Overview of The Simpsons Cast
- The iconic animated sitcom follows the misadventures of the Simpson family, composed of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie, along with the sprawling cast of characters who live in the fictional town of Springfield.
- Seven principal actors have supplied most of the show’s best-known voices since its early years: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Pamela Hayden, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer.
- Several major characters have received new voices in recent seasons. Alex Désert now plays Carl Carlson and Officer Lou, Kevin Michael Richardson voices Dr. Hibbert and Judge Snyder, Kelly Macleod has succeeded Pamela Hayden as Milhouse and Mo Collins now voices Jimbo Jones.
The Simpsons is the longest-running scripted primetime series in television history, and the loveably dysfunctional family unit at its center — Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson — have become pop culture icons in their own right.
Created by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon, the Simpsons family first appeared in animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 before being greenlit to its own half-hour program on the FOX network.
Part of the show’s draw is its topical focus on current world and pop culture events and its clever satire of politics, religion, celebrities, family live, television culture, technology and everything in between, but its legendary voice cast has been one of the keys to its longevity. We can almost hear Homer’s classic “D’oh!” just thinking about this show.
Wonder who voices who on The Simpsons, and which Simpsons characters have changed voice actors over the years? Here’s our guide to the full cast of The Simpsons and the characters they play.
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Full Cast & Characters of ‘The Simpsons’
Here’s an overview of the full cast and characters on The Simpsons.
The Simpson Family
The five members of the Simpson household are the core of the show, and their voices are performed primarily by four actors, with the exception of baby Maggie Simpson, who has almost no spoken lines.
Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson
Known For: The Simpsons, Futurama, The Return of Jafar, Hey Arnold!
Homer Simpson is the frantic, impulsive and frequently overwhelmed father at the center of the show. He loves beer, doughnuts and avoiding unnecessary work, but beneath his many flaws lies a genuine devotion to his family.
Dan Castellaneta gave Homer his iconic voice and trademark “D’oh!” The latter eventually became famous enough to enter major English dictionaries as an exclamation to express frustration or recognize and immediately acknowledge a mistake. Castellaneta has performed the character since his inception in the 80s.
Castellaneta is also one of Springfield’s busiest performers. Besides Homer Simpson, he also voices numerous other characters, including Grampa Abe Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Mayor Quimby, Groundskeeper Willie, Sideshow Mel, Itchy, Arnie Pye, Hans Moleman and Santa’s Little Helper.
Castellaneta has won multiple Emmy Awards for his work on the series, which includes another Matt Groening brainchild show, Futurama, where he played the Robot Devil.
Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson
Known For: Rhoda, Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days
Julie Kavner is the source of Marge Simpson’s unmistakable raspy delivery, providing the Simpson family matriarch with a voice that can sound patient, exhausted, disapproving or unexpectedly mischievous at any given moment.
Kavner also voices Marge’s chain-smoking sisters, Patty and Selma Bouvier, along with their mother, Jacqueline. Although the characters share a family resemblance, Kavner gives each a distinct rhythm and personality.
Before stepping into the role of one of the most beloved cartoon moms in TV history, Kavner was already an established performer. She won an Emmy in 1978 for playing Brenda Morgenstern on Rhoda and appeared in several Woody Allen films, including Hannah and Her Sisters and Radio Days.
Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson
Known For: The Simpsons, Rugrats, Kim Possible
Bart Simpson may be television’s most famous ten-year-old troublemaker, but he has always been voiced by Nancy Cartwright, one of the most famous cartoon voice actors to ever grace the recording booth.
Cartwright originally intended to audition for Bart’s sister, Lisa, but after reading the character descriptions, she asked to try Bart instead and was offered the role. She has delivered his best-known catchphrases, including “Eat my shorts” and “Ay, caramba!” since the earliest days of the show.
Voicing Bart is the most famous of Cartwright’s Simpsons duties, but she also voices Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, Kearney Zzyzwicz and Database, among other characters.
If you watched cartoons at any point from 1990s onward, you almost certainly encountered one of Cartwright’s characters, and she famously succeeded Christine Cavanaugh as the voice of Chuckie Finster on Rugrats and voiced Rufus on Disney’s Kim Possible.
Yeardly Smith as Lisa Simpson
Known For: City Slickers, Herman’s Head, As Good as It Gets
If Bart is the troublemaker in chief of the Simpsons family, Lisa Simpson is the polar opposite. She’s an eight-year-old saxophone virtuoso, vegetarian, environmentalist and high-achieving student who frequently finds herself out of step with the rest of the chaotic rabble that calls Springfield home.
Unlike most of the principal cast, Yeardley Smith is associated almost exclusively with one regular Simpsons character. Her distinctive natural voice became inseparable from Lisa soon after the series began. She won an Emmy in 1992 for “Lisa the Greek.”
Various Actors as Maggie Simpson
Maggie Simpson, who has been a perpetual infant throughout the show’s run, usually communicates through facial expressions, physical comedy and the rhythmic sucking of her pacifier, but she rarely speaks and does not have a permanent voice actor.
Her occasional dialogue has nevertheless attracted some celebrated performers. Elizabeth Taylor delivered Maggie’s first word — “Daddy” — in the 1992 episode “Lisa’s First Word,” while James Earl Jones (of Mufasa fame) supplied her booming voice in a Treehouse of Horror segment. Jodie Foster voiced an older Maggie in a future-set episode, and Nancy Cartwright and other members of the regular cast have also supplied occasional sounds and vocalizations.
Maggie’s silence remains one of the series’ longest-running jokes, although the show has broken it whenever a story finds the right punch line.
Other Springfield Residents on ‘The Simpsons’
Two actors, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer, currently provide the voices for the lion’s share of the rest of the most well-known characters on The Simpsons.
Hank Azaria as Moe, Chief Wiggum and Comic Book Guy and More
Known For: Mad About You, The Birdcage, Brockmire
Hank Azaria is one of the show’s most versatile performers. His current characters include Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Professor Frink, Snake Jailbird, Cletus Spuckler, Superintendent Chalmers, Duffman, Disco Stu and Bumblebee Man. His work on the show has earned him multiple Emmy Awards.
Azaria was also at the center of one of the show’s most famous controversies when stopped voicing Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in 2020 after reconsidering the implications of being a white actor performing an Indian American character after a long-simmering public backlash against the casting. Many of the characters that he and Harry Shearer historically provided the voices for were recast in the aftermath. Apu has not yet been recast, though he has occasionally appeared on the show, without lines, since Shearer’s decision.
Harry Shearer as Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers and Ned Flanders
Known For: This Is Spinal Tap, Saturday Night Live, A Mighty Wind
It’s hard to find a trio of characters on The Simpsons who have become nearly as iconic as the Simpson family members themselves than Mr. Burns, Smithers and Ned Flanders, and Harry Shearer voices all three.
Mr. Burns is the morally questionable, filthy rich owner of Springfield’s nuclear power plant, where Homer and much of Springfield’s population works, and Smithers is his devoted assistant. Ned Flanders is Homer’s almost-to-cheery next-door neighbor, known for his infectious catchphrases, including “Okily-dokily! and “Howdily-doodily, neighborino!”
Shearer has also voiced Principal Seymour Skinner, Judge Snyder news anchor Kent Brockman, Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Marvin Monroe, Lenny Leonard, Scratchy and Otto Mann. His vast roster means Shearer often performs complete conversations between his own characters, especially Burns and Smithers.
Kelly Macleod as Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse is Bart’s anxious, socially awkward, blue-haired best friend and a staple cast member on the show. Kelly Macleod took on the character after his long-time voice actor, Pamela Hayden retired.
Hayden is one of the show’s longest-tenured cast members, and also played Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Janey Powell, Ethan Foley, Patches and other characters during her time with the show.
Tress Macneille as Agnes Skinner, Crazy Cat Lady, Janey Powell and others
Tress MacNeille is one of the most prolific performers in television animation. Her Springfield characters include Agnes Skinner, Lindsey Naegle, Cookie Kwan, Dolph Starbeam and the Crazy Cat Lady, among many others.
Maggie Roswell as Maude Flanders, Miss Hoover, Helen Lovejoy
Maggie Roswell originated several familiar Springfield residents, including town gossip Helen Lovejoy, Lisa’s teacher Miss Hoover, Ned Flanders’ wife, Maude, and Princess Kashmir.
Roswell left the show in 1999, and her character Maude was killed off in the 2000 episode “Alone Again, Natura-Diddly.” She returned in 2002 and continues to voice Helen, Miss Hoover, and occasionally Maude in flashbacks, dreams or scenes set in the afterlife.
Kevin Michael Richardson as Dr. Hibbert
Known For: Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Static Shock
Kevin Michael Richardson took over the role of Dr. Hibbert in 2021 after the producers announced that white actors would no longer voice non white characters.
Richardson was already a regular presence on The Simpsons, performing numerous guest and supporting characters before inheriting Hibbert and other characters, including Judge Snyder, from Harry Shearer. His exceptionally deep voice has made him one of animation’s most recognizable performers.
His other credits include Principal Lewis on American Dad!, Cleveland Brown Jr. on The Cleveland Show, Trigon on Teen Titans and the Joker on The Batman.
Alex Désert as Carl Carlson and Officer Lou
Known For: The Flash, Swingers, Becker
Alex Désert began voicing Carl Carlson, one of Homer’s coworkers at the nuclear plant and Lenny Leonard’s best friend, in the 2020 episode “Undercover Burns,” succeeding Hank Azaria as part of the show’s effort to cast non white characters more appropriately.
Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob
Kelsey Grammer has played Sideshow Bob, the genius criminal mastermind who despises Bart Simpson for foiling his plot to frame Krusty the Clown for robbery and sending him to jail. He repeatedly attempts to murder Bart in one of the show’s most famous and long-running recurring jokes. He’s also one of the most recognized characters on the show due to his iconic spiky red hairdo.
Mo Collins as Jimbo Jones
Known For: MADtv, Parks and Recreation, Fear the Walking Dead
Mo Collins now voices Jimbo Jones, the resident skull-shirted bully of Springfield Elementary with a very distinctive laugh. Like Milhouse, Jimbo was previously played by Pamela Hayden before her retirement.
Collins has an extensive animation background, including appearances on King of the Hill, Family Guy, American Dad! and Invader Zim.
Grey DeLisle as Martin Prince, Sherri & Terri
Grey DeLisle currently voices Martin and identical twins Sherri and Terri on The Simpsons. She took on the roles following the death of the character’s original voice actor, Russi Taylor, in 2019.
Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony
Joe Mantegna plays Fat Tony, Springfield’s resident mob boss. He has played the role in a recurring capacity since 1991.
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