title character in two syndicated shows for "The Disney Afternoon" lineup -- "Darkwing Duck" and "Bonkers." In the latter series, he even plays opposite himself as Bonker's sidekick, Detective Lucky Piquel. His extensive television animation credits also include: "Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears," "Chip n' Dale's Rescue Rangers (Monterey Jack, Fat Cat, Wart, Spinelli, Professor Nimnul and Stan Blather), "Tale Spin" (Don Karnage and King Louis the Ape), "Goof Troop" (Pete) and "Aladdin" (Razoul and Farouk). Among his Disney animated film credits are miscellaneous voices for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin."
A native of Ohio, Cummings has been providing animated voice-overs for the last 10 years. His other credits include 120 episodes of "Dumbo's Circus" for The Disney Channel and numerous radio and television commercials.
Whoopi Goldberg (Shenzi) acts less than sisterly as the leader of a hyena trio recruited to do Scar's evil biddings. The multi-talented actress brings her superb comic timing to the role and proves just the right comic foil for fellow comedian/hyena Cheech Marin.
Goldberg has won numerous awards (including an Oscar) and considerable acclaim for her work in film, television, recordings and theater. She is equally well-known for her tireless humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS, as well as many other causes and charities.
Born and raised in New York City, Goldberg worked in theater and improvisation in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay area, where she performed with the Blake Street Hawkeyes theatre troupe. It was there that she created the characters which became "The Spook Show," which then evolved into the hit Broadway show, Grammy Award-winning album and HBO special that helped launch her career.
Goldberg made her motion picture debut in Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple," for which she earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award. Since then, she has starred in such films as "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Clara's Heart," "The Long Walk Home," "Soapdish," "Ghost" (for which she received her Oscar as best supporting actress), "The Player," "Sarafina!," "Made In America" and, of course, the box office hit "Sister Act" and its sequel, "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit." She recently completed filming "Corrina, Corrina."
On television, Goldberg appeared for five seasons on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," co-starred with Jean Stapleton in "Bagdad Cafe" and hosted her own syndicated late-night talk show, "The Whoopi Goldberg Show."
In addition to the Oscar and Grammy, she has been honored with two Golden Globe Awards and multiple NAACP Image Awards, including "Entertainer of the Year." In 1992, Goldberg made her literary debut with her first children's book, Alice.
Robert Guillaume (Rafiki) lends his impressive talents to the voice of a mystical baboon, who plays a key role at different stages of Simba's life. Eccentric but wise, Rafiki is a delight to watch and is responsible for several of the film's funniest and most touching moments.
According to Guillaume, "Rafiki dispenses a kind of folk wisdom and pretends to be crazier than he really is. He knows more than he speaks and there's a real method to his madness; a wisdom to his insanity."
"The project attracted me because it gave me a sense of total freedom," continues the actor. "During the recording sessions, anything goes. You're free to be creative and go with what you feel. It's like being on stage, only far more creative and spontaneous. I work mostly off energy and a certain vocal abracadabra."
Guillaume has had great success throughout his career in practically every phase of entertainment. His two Emmy Awards and Tony nomination are further testimonies to his versatility and talent.
Raised in St. Louis, Guillaume aspired to become the first African-American to sing tenor at the Metropolitan Opera, but put those ambitions aside to serve in the Navy and attend Washington University as a business administration major. Leslie Chabay at the University arranged a scholarship for him at the Aspen Music Festival, which led to an apprenticeship at Cleveland's Karmu Theater. There, he made his professional debut in both operas and musical comedy.
Moving to New York, Guillaume became one of the stage's best-reviewed young actors with triumphs in "Kwamina," "Bambouche," "Tambourine to Glory," "Othello," "Porgy and Bess," "Apple Pie" and "Jacques Brel." He went on to even greater acclaim playing leads in "Purlie," "Golden Boy" and "Guys and Dolls," for his Tony-nominated performance as Nathan Detroit. In Los Angeles, he received rave reviews for his eight-month stint as the star of "Phantom of the Opera."
On television, it was as "Benson" that the actor won his Emmys. The first for Best Supporting Actor in "Soap" in 1979 and the second as Best Actor, in 1985, after "Benson" moved on to the series bearing the character's name. He also appeared in "The Robert Guillaume Show," "Pacific Station" and had starring roles in several telefilms including "John Grin's Christmas," "The Penthouse," "The Kid With the Broken Halo" and "The Kid With the 200 I.Q."
The actor's other film credits include: "Meteor Man," "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "Seems Like Old Times," "Lean on Me" and "Death Warrant."
In 1992, Guillaume contributed his talents to a series of read-along books and tapes for children called Confetti Kids, featuring traditional fairy tales with a multi-cultural approach. The books are a great favorite with the actor's own small daughter, Rachel Jeanette.
Jeremy Irons (Scar) brings his Academy Award-winning talents to the role of Simba's unctuous uncle, the jealous and treacherous Scar. This is the acclaimed actor's first experience with doing a voice for an animated film.
"It's very liberating to play an animated character," observes Irons. "It doesn't matter what messages my face sends during the recording since it's not being done to camera. This allows me to really go to extremes and play wildly with the glee and Machiavellian quality and deceit of the character. I try to put as much color as I can into just one thing -- my voice. Hopefully this gives the animators the inspiration they need to draw the character.
"Scar is the first out and out villain that I've ever played," says the actor. "He's the baddie and a very hammy one at that. I think we all like a good villain who's sort of witty and slimy and seductive. He has many layers and lots of tricks. He's not unlike Iago in 'Othello' in that he's a very charming villain although structurally he's much more like Claudius in 'Hamlet.'
"When I first saw what Andreas had done with the animation of Scar, I was very, very thrilled," continues Irons. "I felt that he had caught all the wickedness and humor and I was amazed how well he had understood and enlarged upon the sounds that I made when I recorded it. He really created the most extraordinary character and it helped me to feel the character better than I had before."
"The Lion King" marks another first for the actor. It's the first film in which he is called upon to sing. "I started in London in 'Godspell,' where I sang a song called 'Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.' In this film, I sing 'Be Prepared.' Preparing always seems to come into it. I'm ever preparing."
Irons confesses that he is a longtime fan of Disney animation and that his favorite classic of them all is "One Hundred and One Dalmatians." "I think Cruella De Vil is one of the greatest nasties in film," he says. "I'd like to think that if Scar ever met Cruella, that they'd really make a good match."
Born on the Isle of Wight, Irons is a classically-trained actor who first came to prominence in the acclaimed 1981 British television adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited." He had previously trained at the Sherbourne School before making his stage debut in 1971 in "Hay Fever" at the Bristol Old Vic Company where he remained a company member for three years. In 1973, he made his London stage debut as John the Baptist in "Godspell." This led to additional roles with The Young Vic, The New Shakespeare Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He made his television bow in 1975 playing Franz Liszt in the BBC mini-series, "Notorious Woman," which also aired on PBS' "Masterpiece Theater."
In the area of motion pictures, Irons was first seen in Herb Ross' 1980 biopic, "Nijinski," where he appeared as choreographer Mikhail Fokine. This was followed by a memorable role in "The French Lieutenant's Woman" which earned him a British Academy Award nomination for his role as the man who became obsessed with Meryl Streep. His dual role as deranged twin brother protagonists in David Cronenberg's 1988 thriller, "Dead Ringers," earned him a Best Actor Award from The Film Critics Circle while his riveting screen portrayal of Claus von Bulow in Barbet Schroeder's "Reversal of Fortune" (1990) gained him further acclaim from critics and the Motion Picture Academy, which awarded him the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor. His other distinguished film credits include: "Betrayal," "Moonlighting," "The Wild Duck," "Swann in Love," "The Mission," "Kafka," "Waterland," "Damage," "M. Butterfly" and the recent release, "The House of the Spirits."
Other stage credits include "Much Ado About Nothing," "The Taming of the Shrew," "Wild Oats" and "The Rear Column," among others. In 1984, he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing," for which he won both the Drama League Award and a Tony Award. He returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1986 to appear in "The Winter's Tale," "Richard II" and "The Rover" and again in 1987 to repeat his roles in the latter two plays.
In addition to playing Charles Rider in the television classic, "Brideshead Revisited," his TV roles include "The Captain's Doll," "The Dream" and "Tales From Hollywood," all for the BBC.
Irons and his wife, actress Sinead Cusack, have two sons.
James Earl Jones (Mufasa) brings dignity and determination to the voice of the mighty King of the jungle. His powerful performance inspired supervising animator Tony Fucile and his team to create images of matching strength and appeal.
"James Earl Jones was perfect for this part," says Fucile. "I can't even imagine anyone else doing the voice. He adds the regal quality that we needed and, on top of that, he's got this fatherly warmth that comes across. It was up to us to visually come up to that standard that he set with his voice. Watching his performance in the film, 'Matewan,' was really helpful because he used a lot of facial expressions and eye movements to communicate. Mufasa's animation is very subtle and there are times where he doesn't move but says a lot with just a stare. Each drawing has to say a lot and have a strong attitude."
"He has this incredibly huge and masterful voice that just resonated throughout the recording studio," says Allers. "Even without a microphone, it just filled the entire room."
Minkoff adds, "He really sounds like a lion. During the recording sessions, we used six microphones strategically placed all around his head so that the voice would surround you and sound like it was coming from everywhere."
From Jones' viewpoint, the experience was a great one. "Doing a voice for animation is acting in its purest form. It's a bit like the ancient Greek form where the actors would wear masks. In our case, the masks are the animators drawings and we just simply supply all the behaviors, emotions and feelings behind that mask.
"One of the reasons that I took this job was because of the impression the drawings and animation had on me," he continues. "It was really grand stuff. I also enjoy creating characters with just my voice. It reminded me of my early training in radio when I was in college. It's interesting to experiment and try it different ways until you get the right sound. I love the drama in the film and the way it resonates on other classic dramatic pieces such as Shakespeare's 'Hamlet.'"
Jones is among the world's most celebrated and popular actors. Winner of two Tony Awards as best actor for his roles in "Fences" and "The Great White Hope," Jones first came to prominence as a classical actor appearing in memorable stage productions of "Richard III," "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Much Ado About Nothing." His other notable stage credits include "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl," for which he received a Theatre World Award, "Clandestine on the Morning Line," "Baal" and "Othello" (each of which garnered Mr. Jones the Obie Award) and Athol Fugard's "Master Harold ... and the Boys."
An equally powerful presence on screen, Jones made his feature film debut in 1964 with a role in Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove." He subsequently starred in "The Comedians," "The Great White Hope" (in which he reprised his acclaimed stage role and won a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination), "Claudine," "The River Niger," "The Greatest," "A Piece of the Action," "Gardens of Stone," "Coming to America," "Three Fugitives," "The Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games," "Sneakers," "Sommersby," "Field of Dreams," "Meteor Man," "Excessive Force" and most recently, the comedy "Clean Slate."
During the past few years Jones has regularly starred on series television. He won an Emmy Award for his role on "Gabriel's Fire" and then starred in the series "Pros & Cons." He also guest-starred on a recent episode of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." His numerous made-for-television movies include this year's productions of "Confessions: Two Faces of Evil" and "The Vernon Johns Story," as well as "Hallelujah," TNT's "Percy and Thunder" and "Heat Wave" (for which he won another Emmy Award), "Last Flight Out," "By Dawn's Early Light" and "The Ivory Hunters." His distinctive voice of authority is also heard as the narrator of innumerable television specials.
Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi and raised in Manistee, Michigan, Jones attended the University of Michigan.
Moira Kelly (Adult Nala) is purr-fectly cast as the voice of a lovely lioness who helps Simba to remember his past and look forward to his future.
The talented actress has worked steadily in Hollywood since making her acting debut in 1991 with the film, "The Boy Who Cried Bitch." That same year, she played the title character's girlfriend in "Billy Bathgate" and a 14-year-old murderess in the telefilm, "Love, Lies and Murder." She had her first starring role in the 1992 feature, "The Cutting Edge." Since then, she has appeared as Charlie Chaplin's shy and proper wife, Oona, in Richard Attenborough's "Chaplin" and played the role of "Donna" in "Twin Peaks -- Fire Walk With Me." She was also seen in the HBO original production of "Daybreak." Most recently, she starred in "With Honors," opposite Joe Pesci and Brendan Fraser and can be seen in the upcoming film, "Little Odessa" with Tim Roth and Edward Furlong.
Nathan Lane (Timon) is meer-ly terrific as the vocal alter ego of a carefree meerkat who adopts a lion cub in need of a friend. Well-cast as this jungle outcast, the actor helps to give this little guy some of the film's biggest laughs with his quick wit and fast-paced delivery. Whether rustling up some grub or singing a spirited version of "Hakuna Matata," this top voice talent is in fine form.
Lane has become one of Broadway's biggest stars as his raves for portraying Sid Caesar in Neil Simon's current hit show, "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" confirm. Just prior to this role, he scored another success in his role as Nathan Detroit in the hit Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls," for which he received the 1992 Drama Desk and Outer Critics' Circle Awards as best actor in a musical as well as a Tony Award nomination. That role also earned him an Obie Award for sustained excellence.
Lane received his first Drama Desk Award in 1989 for his performance as Mendy, the hysterical opera fanatic in Terrence McNally's "The Lisbon Traviata." He reprised this role at the Mark Taper Forum, earning the 1990 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. For his Broadway debut in Noel Coward's "Present Laughter," directed by and starring George C. Scott, he received a Drama Desk nomination.
Lane's other New York stage appearances include "On Borrowed Time" at Circle in the Square, also directed by George C. Scott, "The Wind in the Willows," "Some Americans Abroad," "Bad Habits," "The Common Pursuit" and "Lips Together, Teeth Apart."
On television he starred in the series "One of the Boys" and has appeared in "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," "Miami Vice" and the PBS Great Performances presentations of "Alice in Wonderland" and their recent 20th Anniversary Special "The Last Mile."
His films include "Frankie and Johnny," "He Said, She Said," "Ironweed," "Joe Versus the Volcano," "The Lemon Sisters" and "Life With Mikey."
Cheech Marin (Banzai) tracks down some major laughs as the hilarious hot-headed hyena who is typically left dangling at the bottom of the food chain. This is the popular comedian's second role in a Disney animated feature, having previously voiced a frenetic chihuahua named Tito in the 1988 release, "Oliver & Company."
A native of Los Angeles, Marin formed a long-standing comedy partnership with Tommy Chong in 1970, which resulted in an incredibly successful string of albums, films and concert tours. Their first album, Cheech & Chong went gold; their second, Big Bambu was voted 1972's #1 comedy album; their third, Los Cochinos brought them a Grammy. In 1978, the duo made their film debut in "Up in Smoke," which became the top grossing comedy of the year with a gross exceeding $100 million. Two other films followed: "Cheech and Chong's Next Movie" and "Cheech and Chong's Corsican Brothers."
Following the team's parting in 1985, Marin has appeared in a number of films and wrote, directed and starred in "Born in East L.A." (1987). The latter won three awards at the Havana Film Festival and established him as a talented filmmaker and sharp-witted social commentator. His other film credits include: "Ghostbusters II," "The Shrimp on the Barbie," "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" (voice of "Stump") and "A Million to Juan."
On television, Marin played the wisecracking, divorced hotel chef Chuy Castillos on the 1992 CBS series, "The Golden Palace" and recently starred in the 1994 TV movie, "The Cisco Kid."
Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa) provides the jovial voice for a pungent warthog with a heart of gold. This Broadway veteran also inspired the animators with his exaggerated expressions and animated antics during the recording sessions.
Sabella is currently appearing as Harry the Horse in the smash Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls" and has delighted New York audiences in the past with his roles in "The Robber Bridegroom," "Carmelina" and "Little Johnny Jones." His regional stage credits have included the West Coast premiere of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" and a production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." On television, the popular actor has been seen on such favorite programs as "Seinfeld," "Perfect Strangers," "Murphy Brown," "Hill Street Blues," "Newhart" and "Cheers."
Moviegoers will see Sabella this fall in Robert Redford's "Quiz Show" and a heartfelt comedy from Hollywood Pictures called "Roommates." His previous film credits include "Fright Night II" and "Tough Guys." He and his wife, actress Lulie Newcomb Sabella, live in New York.
Madge Sinclair (Sarabi) gives a royal performance with lots of "feline" as the voice of Simba's mother. The Emmy Award-winning actress provided just the right motivation for supervising animator Russ Edmonds and his crew.
Over the course of her career, Sinclair has worked with such distinguished directors as Martin Ritt and Sam Peckinpah on a variety of films that includes: "Coming to America," "Convoy," "Conrack," "Leadbelly," "I Will, I Will...For Now" and "Uncle Joe Shannon."
Her television work includes a Best Supporting Actress Emmy Award for her role in the dramatic series, "Gabriel's Fire." She was also seen as a series regular on "O'Hara" and "Trapper John, M.D." and has guest starred on such popular programs as "Roseanne," "L.A. Law," "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" and "All in the Family." Her extensive made for television movie credits include "Roots" and "Queen." Additionally, Sinclair has appeared in numerous stage productions including several for Los Angeles Theater Center.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Young Simba) demonstrates great timing and talent in his convincing vocal performance as a naive lion cub forced to grow up in a hurry. The young actor sees a lot of himself in the character and thinks that audiences of all ages will have no difficulty relating to it.
"I think the character of Simba is a lot like me," says Thomas. "He's real energetic and always looking around for a new adventure. I think I have a lot of that in me."
Minkoff comments, "I can't say enough about Jonathan's performance. He's like a real kid with all the emotional range, sincerity, innocence and charisma that we were looking for and with a little edge. He also wasn't afraid to try things. We asked him to do very demanding things as an actor -- reacting to the death of Mufasa is not exactly a light thing -- and he didn't balk at all. His role was extremely pivotal to the film and he did a great job."
Thomas was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and moved with his family to Sacramento, California when he was 5. Prior to beginning his acting career in 1989, he worked as a fashion and print model in Sacramento and San Francisco. He also appeared in industrial films, commercials and as Tiny Tim in a regional production of "Scrooge."
In 1991, Thomas was cast to play Tim Allen's middle son, Randy, in the top-rated Walt Disney Television series, "Home Improvement." Prior to that, the actor had played Kevin, Greg Brady's son on the series, "The Brady's."
In addition to his continuing role on "Home Improvement," Thomas recently starred in an educational program called "What If I Were Home Alone?" and an environmental television special called "A Sea World Summer Safari." He has made guest appearances on "Family Double Dare," "Wild and Crazy Kids" and has co-hosted "America's Funniest Kids" for the past several years. He has also appeared on many major talk shows and contributed the voice of a cartoon dog named Spot for a new series of animated videos.
During his summer hiatus from television, Thomas is currently making his film debut starring opposite Chevy Chase in the Disney production of "man 2 man," filming on location in Canada.
Additional Singing Voices Carmen Twillie (Featured Solo, "Circle of Life") is heard as the lead vocal on the film's powerful anthem, "Circle of Life." Her deep, rich voice and emotional performance help to musically establish the main theme of the story and create one of the film's most memorable moments. A native of Pasadena, California, Twillie trained to be a concert pianist from the ages of 5 to 17. Her formal education includes courses at Chapman College, where she received the Sholund scholarship for her abilities as a pianist and vocalist and USC, where she was awarded "most outstanding musician."
Professionally, the talented singer/musician has worked with many of the biggest names in entertainment including: Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Anita Baker, Neil Sedaka, Mr. Mister, Patti LaBelle, Pink Floyd and Michael Bolton. Her recording career includes performances on albums by Don Henley, Harry Connick, Jr., Sarah Vaughn, the Count Basie Orchestra and Oingo Boingo. Her vocal talents have also been featured on soundtracks for "The Power of One," "Rain Man," Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Cobra" (dueting with Bill Medley). She has appeared on screen in "Uptown Saturday Night" and "Mobsters." Concert engagements include stints with Smokey Robinson, Olivia Newton-John and Pat Benatar.
Among her other accomplishments, Twillie has worked as a vocal arranger for David Foster, The Supremes and Paul Anka, etc. She has also recently added vocal coaching to her list of impressive credentials.
Sally Dworsky (Adult Nala) provides the tender and sweet singing voice for Nala as an adult on the beautiful ballad, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Dworsky has been singing professionally for the past 12 years. She attended the Minnesota Children's Theater Conservatory and the University of Minnesota. She relocated to Los Angeles as part of the first national company of "Les Miserables," playing the part of Eponine. She has also recorded and toured as a background vocalist with a number of different artists, her most extensive work being done with Don Henley.
Dworsky is currently concentrating primarily on her songwriting. One of her songs, entitled "The Simplest Thing," will appear on Gladys Knight's upcoming album which is due out this summer. She is presently signed on as a songwriter/developing artist for Rondor Music and is also working on a solo album.
Jason Weaver (Young Simba) lends his youthful charm and exuberance to the singing voice of young Simba in the playful and upbeat "I Just Can't Wait To Be King," and also on the infectious "Hakuna Matata."
Born in Harvey, Illinois, Jason has been acting since the age of 8 and singing professionally since he was 11 years old. When he was 9, he made his feature film debut in "The Long Walk Home." His television credits include roles as series regulars on "Brewster Place" with Oprah Winfrey and "Thea." He has also appeared in "The Kid Who Loved Christmas" and "The Jacksons: An American Dream," for which he played a young version of the pop star.
Jason recently signed his first recording contract with Motown Records and is working on releasing his hip-hop/R &B debut album later this summer. Currently living in Chicago, Jason is in the 9th grade and has aspirations of attending film school after he graduates from high school. His other interests include basketball, reading entertainment and sports magazines and listening to music.
Joseph Williams (Adult Simba) has just the right loving feeling as the lead male vocal on the beautiful ballad, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."
Born in Santa Monica, California, Williams has been singing professionally for over a decade in a career that includes a three-year stint (1986-89) as the lead singer for the popular group, Toto. Prior to that, he was a featured background singer for Jeffrey Osborne and had appeared in the off-Broadway and Las Vegas productions of "Dream Street," in which he did musical impersonations ranging from Fred Astaire to Elvis.
As a songwriter, Williams provided music and lyrics to the songs featured in "Return of the Jedi," "Jaws II" and "The Fury." He recently wrote his first solo score for a film short called "The Waiter."
The son of Academy Award-winning composer John Williams, he released his first solo album ("Joseph Williams") in 1980 at the age of 20. His early credits also include lead and background vocals on numerous commercial jingles. Most recently, Williams completed a tour of Japan and Sweden with Jay Graydon and contributed three songs to that performer's internationally best-selling record.
Laura Williams (Young Nala) is the spirited voice behind Simba's best pal in the delightful musical extravaganza, "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."
The multi-talented teen, who lives in Oceanside, California, has been playing the piano since the age of 3 and continues to win acclaim for her classical performances. In 1987, she placed first in the Talent America National Finals for piano in New York and has gone on to receive other major recognition in this area. As a vocalist, she has performed with various San Diego area church choirs and was named a vocal finalist at the 1993 Bach Baroque Festival and at the Golden Gate International Children's Choral Festival.
Williams' television credits have included a recurring role on the series, "Amen," guest appearances on "Jake and the Fat Man" and "Sinbad" as well as roles in several national commercials. Her motion picture credits include the 1990 comedy, "Downtown." Additionally, she was featured in the print ad campaign for the Barbara Bush Literary Foundation and has been very active in a variety of prestigious community projects.
Among her most recent activities, Williams is a member of the 23-member contemporary gospel recording group, "All God's Children," executive produced by Lou Adler for Ode Records. That group made its debut on "The Arsenio Hall Show" singing back-up for John Secada.
Emily Kathleen Anne Mortimer (Londra, 6 ottobre 1971) è un'attrice britannica.

## Biografia

Nata a Hammersmith (Londra) da sir John Mortimer e Penelope Gallop, ha una sorella minore, Rosie, due fratellastri, Sally Silverman e Jeremy, nati dal precedente matrimonio del padre con un'altra donna ed una sorella, Penelope Fletcher, nata da una relazione del padre con l'attrice Wendy Craig. Ha studiato alla Saint Paul Girls' School di Londra e poi ad Oxford, ed al Lincoln College, specializzandosi in letteratura russa e trascorrendo un intero anno di studi in Russia.
Dopo essere apparsa in diverse produzioni televisive, teatrali e cinematografiche alla fine degli anni novanta come Notting Hill, nel 2000 entra a far parte del cast del musical shakespereano Pene d'amor perdute, diretto da Kenneth Branagh. Proprio sul set di questo film incontra l'attore italo-americano Alessandro Nivola, il suo attuale marito, con il quale inizierà una relazione nello stesso anno e che sposerà nel 2003.
Lavora accanto a Ewan McGregor in Young Adam, di David Mackenzie, nel ruolo della fidanzata del protagonista, Cathie, interpretazione che le varrà fama e nomination agli Empire Awards come miglior attrice protagonista. Nel 2004 è invece tra i protagonisti del noir Match Point, diretto da Woody Allen, accanto a Jonathan Rhys Meyers e Scarlett Johansson, mentre nel 2006 recita accanto a Ryan Gosling in Lars e una ragazza tutta sua ed è protagonista de La Pantera Rosa, film che avrà anche un seguito nel 2009 con La Pantera Rosa 2, film al quale la Mortimer prenderà ancora parte. Inizia nel 2010 un sodalizio con il regista Martin Scorsese, che la vorrà tra i personaggi principali di Shutter Island e Hugo Cabret.
L'attrice lavora inoltre come doppiatrice in film d'animazione come Cars 2 e compare in serie TV famose quali 30 Rock e The Newsroom. Nel 2014 produce e recita insieme all'attrice e migliore amica di sempre Dolly Wells ed al marito Alessandro Nivola, la serie TV Doll & Em, che viene mandata in onda nello stesso anno e nell'anno successivo con una seconda serie, grazie al grande successo della prima.

## Vita privata

Nel 2000, sul set del film di Kenneth Branagh Pene d'amor perdute, incontra e s'innamora dell'attore italo-americano Alessandro Nivola, con il quale nello stesso anno intraprende una relazione che li porterà al matrimonio, celebrato il 3 gennaio del 2003 a Chilterns, nel Buckinghamshire. La coppia ha due figli: Samuel John Nivola (Sam), nato il 23 settembre 2003, e May Rose Nivola, nata il 15 gennaio 2010. La famiglia, residente a Londra fino alla metà degli anni duemila, vive ora a Brooklyn, New York.

## Filmografia
### Cinema

* Spiriti nelle tenebre (The Ghost and the Darkness), regia di Stephen Hopkins (1996)
* L'ultimo dei grandi re (The Last of the High Kings), regia di David Keating (1996)
* Il Santo (The Saint), regia di Phillip Noyce (1997)
* Elizabeth, regia di Shekhar Kapur (1998)
* Notting Hill, regia di Roger Michell (1999)
* Killing Joe (1999) - cortometraggio
* Scream 3, regia di Wes Craven (2000)
* Pene d'amor perdute (Love's Labour's Lost), regia di Kenneth Branagh (2000)
* C'era una volta Gesù (The Miracle Maker), regia di Derek W. Hayes e Stanislav Sokolov (2000) - voce
* Faccia a faccia (The Kid), regia di Jon Turteltaub (2000)
* Lovely & Amazing (2001)
* Codice 51 (The 51st State), regia di Ronny Yu (2001)
* Scandalo internazionale (A Foreign Affair), regia di Helmut Schleppi (2003)
* Nobody Needs to Know (2003)
* Piccolo dizionario amoroso (The Sleeping Dictionary), regia di Guy Jenkin (2003)
* Young Adam, regia di David Mackenzie (2003)
* Bright Young Things (2003)
* Dear Frankie, regia di Shona Auerbach (2004)
* Il castello errante di Howl (Hauru no ugoku shiro), regia di Hayao Miyazaki (2004) - voce
* Match Point, regia di Woody Allen (2005)
* La Pantera Rosa (The Pink Panther), regia di Shawn Levy (2006)
* Paris, je t'aime, di registi vari (2005)
* Lars e una ragazza tutta sua (Lars and the Real Girl), regia di Craig Gillespie (2007)
* Chaos Theory, regia di Marcos Siega (2007)
* Transsiberian, regia di Brad Anderson (2008)
* Redbelt, regia di David Mamet (2008)
* La Pantera Rosa 2 (Pink Panther 2), regia di Harald Zwart (2009)
* City Island, regia di Raymond De Felitta (2009)
* Harry Brown, regia di Daniel Barber (2009)
* Shutter Island, regia di Martin Scorsese (2010)
* Leonie, regia di Hisako Matsui (2010)
* Quell'idiota di nostro fratello (Our Idiot Brother), regia di Jesse Peretz (2011)
* Cars 2, regia di Brad Lewis, John Lasseter (2011) - voce
* Hugo Cabret (Hugo), regia di Martin Scorsese (2011)
* Rio, eu te amo, registi vari (2014)
* Ten Thousand Saints, regia di Shari Springer Berman e Robert Pulcini (2015)
* Spectral, regia di Nic Mathieu (2016)
* L'altra metà della storia (The Sense of an Ending), regia di Ritesh Batra (2017)
* The Party, regia di Sally Potter (2017)
* La casa dei libri (La librería), regia di Isabel Coixet (2017)
* Il ritorno di Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins Returns), regia di Rob Marshall (2018)
* Un viaggio indimenticabile (Head Full of Honey), regia di Til Schweiger (2018)
* Relic, regia di Natalie Erika James (2020)
* Paddington in Perù (Paddington in Peru), regia di Dougal Wilson (2024)

### Televisione

* Sharpe's Sword – miniserie TV (1995)
* Lord of Misrule – film TV (1996)
* L'ispettore Barnaby (Midsomer Murders) – serie TV, episodio 1x01 (1997)
* Ritorno a casa (Coming Home) – serie TV, 2 episodi (1998)
* Cider with Rosie – film TV (1998)
* L'arca di Noé (Noah's Ark) – miniserie TV (1999)
* Jeffrey Archer: The Truth – film TV (2002)
* 30 Rock – serie TV (2007)
* The Newsroom – serie TV, 25 episodi (2012-2014)
* Doll & Em – serie TV, 6 episodi (2013-2015)
* The Pursuit of Love - Rincorrendo l'amore (The Pursuit of Love) – miniserie TV, 3 puntate (2021) - anche regista e sceneggiatrice

## Doppiatrici italiane

Nelle versioni in italiano delle opere in cui ha recitato, Emily Mortimer è stata doppiata da:
* Chiara Colizzi in Scream 3, Faccia a faccia, Young Adam, La Pantera Rosa, La Pantera Rosa 2, The Party, The Pursuit of Love - Rincorrendo l'amore
* Francesca Fiorentini in Pene d'amor perdute, Shutter Island, Hugo Cabret, The Newsroom, Spectral
* Stella Musy in Match Point, L'altra metà della storia, Un viaggio indimenticabile
* Barbara De Bortoli in Transsiberian, Quell'idiota di nostro fratello, La casa dei libri
* Claudia Catani in Codice 51 e in 30 Rock
* Roberta Paladini in Lars e una ragazza tutta sua
* Antonella Baldini in Dear Frankie
* Rossella Acerbo in L'ultimo dei grandi re
* Barbara Berengo in Elizabeth
* Tiziana Avarista in Redbelt
* Valentina Mari in Piccolo dizionario amoroso
* Mavi Felli in Chaos Theory
* Tatiana Dessi in Harry Brown
* Micaela Incitti in Il ritorno di Mary Poppins
* Gabriella Scalise in Il ritorno di Mary Poppins (canto)
Da doppiatrice è sostituita da:
* Paola Cortellesi in Cars 2