Sebastian Cabot was a renowned English actor, distinguished by his extensive career in both live-action and voice acting, particularly in animation.
Born on July 6, 1918, in London, Cabot dropped out of school in 1932 to pursue a career in an automotive garage. However, he eventually found himself employed as a chauffeur and valet for the actor Frank Pettingell, which led to his introduction to the world of acting.
Cabot's early interest in acting led him to begin appearing regularly in theatre productions. He made his film debut in the 1935 comedy film "Foreign Affaires" as an uncredited extra and then landed his first credited role in the 1936 spy film "Secret Agent".
Throughout the 1950s, Cabot primarily worked in his native United Kingdom, but he eventually moved to the United States, where he appeared in notable films such as "Westward Ho, the Wagons! " (1956),"Johnny Tremain" (1957),and "The Time Machine" (1960).
In the 1960s, Cabot's television career took off, with notable roles in series such as "Checkmate" (1960-1962),where he played college professor Dr. Carl Hyatt, and "Family Affair" (1966-1971),in which he portrayed traditional "gentleman's gentleman" Giles French.
Cabot's voice acting credits began in radio and continued with his work for the Disney studio, where he voiced Sir Ector in "The Sword in the Stone" (1963) and Baghreera the black panther in "The Jungle Book". He also narrated the Winnie the Pooh film series, including "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966),"Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" (1968),"Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too" (1974),and "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1977).
Cabot's later years were marked by a series of notable television roles, including his portrayal of hotel owner Winston Essex in the anthology horror series "Ghost Story" (1972-1973) and his appearances in the television films "Miracle on 34th Street" (1973) and "The City That Forgot About Christmas" (1974).
After surviving his first stroke in 1974, Cabot largely retired from show business. He spent his final years in Deep Cove, British Columbia, a suburb of Victoria, where he passed away in 1977 at the age of 59 following a second stroke. His ashes were buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
