Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943, in Los Angeles, California) is an American comedic actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, musician, author, radio host, director and producer. Shearer is famous for playing the voices of several minor characters for The Simpsons (1989 to present).
Harry Shearer | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Shearer in 2019 | |
| Born | Harry Julius Shearer December 23, 1943 |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, musician, author, radio host, director, producer |
| Years active | 1953–present |
Notable work | Ned Flanders, Montgomery Burns, Waylon Smithers, Seymour Skinner in The Simpsons Derek Smalls in This is Spinal Tap Science Vessel in Starcraft |
| Spouse(s) | Penny Nichols (m. 1974–1977; divorced) Judith Owen (m. 1993–present) |
| Website | http://www.harryshearer.com |
Shearer was a child actor. He acted on the Jack Benny radio program.[1]
Shearer was a member of the Credibility Gap comedy group. The radio stations KRLA and later KPPC broadcast the Credibility Gap.[2] He performed on the Pop Chronicles music documentary.[3][4]
Shearer portrayed Derek Smalls in the 1984 comedy movie This is Spinal Tap. Rob Reiner directed this movie.[5]
Shearer speaks the voices for many characters on The Simpsons cartoon. Some of the characters he plays are Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, and Ned Flanders.[6]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Abbott and Costello Go to Mars | Boy | Uncredited |
| The Robe | David | Uncredited | |
| 1977 | American Raspberry | Trucker's friend | |
| Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | Captain Khurgee (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Cracking Up | Various characters | Credited as part of "The Credibility Gap" | |
| 1979 | Real Life | Pete | Also co-writer |
| The Concorde ... Airport '79 | Jeffrey Marx | Uncredited | |
| The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh | Murray Sports | ||
| 1980 | Animalympics | Keen Hacksaw/Mayor of Animal Olympic Island/Burnt Woody/Mark Spritz | |
| Loose Shoes | Narrator | ||
| One Trick Pony | Bernie Wepner | ||
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | NASA Recruiter | |
| 1984 | This Is Spinal Tap | Derek Smalls | Also co-writer, composer and musician |
| 1987 | Flicks | Narrator | |
| 1988 | Plain Clothes | Simon Feck | |
| My Stepmother Is an Alien | Voice of Carl Sagan | ||
| 1990 | Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School | Announcer | Short film |
| 1991 | Blood and Concrete: A Love Story | Sammy Rhodes | |
| Oscar | Guido Finucci | ||
| Pure Luck | Monosoff | ||
| The Fisher King | Ben Starr | ||
| 1992 | A League of Their Own | Newsreel announcer | |
| 1993 | Wayne's World 2 | Handsome Dan | |
| 1994 | I'll Do Anything | Audience Research Captain | |
| Little Giants | Announcer Littbarski | ||
| Speechless | Chuck | ||
| 1997 | My Best Friend's Wedding | Jonathan P.F. Ritt | |
| Waiting for Guffman | N/A | Composer | |
| 1998 | Godzilla | Charles Caiman | |
| Almost Heroes | Narrator | ||
| The Truman Show | Mike Michaelson | ||
| Small Soldiers | Punch-It | ||
| 1999 | EDtv | Moderator | |
| Encounter in the Third Dimension | Narrator | ||
| Dick | G. Gordon Liddy | ||
| 2000 | Catching Up with Marty DiBergi | Derek Smalls | Short film |
| Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big | Additional voice | ||
| 2001 | Haiku Tunnel | Orientation leader | |
| Out There | Dr. Gerard | ||
| Haunted Castle | Mr. D Mephisto |
||
| 2002 | Teddy Bears' Picnic | Joey Lavin | Also writer, director and executive producer |
| 2003 | A Mighty Wind | Mark Shubb | |
| 2005 | Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School | Promo announcer | |
| Chicken Little | Dog announcer | ||
| 2006 | For Your Consideration | Victor Allan Miller | |
| 2007 | A Couple of White Chicks at the Hairdresser | Marc Gavin | |
| The Simpsons Movie | Various characters | ||
| 2010 | The Big Uneasy | Narrator | Also Director and producer |
| 2011 | Flood Streets | Actor/Voice/Executive Producer |
Television
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953, 1955 | The Jack Benny Program | Jack Benny, as a child |
Episode 4.2: "Jack as a Child" Episode 5.12: "Jack Takes the Beavers to the Fair" |
| 1955 | The Donald O'Connor Show | Himself | Episode 1.7 |
| 1955 | It's a Great Life | Terry | Episode 2.4: "The Paper Drive" |
| 1955 | Death Valley Days | Unnamed character | Episode 4.2: "The Valencia Cake" |
| 1956 | Private Secretary | Chuckie Wills, shoeshine boy | Episode 4.16: "The Little Caesar of Bleecker Street" |
| 1957 | General Electric Theater | Timmy | Episode 5.28: "Cab Driver" |
| Leave It to Beaver | Frankie Bennett | Pilot: "It's a Small World" | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Street Kid | Episode 2.31: "The Night the World Ended" | |
| 1976 | Serpico | Hippy | TV film/Pilot: "The Deadly Game" |
| 1976–82 | Laverne & Shirley | Various characters | Appeared in six episodes; also co-wrote episode 1.12: "Hi, Neighbor" |
| 1979 | The T.V. Show | Various characters | Pilot; also writer, producer and composer |
| 1979–80, 1984–85 | Saturday Night Live | Various characters | Appeared in 32 episodes; also co-wrote 39 episodes |
| 1981 | Likely Stories, Vol. 1 | Various characters | TV film; also co-wrote |
| 1982 | Million Dollar Infield | Jack Savage | TV film |
| 1985 | The History of White People in America | Rabbi | TV film; also director |
| 1986 | Viva Shaf Vegas | Rabbi | TV film; also director, writer and executive producer |
| The History of White People in America: Volume II | Rabbi | TV film; also director | |
| Spitting Image: Down And Out In The White House | Additional voice | Pilot/TV special | |
| 1987 | Spitting Image: The Ronnie and Nancy Show | Additional voice | TV special |
| Down and Out with Donald Duck | Additional voices | TV special | |
| 1988 | Portrait of a White Marriage | Unnamed character | TV film; also director |
| Miami Vice | FBI Agent Timothy Anderson | Episode 4.12: "The Cows of October" | |
| Merrill Markoe's Guide to Glamorous Living | Unnamed character | TV special | |
| 1989–present | The Simpsons | Ned Flanders, Charles Montgomery Burns, Waylon Smithers, Seymour Skinner and various other characters | Longest-running role |
| 1990 | The Golden Girls | George H. W. Bush | Episode 5.26: "The President's Coming! The President's Coming! Part 2" |
| Hometown Boy Makes Good | Unnamed character | TV film | |
| Murphy Brown | Chris Bishop | Episode 3.1: "The 390th Broadcast" | |
| 1991 | Sunday Best | Various characters | |
| 1993 | Dream On | Steve | Episode 4.6: "Home Sweet Homeboy" |
| L.A. Law | Gordon Huyck | Episode 8.6: "Safe Sex" | |
| Animaniacs | Ned Flat | Episode 1.40: "Fair Game/Puppet Rulers" | |
| 1994 | Ellen | Ted | Episode 2.9: "The Trainer" |
| 1995 | Sliders | Radio DJ | Episode 1.1: "Pilot"; uncredited |
| Friends | Dr. Baldharar | Episode 1.21: "The One with the Fake Monica" | |
| The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show | Mr. Blackwell | TV special | |
| Frontline | Larry Hadges | Episode 2.10: "Changing the Face of Current Affairs" | |
| 1996 | State of the Union: Undressed | Newt Gingrich | TV special |
| Chicago Hope | Nowhere man | Episode 3.7: "A Time to Kill" | |
| 1997 | Tracey Takes On... | Ronald Littleman | Episode 2.12: "Race Relations" |
| ER | John Smythe | Episode 3.19: "Calling Dr. Hathaway" | |
| The Visitor | Louis Faraday | Episode 1.1: "Fear of Flying" | |
| 1998 | George & Leo | Unnamed character | Episode 1.17: "The Poker Game" |
| 1999 | Seven Days | Walter Landis | Episode 1.19: "EBE's" |
| Just Shoot Me! | Larry Fenwick | Episode 4.1: "A Divorce to Remember" | |
| 1999–2001 | Jack & Jill | Dr. Wilfred Madison | Appeared in four episodes |
| 2000–01 | Dawson's Creek | Principal Peskin | Episodes 4.8: "The Unusual Suspects" and 4.22: "The Graduate" |
| 2001 | That's Life | Dean | Episode 2.9: "Oh, Baby!" |
| 2002 | The Agency | The President | Episode 1.14: "The Gauntlet" |
| 2003 | MADtv | Mark Shubb | Episode 8.21 |
| 2009 | Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Himself | Series 23 Episode 6 |
| 2012 | Nixon's the One | Richard Nixon | TV special |
| 2012 | Have I Got News For You | Himself | Series 44 Episode 5 |
| 2014 | The Kumars | Himself | Sky1 Sitcom |
| 2014 | Outnumbered | Mr Johnson | Series 5 Episode 5 |
Music video
| Year | Song | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Do the Bartman" | Seymour Skinner | Nancy Cartwright |
Video games
| Year | Game | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Blazing Dragons | Sir Burnevere, Sir George's Valet |
| 1996 | The Simpsons Cartoon Studio | Various characters |
| 1997 | Virtual Springfield | Various characters |
| 1998 | StarCraft | Science Vessel |
| 2001 | The Simpsons Wrestling | Various characters |
| 2001 | The Simpsons: Road Rage | Various characters |
| 2002 | The Simpsons Skateboarding | Various characters |
| 2003 | The Simpsons: Hit & Run | Various characters |
| 2005 | Chicken Little | Dog announcer |
| 2007 | The Simpsons Game | Various characters |
| 2012 | The Simpsons: Tapped Out | Various characters |
Other websites
- Harry Shearer's official site
- archived Harry Shearer site
- Harry Shearer's blog at the Huffington Post
- Harry Shearer Archived 2006-05-05 at the Wayback Machine at Voice Chasers Archived 2020-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
- Harry Shearer 'takes aim' with "Not Enough Indians" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine (video of an appearance at Cody's Books, Berkeley, CA Nov 26, 2006)
- Harry Shearer on The Hour
- Scene Missing Magazine Interviews Harry Shearer[dead link]
References
- ↑ Plume, Kenneth. "Interview with Harry Shearer (Part 1 of 4) – feature – at IGN". Movies.ign.com. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ Deming, Mark. "The Credibility Gap > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ Show 34 - Revolt of the Fat Angel: American musicians respond to the British invaders. [Part 2] : UNT Digital Library
- ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "E-J — University of North Texas Libraries" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
- ↑ Rabin, Nathan. "Harry Shearer | Animation | Interview". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ "Welcome to The Simpsons.com". Thesimpsons.com. Retrieved 2009-12-28.