Dan Castellaneta

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Dan Castellaneta
Birth name Daniel Louis Castellaneta
Born October 29, 1957(age 49)
Chicago, Illinois
Notable roles Homer Simpson on
The Simpsons
(1989-present)

Daniel Louis Castellaneta (born October 29, 1957) is an American voice actor best known for providing the voice of Homer Simpson and other characters on the animated series The Simpsons.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Background

Born in Chicago, Castellaneta was educated at the Oak Park and River Forest High School and Northern Illinois University. While at Oak Park and River Forest High School, he played on the baseball team. Years later Assistant Coach Dick Trout would recall, "Dan was funny but he threw like a girl." After graduation, he went on to work at Chicago's Second City, which he later recalled on Inside the Actors Studio as "a place that, if you're not funny going in, will train you on how to be funny when going out."

He is married to writer Deb Lacusta. He lives in Los Angeles where he occasionally performs alongside a branch of The Second City.

[edit] Homer Simpson and additional voice roles

On The Simpsons, Castellaneta provides the voices for Homer Simpson (he has to tilt his chin into his neck to do Homer's voice correctly [1]), Abraham "Grandpa" Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Joe Quimby, Hans Moleman, Sideshow Mel, Itchy, Kodos, Arnie Pie, Scott Christian and other characters. Along with Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer, he is a dominant voice on the series. For his work on the series, he won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance. He has also written a few episodes with his wife.

He appeared as himself on the Simpsons episodes "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife" ("Why look folks, it's Dan Castellaneta, from The Tracey Ullman Show.") and "I Am Furious Yellow". Even though he is not credited in the latter episode, his distinctive normal speaking voice can be recognized.

Castellaneta guest starred in an episode of the US legal drama LA Law, in which - employed as a walking, talking Homer Simpson character at a California theme park - he is dismissed for inappropriate (or perhaps all too appropriate) behavior while in costume. (The episode was LA Lawless in 1992.)

He also played Grandpa on Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!, Doctor Emmett L. Brown in the animated series Back to the Future, the Things in Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat and Robot Devil in Futurama. In 1999 he played the comedic Nordom the anti-Modron in the computer game Planescape: Torment.

Castellaneta voiced the lead character in the animated series Earthworm Jim and narrated the movie Super Mario Bros. In 2005, he appeared on Arrested Development as a deadpan incompetent doctor who misdiagnosed Jason Bateman's character (and left tools inside him after surgery, causing him to exclaim "D'oh!") and in the movie The War of the Roses he seeks a divorce at the beginning of the movie. He also appeared in episodes of Frasier, Friends, Married... with Children, Yes, Dear, Reba, Everybody Loves Raymond, ALF, That '70s Show,and Stargate SG-1.

On February 22, 2000, his first music CD Two Lips was published. It was followed on April 23, 2002 by his first comedy CD, I Am Not Homer, in which he and his wife perform several comedy skits. (For example, on the first track, "AM Therapy", his wife plays a radio-show psychotherapist and he plays several characters who call in for help.) Both CDs were published by Oglio Records. I Am Not Homer is a parody of Leonard Nimoy's first autobiography, I Am Not Spock. Dan is shown doing the Vulcan Salute on the cover with an image of Homer's face between his fingers.

Castellaneta portrayed Aaron Spelling in the 2004 NBC film Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels, which followed the true story of how Spelling created the show.

Castelleneta was also the voice of Megavolt on Darkwing Duck and the Genie in the Aladdin sequel Return of Jafar and on the Aladdin TV series.

In the early 1980s, Castellaneta briefly appeared as Detective Farblonget, an absent-minded private investigator, on the local Chicago Jewish children's show, Beyond the Magic Door

Castellaneta guest starred as Joe Spencer in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Citizen Joe". This was a humorous indirect connection between The Simpsons and Stargate, as Castellaneta voices Homer and The Simpsons is Jack O'Neill's (Stargate's main character) favorite TV show. Homer is apparently very important to Jack (in "Beneath the Surface" O'Neill's memory is erased but he still remembers a bald man and it turns out to be Homer, not Jack's commanding officer). The connection is deepened further by the fact that Castellaneta, along with his wife, wrote the Simpsons episode "Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore", which guest-starred Richard Dean Anderson, the actor who plays O'Neill on SG-1.

Castellaneta cameoed on a third season episode of Veronica Mars as a sociology professor, conducting an experiment on Logan and Wallace. Rider Strong also guest starred.

Castellaneta has a role in the Will Smith drama The Pursuit of Happyness, in which he asks Will Smith for a donut.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Films

[edit] Television

[edit] Other

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/27/1046064146568.html

[edit] External links

The Simpsons writers
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Current writers
J. Stewart Burns • Dan Castellaneta • Daniel Chun • Joel H. Cohen • Kevin Curran • John Frink • Dana Gould • Dan Greaney • Ron Hauge • Al Jean • Deb Lacusta • Tim Long • Ian Maxtone-Graham • George Meyer • David Mirkin • Carolyn Omine • Don Payne • Michael Price • Mike Reiss • Mike Scully • Matt Selman • Matt Warburton • Jeff Westbrook • Marc Wilmore
Former recurring writers
Richard Appel • Donick Cary • David X. Cohen • Jonathan Collier • Jennifer Crittenden • Greg Daniels • Larry Doyle • Brent Forrester • Matt Groening • Ken Keeler • Brian Kelley • Jay Kogen • Jeff Martin • Tom Martin • Dan McGrath • Frank Mula • Bill Oakley • Conan O'Brien • Bill Odenkirk • Jace Richdale • David Sacks • Brian Scully • Sam Simon • David M. Stern • John Swartzwelder • Steve Tompkins • Jon Vitti • Josh Weinstein • Wallace Wolodarsky
One or two-time writers
Bob Bendetson • Michael Carrington • Robert Cohen • Spike Feresten • Ricky Gervais • Ned Goldreyer • Andrew Kreisberg • Bob Kushell • Rob LaZebnik • Ken Levine • Josh Lieb • Jane O'Brien • Steve O'Donnell • Rachel Pulido • David Richardson • Nell Scovell • Dennis Snee • Joshua Sternin • Julie Thacker • Jeffrey Ventimilia • Patric Verrone • Steve Young
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