Harry Shearer: Difference between revisions

{{creator}}

Harry Shearer (1943-) is an American actor and [[Voice Actor]] famous for starring as Derek Smalls in ''[[This Is Spinal Tap]]'', as well as his voicework on ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'', where he plays many characters including squeaky-clean religious neighbor (before he was [[Flanderization|Flanderized]] into a strawman Republican and a strawman Bible thumper) Ned Flanders, cynical preacher Reverend Lovejoy, school principal (and Vietnam vet who still lives with -- and is being controlled by -- his mother) Seymour Skinner, [[Bad Boss|evil nuclear plant owner]] Mr. Burns ''and'' his [[Ambiguously Gay]], syncophantic assistant Waylon Smithers <ref> leading to a very [[Ho Yay]]-tastic case of [[Talking to Himself]]</ref>, Bill Cosby Expy and the town's only competent doctor Dr. Julius Hibbert, sarcastic, often unprofessional news anchor Kent Brockman, Homer's friend and plant coworker Lenny, Grandpa Simpson's elderly [[Vitriolic Best Friends|vitriolic best friend]] Jasper Beardley, stoner bus driver Otto Mann, and [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] [[Expy]] [[The Ahnold|Rainier Wolfcastle]]. He also hosts the satirical [[NPR]] series ''Le Show''.

 

Shearer got his start on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' during its fifth season (from 1979 to 1980), then returned during Dick Ebersol's final season (1984 to 1985; season ten) before [[Lorne Michaels]]'s return, making Shearer the [[Grover Cleveland]] of ''SNL'' <ref> in that he appeared in two non-consecutive seasons</ref>. Shearer's reason for leaving ''SNL'' during its tenth season (mid-season): creative differences (in his words, "I was creative, they were different.")

 

* [[Man of a Thousand Voices]]: The number of Simpsons characters listed above are a ''mere handful'' of those he, [[Dan Castellaneta]] and [[Hank Azaria]] play.

* [[My Friends and Zoidberg]]: In a particular [[Treehouse of Horror]] 's credits, all of the members of the core voice actors have halloween pun names...except Shearer.