Harry Shearer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor, appearing in The Jack Benny Program, as well as the 1953 films Abbott and Costello Go to Mars and The Robe. In 1957, Shearer played the precursor to the Eddie Haskell character in the pilot episode for the television series Leave It to Beaver, but his parents decided not to let him continue in the role so that he could have a normal childhood. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member of The Credibility Gap, a radio comedy group. Following the break up of the group, Shearer co-wrote the film Real Life with Albert Brooks and started writing for Martin Mull's television series Fernwood 2 Night. In August 1979, Shearer was hired as a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live. Shearer describes his experience on the show as a "living hell" and he did not get along well with the other writers and cast members. He left the show in 1980. Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in the 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap, a satirical rockumentary about a band called Spinal Tap. Shearer portrayed Derek Smalls, the bassist, and Michael McKean and Christopher Guest played the other two members. The film became a cult hit and the band has since released several albums and played several concerts. While promoting the film, Shearer was offered the chance to return to Saturday Night Live. He accepted, but left the show for good in January 1985 after just three months into the season. Since 1983, Shearer has been the host of the public radio comedy/music program Le Show on Santa Monica's NPR-affiliated radio station, KCRW. The program, a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and sketch comedy, is carried on many public radio stations throughout the United States. In 1989, Shearer became a part of the cast of The Simpsons. He was initially reluctant because he thought the recording sessions would be too much trouble. He felt voice acting was "not a lot of fun" because traditionally, voice actors record their parts separately. He provides voices for numerous characters, including Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Dr. Hibbert, Lenny Leonard, Principal Skinner, Otto Mann and Rainier Wolfcastle. Shearer has been vocal about what he perceives as the show's declining quality. In 2004, he said "I rate the last three seasons as among the worst." Shearer also directed the 2002 film Teddy Bears' Picnic and appeared in several films, including A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration and Godzilla. Shearer has written three books, Man Bites Town, It's the Stupidity, Stupid, and Not Enough Indians. He has been married to singer-songwriter Judith Owen since 1993. He has received several Primetime Emmy Award and Grammy Award nominations and in 2008 it was announced that Shearer would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the radio category. Description above from the Wikipedia article Harry Shearer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · From Darkness to Light as
- 2023 · A Taste of Heaven: The Ecstatic Song & Gospel of Maestro Raymond Anthony Myles as
- 2020 · Easy Does It as 'Breezy' Bob Mckee (voice)
- 2019 · Joe Frank: Somewhere Out There as Himself
- 2018 · Satan & Adam as Self
- 2017 · Father Figures as Gene
- 2017 · Springfield of Dreams: The Legend of Homer Simpson as Jebediah Springfield / Lenny Leonard / Mr. Burns (voice)
- 2017 · Love & Taxes as Sean Boykin/Agent
- 2017 · The History of Comedy as Self
- 2016 · Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: The Missing Sketches as Self
- 2016 · Mascots as Competition Announcer (voice)
- 2016 · The Last Laugh as Self
- 2016 · The Clown as Self
- 2014 · Monty Python's Best Bits (Mostly) as Self
- 2014 · Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled as Self
- 2014 · The Kumars as Self
- 2013 · Have You Been Paying Attention? as Panellist
- 2012 · Pay Up Cheaters: The Story of the Beat Farmers as Self
- 2011 · My Suicide as Caress Moscowitz
- 2009 · Unwigged & Unplugged: An Evening with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as Self
- 2009 · Stonehenge: 'Tis a Magic Place as Derek Smalls
- 2009 · Spinal Tap: Back from the Dead as Derek Smalls
- 2007 · Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project as Self
- 2007 · A Couple of White Chicks at the Hairdresser as Marc Gavin
- 2007 · The Simpsons Movie as Scratchy / Mr. Burns / Rev. Lovejoy / Ned Flanders / Lenny / Skull / President Arnold Schwarzenegger / Kent Brockman / Principal Skinner / Dr. Hibbert / Smithers / Toll Booth Man / Guard / Otto / Kang (voice)
- 2007 · Would I Lie to You? as Self
- 2007 · Fired! as Self
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2007 · What the Pythons Did Next... as Self
- 2006 · For Your Consideration as Victor Allan Miller
- 2006 · Comedy Club Shoot-out: Vol. 1 as Self
- 2006 · Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School as Promo Announcer
- 2005 · Chicken Little as Dog Announcer (voice)
- 2005 · The Colbert Report as
- 2005 · The Aristocrats as Self
- 2004 · The Simpsons: Christmas 2 as
- 2004 · The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Music Edition as Derek Smalls
- 2003 · The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror as Mr. Burns / Smithers / Ned Flanders / Kang / Skinner (voice)
- 2003 · The Simpsons: Christmas as
- 2003 · Anderson Cooper 360° as
- 2003 · Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) as Self
- 2003 · A Mighty Wind as Mark Shubb
- 2003 · Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
- 2002 · The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror as
- 2002 · HypaSpace as Self
- 2002 · Teddy Bears' Picnic as Joey Lavin
- 2001 · The Secret Rulers of the World as Self – Comedian
- 2001 · Haunted Castle as Mr. D / Mephisto (voice)
- 2000 · Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big as The General (voice)
- 2000 · CyberWorld as Ned Flanders / Dr. Julius Hibbert / Rev. Timothy Lovejoy (voice)
- 2000 · Catching Up with Marty DiBergi as Derek Smalls
- 1999 · The Early Show as Derek Smalls
- 1999 · Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai as Voice of Scratchy (voice) (archive footage)
- 1999 · Jack & Jill as
- 1999 · Dick as G. Gordon Liddy
- 1999 · Where Are They Now? as Self
- 1999 · Encounter in the Third Dimension as Narrator (voice)
- 1999 · The Simpsons: Too Hot For TV as
- 1998 · Small Soldiers as Punch-It (voice)
- 1998 · The Truman Show as Mike Michaelson
- 1998 · Almost Heroes as Narrator (voice)
- 1998 · Godzilla as Charles Caiman
- 1998 · Dawson's Creek as Principal Peskin
- 1998 · Style & Substance as
- 1998 · The Truman Show: Tru-Talk as Mike Michaelson
- 1997 · The Visitor as Louis Faraday
- 1997 · George & Leo as
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1997 · My Best Friend's Wedding as Jonathan P.E. Rice
- 1997 · Just Shoot Me! as Larry Fenwick
- 1996 · Never Mind the Buzzcocks as Self
- 1995 · Casper as Radio announcer (uncredited)
- 1995 · The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show as Mr. Blackwell
- 1994 · Speechless as Chuck
- 1994 · Little Giants as Announcer
- 1994 · Friends as Dr. Baldharar
- 1994 · ER as John Smythe
- 1994 · Chicago Hope as
- 1994 · Ellen as Ted Layton
- 1994 · I'll Do Anything as Audience Research Captain
- 1993 · Wayne's World 2 as Handsome Dan
- 1993 · Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- 1992 · The Return of Spinal Tap as Derek Smalls / Mark Shubb
- 1992 · A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica as Derek Smalls
- 1992 · A League of Their Own as Newsreel Announcer
- 1992 · FernGully: The Last Rainforest as Fairy 3
- 1991 · Amnesty International's Big 30 as Derek Smalls
- 1991 · The Fisher King as Sitcom Actor Ben Starr
- 1991 · Blood and Concrete as Sammy Rhodes
- 1991 · Pure Luck as Monosoff
- 1991 · Dinosaurs as Narrator (voice)
- 1991 · Oscar as Guido Finucci
- 1990 · Do the Bartman as Principal Skinner (voice)
- 1990 · The American Film Institute Presents: TV or Not TV? as
- 1990 · Hometown Boy Makes Good as Radio Announcer (voice)
- 1990 · Dream On as Steve
- 1990 · The Jackie Bison Show as (voice)
- 1990 · Spy Magazine Presents How to Be Famous as himself
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Mr. Burns
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Ned Flanders / Mr. Burns / Smithers / Skinner / Lenny (voice)
- 1988 · My Stepmother Is an Alien as Carl Sagan (voice)
- 1988 · Portrait of a White Marriage as Al Silvers
- 1988 · Plain Clothes as Simon Feck
- 1987 · Down and Out with Donald Duck as Additional Voices (voice)
- 1986 · L.A. Law as Gordon Huyck
- 1986 · The History of White People in America: Volume II as Rabbi
- 1986 · The Hear 'n Aid Sessions as Derek Smalls [Spinal Tap]
- 1985 · The Golden Girls as George Bush (voice)
- 1985 · The History of White People in America as Rabbi
- 1984 · Miami Vice as
- 1984 · Jeopardy! as
- 1984 · This Is Spinal Tap as Derek Smalls
- 1983 · The Right Stuff as NASA Recruiter
- 1983 · Flicks as Narrator / Voice of Philip Alien / Voice of George Blik (voice)
- 1982 · The Million Dollar Infield as Jack Savage
- 1981 · Likely Stories Vol. 1 as
- 1980 · One Trick Pony as Bernie Wepner
- 1980 · Animalympics as Keen Hacksaw (voice)
- 1979 · The Concorde... Airport '79 as Jeffrey Marx
- 1979 · Real Life as Pete - Cameraman / Radio Announcer
- 1979 · CBS News Sunday Morning as Self
- Future · Have I Got a Bit More News for You as Self - Panellist
- 1976 · Laverne & Shirley as
- 1955 · Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Street Kid
- 1954 · The Egyptian as Boy
- 1953 · The Robe as David (uncredited)
- 1953 · Abbott and Costello Go to Mars as Second Boy (uncredited)
- Future · Spinal Tap II as Derek Smalls
- 1980 · Spinal Tap: The Final Tour as Derek Smalls
- 1979 · The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh as Murray Sports
- 1979 · The Chevy Chase National Humor Test as
- 1979 · Stockard Channing: In Just Friends as
- 1978 · Loose Shoes as Narrator (voice)
- 1977 · American Raspberry as Trucker's Friend
- 1977 · Cracking Up as
- 1976 · Serpico: The Deadly Game as Hippy
- Future · The Simpsons: Christmas 2 as
- 1975 · Sick as Dr. Jerry Shuster
- 1953 · General Electric Theater as Timmy
- 1952 · Omnibus as Johnny