Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer (born
December 23,
1943 in
Los Angeles, California) is an
American comedic
actor and
writer.
He began his career as a child actor in
1950s movies (
The Robe) and
television (
The Jack Benny Program). Shearer also played Frankie in the pilot episode of the TV series
Leave It to Beaver.
Shearer was later a member of Los Angeles
radio comedy group
The Credibility Gap, 1968–1974, and regular on
Saturday Night Live in 1979–1980 and 1984–1985, leaving for good midseason in January 1985 over "creative differences." When reached for comment over the nature of his departure, Shearer replied "I was creative, they were different."
Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in
Rob Reiner's 1984 film
This Is Spinal Tap with
Michael McKean and
Christopher Guest; the three of them also collaborated on the acclaimed 2003 spoof
A Mighty Wind, which was written by Guest and
Eugene Levy, and directed by Guest.
Shearer's television work also includes two specials for Cinemax, "It's Just TV", and "This Week Indoors" (co-created with
Merrill Markoe) and "The Magic of Live". He directed the entire six-episode cable series, "The History of White People in America", co-created by
Martin Mull and Allen Rucker, as well as the two-hour feature finale of the series, "Portrait of a White Marriage". He also co-wrote and directed
Paul Shaffer's fantasy special for
HBO, "Viva Shaf Vegas" (with Shaffer and Tom Leopold). His first theatrical feature, which he wrote and directed, was "
Teddy Bears' Picnic", a dark comedy loosely based on the workings of
Bohemian Grove, the secret retreat of the elite.
Shearer has two books published, "Man Bites Town" (a collection of his Los Angeles Times Magazine columns) and "It's the Stupidity, Stupid". As of 2005, he is finishing work on a comic novel about Native Americans and gambling called "Not Enough Indians". [
1]
Shearer is probably best known for his prolific work as a
voice actor on
The Simpsons (1989 to present), where he provides voices for
Mr. Burns,
Waylon Smithers,
Ned Flanders,
Reverend Timothy Lovejoy,
Kent Brockman,
Dr. Julius Hibbert,
Dr. Marvin Monroe,
Lenny Leonard and Principal
Seymour Skinner, among others. He was one of three Simpsons
voice actors to
guest star on the show
Friends ("
The One With the Fake Monica"); the other two were
Dan Castellaneta and
Hank Azaria. He also appeared in
Godzilla with Hank Azaria.
Since 1983 Shearer has been the host of the public radio comedy/music program
Le Show on
Santa Monica NPR affiliated radio station
KCRW. The show is podcast and airs on public radio stations throughout the country. He is the regular
announcer for
TV Land and since May 2005 has been a contributing blogger at
The Huffington Post. Shearer has homes in both
Santa Monica, California and the
French Quarter of
New Orleans, Louisiana. According to a telephone call on
Ask Mr. KABC, his house survived
Hurricane Katrina and he is alive and well.
Since 1993, Shearer has been married to
singer-songwriter Judith Owen.
Harry Shearer is currently recording for a
BBC Radio 4 sitcom with
Brian Hayes called
Not Today, Thank You. He plays a character named Nostrils, a man so ugly he can't stand to be in his own presence. He resides in washed up radio presenter
Brian Hughes' (played by
Hayes) garage (in the house belonging to his grandmother), sometimes appearing in other rooms of the house.
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
*Not Today, Thank You (2006) (Radio)
For Your Consideration (2006)
*Chicken Little (2005)
*A Mighty Wind (2003)
*Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002)
*Haunted Castle (2001)
*Out There (2001)
*Haiku Tunnel (2001)
*Catching Up with Marty DiBergi (2000) (V)
*Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big (2000)
*Dick (1999)
*Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
*Encounter in the Third Dimension (1999)
*Edtv (1999)
*Small Soldiers (1998) (voice)
*The Truman Show (1998)
*Almost Heroes (1998)
*Godzilla (1998)
*My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
*State of the Union: Undressed (1996) (TV)
*Blazing Dragons (1996) (VG)
*The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show (1995) (TV)
*Sliders (1995) (TV) (uncredited)
*The News Hole (1995) TV Series
*Speechless (1994)
*Little Giants (1994)
*I'll Do Anything (1994)
*Wayne's World 2 (1993)
*Comic Relief: Baseball Relief '93 (1993) (TV)
*A League of Their Own (1992)
*Spinal Tap: Break Like the Wind - The Videos (1992) (V) (as Derek Smalls)
*The Fisher King (1991)
*Blood and Concrete (1991)
*Pure Luck (1991)
*Oscar (1991/I)
*Sunday Best (1991) TV Series
*Hometown Boy Makes Good (1990) (TV)
*The Simpsons (1989 - present)
*My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)
*Plain Clothes (1988)
*Portrait of a White Marriage (1988)
*Spaceballs (1987) (uncredited)
*Spitting Image: The Ronnie and Nancy Show (1987) (TV)
*Flicks (1987) (voice) *The History of White People in America: Volume II (1986) (TV)
*Spitting Image: Down and Out in the White House (1986) (TV)
*Viva Shaf Vegas (1986) (TV)
*The History of White People in America (1985) (TV)
*This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
*The Right Stuff (1983)
*Million Dollar Infield (1982) (TV)
*Likely Stories, Vol. 1 (1981) TV Series
*One Trick Pony (1980)
*Loose Shoes (1980)
*Animalympics (1980)
*Saturday Night Live (1979-1980, 1984-1985)
*The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979)
*The T.V. Show (1979) (TV)
*Real Life (1979)
*Cracking Up (1977)
*American Raspberry (1977)
*Serpico: The Deadly Game (1976) (TV)
*The Jack Benny Program (1955) (guest voice) TV Series - Harry Beaver
*The Jack Benny Program (1953) (guest voice) TV Series - Jack as a Child
*The Robe (1953) (uncredited)
*Abbott and Costello Go to Mars'' (1953) (uncredited)
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Harry Shearer's official site*
Harry Shearer's blog at the Huffington Post*
Harry Shearer at
Voice Chasers*
Dan Castellaneta and Harry Shearer doing their Simpsons voices on Conan O'Brien
