Biografie

5. Februar 1950 · Bay Village, Ohio, USA

1,83 m

Voice of Jafar.

I believe I sang the last song Howard Ashman wrote. In December of 1989, I was hired to voice Jafar and I was rushed into the studio in January of 1990 because Howard was not well. They wanted me to demo a song that Howard and Alan Menken had written called "Humiliate the Boy." I remember being rushed into the studio and it being mysterious - being in a studio somewhere making a demo of the song with David Friedman and Alan Menken and some technicians while Howard was on the phone from the hospital. It's a very strong memory for me. And then I remember trying to work quickly on other music while Howard was still around. It was very clear that Howard and Alan were two of my champions on the original project.

I grew up on Disney movies and, as a kid, I always liked the villains. I loved everything about them - their scale and magic powers - that always appealed to me. So when I got the opportunity to take on Jafar for the film, it was a childhood dream come true.

For years now, whenever I meet people, kids or adults, they'll say, "Talk like Jafar." I tell kids I'll do it - but first they have to close their eyes because I don't look like Jafar in real life. And they would give me the fish-eye: Where's the bird? The staff? The fire?