Random Fun Facts About the Voices of the Simpsons (26 items)

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  (#1) Paul And Linda McCartney Had Conditions For Appearing On The Series

  Prior to appearing in the 1995 episode "Lisa the Vegetarian," Paul and Linda McCartney came to a deal with the writers of The Simpsons that Lisa Simpson's status as a vegetarian never be changed. Decades later she continues to avoid meat.
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  (#2) Yeardley Smith Is The Only Member Of The Principal Cast Who Does Just One Voice Regularly

  While the rest of the cast regularly doubles up when voicing characters for The Simpsons, Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa Simpson) is the only current member of the cast who only does one voice on a regular basis.
  
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  (#3) Homer's 'D'ohs' Never Appear In The Script

  According to IMDb, Homer Simpson's iconic catchphrase, "D'oh," never appears in the script for an episode; the only thing written on the page is "(annoyed grunt)" which actor Dan Castellaneta has since turned into the iconic "D'oh."
  
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  (#4) Krusty The Clown Was Originally Homer Simpson's Alter Ego

  During the early years of The Simpsons's run, it was originally planned for the character of Krusty the Clown to be Homer Simpson's alter ego. The idea behind the plan was to experiment with the concept of hero worship by examining the way Bart loves Krusty, but shows absolutely no respect to Homer. However, the concept was eventually dropped, and the two characters were kept separate.
  
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  (#5) Conan O'Brien Created The Sea Captain

  During his brief stint as a writer for The Simpsons, late night comedian Conan O'Brien forever left his mark on the series by creating the side character of the Sea Captain. Originally named Horatio McCallister, the Sea Captain was modeled after Popeye and has gone on to become one of the show's most enduring side characters.
  
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  (#6) Yeardley Smith And Nancy Cartwright Auditioned For Each Other's Current Roles

  Yeardley Smith originally auditioned for the role of Bart Simpson, but was later cast as Lisa due to the high pitch of her voice. On the other hand, Nancy Cartwright originally read for Lisa, but was then asked to try out for Bart and was immediately offered the role.
  
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  (#7) Elizabeth Taylor Voiced Maggie's First Word

  As the infant of the family, Maggie Simpson typically has the least to say out of any of the Simpsons. Outside of fantasy episodes, she rarely speaks at all; however, she spoke her first words in the 1992 episode "Lisa's First Word," in which she uttered the simple noun "daddy." Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor offered her services as the voice of the famous baby, and reportedly had to utter the single line repeatedly until the producers were satisfied.
  
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  (#8) The 'Frasier' Connection

  Bart's arch-nemesis Sideshow Bob is voiced by actor Kelsey Grammer, while his brother Cecil is voiced by actor David Hyde Pierce. If this duo sounds familiar that's because they also played brothers Frasier and Niles Crane on the hit NBC sitcom, Frasier.
  
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  (#9) Comic Book Guy's Catchphrase Stems From A TV Critic's Negative Remarks About The Show

  During the late 1990s, a TV critic slammed an episode of The Simpsons with the headline "Worst Episode Ever." The writers latched onto this phrase and have since made it the official catch phrase of Comic Book Guy, who regularly critiques things by stating that they are the "Worst ______ Ever!"
  
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  (#10) Homer Simpson Is The World's Most Popular Voice For GPS Navigation Systems

  Homer Simpson holds the Guinness World Record for as the most highly downloaded voice for a GPS navigation system in the world. His voice has outsold the closest competitor by a factor of three to one.
  
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  (#11) Ricky Gervais Became The First Ever Guest Star To Also Receive A Writing Credit

  Ricky Gervais cowrote and guest starred in a 2006 episode of The Simpsons titled "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife." In doing so he became the first ever guest star to receive a writing credit for an episode of the show. However, Gervais often downplays his contributions to the episode.
  
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  (#12) All Four Members Of The Beatles Have Been Featured On The Series

  Sort of. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison have all been featured on The Simpsons as guest stars. John Lennon died before The Simpsons ever aired, but his music has been featured prominently on the series.
  
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  (#13) Mayor Quimby Was Inspired By JFK

  Longtime Springfield Mayor Joe Quimby was inspired by real life President John F. Kennedy. The Simpsons creators modeled him after the late president by giving him a thick Boston accent and a penchant for extra-marital affairs, not to mention some tenuous dealings with the Italian mafia.
  
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  (#14) Only Homer Has Had Dialogue In Every Episode

  Homer Simpson is the only character to have spoken a line of dialogue in every single episode of The Simpsons to date. Marge and Lisa have appeared in every episode, but did not have dialogue in "Krusty Gets Cancelled," and "Chief of Hearts," respectively. Bart Simpson did not even appear in the episode "Four Great Women and a Manicure."
  
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  (#15) The Principal Cast Makes $300,000 An Episode

  According to Uproxx, each member of the principal cast of The Simpsons makes roughly $300,000 per episode. For comparison's sake, early in the show's run they made $30,000 per episode.
  
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  (#16) Matt Groening Will Not Sit With Dan Castellaneta While He Records Homer's Lines

  The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has admitted that Dan Castellaneta is the only member of the cast who he cannot sit in with during recording sessions the series. Castellaneta is reportedly so funny to work with that Groening's laughter ruins takes.
  
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  (#17) Dr. Marvin Monroe Was Never Actually Killed Off, He Just Has A Hard Voice

  Despite the fact that Dr. Marvin Monroe's tombstone has been shown on The Simpsons, his death is not considered canon. He has appeared on the show recently, diffusing allegations towards his death by saying he was "very sick." The reason for the character's reduced usage on the series actually stems from the strain his voice places on actor Harry Shearer.
  
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  (#18) The Inspiration For Homer Simpson's Voice Was Actor Walter Matthau

  Dan Castellaneta has stated that the original inspiration for Homer Simpson's iconic voice was legendary actor Walter Matthau. Describing how he modified the voice to make it his own, Castellaneta explained, "my jaw would go out, my neck would go in, and then my I.Q. would drop about 70 points."
  
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  (#19) Phil Hartman's Characters Were Not Retired After His Death

  Following the untimely passing of comedian Phil Hartman in 1998, his two major characters on The Simpsons (Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz) were not retired from the series. They still regularly appear in the backgrounds of certain episodes, they just don't have any speaking lines.
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  (#20) Moe Szyslak's Voice Is Based On Al Pacino's Michael Corleone

  Voice actor Hank Azaria has openly stated that he based the voice of perpetually unlucky bartender Moe Szyslak on the gravelly voice of Al Pacino's Michael Corleone in The Godfather films. Fittingly, The Godfather has been revealed to be Moe's favorite movie of all time.
  
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  (#21) Albert Brooks Has Voiced No Less Than Six Characters

  Since the series premiere of The Simpsons, actor Albert Brooks has voiced no less than six separate characters including: Hank Scorpio, Russ Cargill, Jacques, Cowboy Bob, Tap Spangler, and Brad Goodman.
  
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  (#22) Matt Groening Provides The Sound Effects For Maggie's Pacifier

  While actress Elizabeth Taylor provided her voice for the few words Maggie has uttered throughout the run of The Simpsons, the sucking sound effect for her pacifier is made by none other than series creator Matt Groening.
  
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  (#23) Dan Castellaneta Voiced The Genie From 'Aladdin' During Robin Williams' Absence

  Although famous for voicing Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta has a lengthy voice acting resume that includes Genie from Disney's Aladdin after Robin Williams briefly walked away from the part. However, when Williams eventually made peace with Disney he took back the role from Castellaneta.
  
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  (#24) Harry Shearer Voices The Most Characters In The Series

  With 21 characters to his name, Harry Shearer voices the most characters on The Simpsons out of any member of the principal cast. Some of his most famous characters include Mr. Burns, Mr. Smithers, Ned Flanders, and Principal Skinner.
  
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  (#25) Maude Flanders Was Killed Off Due To A Pay Dispute

  Maude Flanders, wife of Springfield's favorite devout Christian Ned Flanders, was written off of the series due to a pay dispute between actress Maggie Roswell and Fox. Prior to her departure from the series, Roswell had to fly from Colorado to Los Angeles on her own dime to record her performances. She has since rejoined the cast, but not in time to save Maude Flanders.
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  (#26) Revisit All Your Favorite Cameos On Disney+ Today

  As the longest-running animated sitcom in history, it makes sense that The Simpsons has featured more celebrity guests than any other show in history. Some were great, others were bizarre. Regardless of who, how, or when these guests appeared, each one is notable in their own star-studded way. Featuring nearly 800 guest stars to date, stream all your favorite episodes on Disney+ and see how just many celebrity voices you can spot.

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