#matthew broderick

SIMBAfromThe Lion King(1994)

VOICE ACTORS:  Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Young- Speaking), Jason Weaver (Young - Singing), Matthew Broderick (Adult - Speaking), & Joseph Williams (Adult - Singing)

Born in 1981, Jonathan Taylor Thomas began his television career in 1990 as Kevin Brady in The Brady’s, a spin-off of The Brady Bunch. At the time of The Lion King’s release, he was most known for his role as Randy Taylor, Tim Allen’s son, in Home Improvement. He has worked with Disney multiple times since providing his voice for Young Simba. Some of his other roles include Ben Archer in Man of the House, Tom Sawyer in Tom and Huck, and Jake Wilkenson in I’ll Be Home for Christmas. As of 2022, he is 40 years old.

Jason Weaver was born in 1979 and is most known for his performance as Marcus Henderson in the sitcom Smart Guy. One of his earliest roles was in Oprah Winfrey’s 1990 TV series The Brewsters, and he portrayed Michael Jackson in the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. In 1995, a year after The Lion King’s release, he released his debut album Love Ambition. As of 2022, he is 42 years old.

Born in 1962, Matthew Broderick has had an extensive career on both the stage and screen. His first major acting role was in a workshop of Horton Foote’s On Valentine’s Day, in which he acted opposite his father. He holds the record for youngest person to ever win the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, which he won at only 21 years old for his performance in Brighton Beach Memoirs. He also won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 1995. Some of his other prominent stage credits include The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, and The Producers, in which he starred alongside Nathan Lane, the voice of Timon in The Lion King. Broderick became a household name, however, for his starring role as the title character in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in 1985, as well as some of his other films including The Cable Guy andManchester By the Sea. After Simba, he was considered for many other Disney voice roles like Buzz Lightyear, Mike Wazowski, and Chicken Little, and while he didn’t get those, he has given his voice to other animated films such as Bee Movie, The Tale of Despereaux,andThe Thief and the Cobbler. He also reprised his role as Simba for all of the sequels. He married actress Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997, and in 2006 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As of 2022, he is 59 years old.

Joseph Williams was born in 1960 as the son of composer John Williams and actress Barbara Ruick. He was the lead vocalist for the band Toto in the mid-to-late 1980s, as well as releasing his own solo albums. Before The Lion King, he had worked with Disney when he sang the theme song for the 1985 TV series Adventures of the Gummi Bears. Since then, he has composed scores for many television and film projects, such as the series RoswellandThe Lyon’s Den. As of 2022, he is 61 years old.

FUN FACT:  Simba was the first animated Disney character to have a villain as a biological relative. He would be followed by Hercules and Elsa & Anna in Frozen II.

Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick Covers The Hollywood Reporter, May 2022