The Simpsons Cast: Then Vs Now

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a look at the talented voices behind “The Simpsons” and what they’ve been up to since joining the show. Who’s your favorite “Simpsons” voice actor? Let us know in the comments.

Jon Lovitz

The “SNL” veteran made his first appearance on “The Simpsons” in the the second season episode “The Way We Was,” where he played Artie Ziff, a romantic rival of Homer. Lovitz was such a hit with the producers that they invited him back to play more eccentric characters, including theater director Llewellyn Sinclair and nuclear power plant owner Aristotle Amadopolis. Lovitz also worked with “Simpsons” showrunners Al Jean and Mike Reiss on the classic animated series “The Critic” where he played disgruntled movie critic Jay Sherman. The titular critic would appear in a crossover episode with “The Simpsons.” As of this video, Lovitz has appeared in 20 episodes.

Tress MacNeille

Even if you don’t recognize the name, you will no doubt recognize her voice if you watched 90’s cartoons like “Tiny Toon Adventures” and “Animaniacs.” MacNeille has been with “The Simpsons” since the first season, with her first appearance being “The Telltale Head.” She has done the voice of such shameless characters as Agnes Skinner and Lindsey Naegle. MacNeille has also lent her voice to other Matt Groening cartoons such as “Futurama” and “Disenchantment.” In addition to a ton of voice acting gigs from decades of work, she has also appeared on Weird Al tracks such as “Ricky” and “Pretty Fly for a Rabbi.”

Pamela Hayden

This actress has been with “The Simpsons” since the very first episode where she has played a slew of characters. However, she’s probably best known for playing Bart’s nerdy best friend, Milhouse. She also has voiced characters such as Lisa’s friend Janey, Ned Flanders’ son, Rod, and one of Bart’s most formidable rivals, Jimbo. Hayden has also done voice work for other TV shows such as “Hey Arnold!” and “Recess,” and she was the voice of Bianca the bunny in “Spyro: Year of the Dragon” and “Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly.”

Maggie Roswell

After appearing on an episode of “The Tracey Ullman Show,” Roswell joined the spinoff show in its first season. Among Roswell’s characters were Ned Flanders’ sweet wife Maude, Lisa’s cynical teacher Miss Hoover, and a Mary Poppins-inspired nanny named Shary Bobbins. In Season 10, Roswell left the show because producers refused to give her a requested pay increase which was supposed to compensate for flying from Denver to L.A. to record. Unfortunately, because of Roswell’s exit, poor Maude Flanders was killed off due to a T-shirt cannon mishap. A couple of years later, Roswell came back to voice Maude’s ghost in “Treehouse of Horror XIII,” and, in Season 14, she came back to join the cast full-time.

Harry Shearer

Even before joining “The Simpsons” cast, Shearer had already built up an impressive resume for comedy, having been an “SNL” alum and playing a member of Spinal Tap. The roles that Shearer has played on “The Simpsons” are too big to list, but they include Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, and of course, Homer’s ruthless boss, C. Montgomery Burns. However, as of 2020, Shearer no longer does the voice of Dr. Hibbert, who is now voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson because of sensitivity around casting white voice actors as people of color. This is something that Shearer has taken issue with, believing the point of the acting is for an actor quote “to play someone who they’re not.”

Hank Azaria

Azaria is the voice behind a good chunk of the residents of Springfield including Moe, Chief Wiggum, and the industrious store owner of the Kwik-E-Mart, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. However, controversy struck around 2018 because of a documentary that took issue with Azaria, a white man, voicing a character who is of Indian descent. Eventually, the show decided that all characters who weren’t white would be voiced by people of color. Besides working on “The Simpsons,” Azaria has enjoyed success starring in live-action TV shows such as “Huff” and “Brockmire,” and he was in the original cast of the Monty Python Broadway musical “Spamalot.”

Yeardley Smith

Now we’re getting to the members of the Simpson family. The voice of Lisa, Yeardley Smith has been with “The Simpsons” since the days of “The Tracey Ullman Show” where they started out as animated shorts. Since joining “The Simpsons,” Smith has been making occasional appearances on sitcoms such as “The Mindy Project” and “The Big Bang Theory.” She’s also been busy with side projects such as a one-woman show where she opened up on personal issues such as her struggle with bulimia and a true crime podcast called “Small Town Dicks.”

Nancy Cartwright

Many people are surprised to find out that the voice of Bart Simpson comes from this unassuming lady. Before joining “The Simpsons,” Cartwright lent her voice to several animated shows in the 80’s, including “Richie Rich” and “Snorks.” In addition to Bart, she has voiced other characters such as Nelson Muntz and Lisa’s dimwitted classmate, Ralph Wiggum, who could possibly be the funniest character on the show. She has also continued to do voice work on several shows, including playing Rufus the Naked Mole-Rat on “Kim Possible” and taking over the role of Chuckie Finster on “Rugrats” from Christine Cavanaugh.

Julie Kavner

Before playing Marge, Kavner played Rhoda’s sister on “The Mary Tyler Moore” spin-off “Rhoda” and later was a performer on “The Tracey Ullman Show.” Kavner also plays Marge’s bitter, sardonic sisters Patty and Selma, who have Kavner’s normal voice done a little gruffer. In real life, Julie Kavner is as quiet and reserved as Marge. Somewhat reclusive, she refuses to be photographed at work and rarely gives interviews. Speaking with the New York Times in 1992, she claims that she doesn’t let close friends see her house.

Dan Castellaneta

If there is a beating heart of “The Simpsons,” then it’s gotta be Dan Castellaneta. Like Julie Kavner, Castellaneta was on “The Tracey Ullman Show” where he first played Homer Simpson. Castellaneta originally based Homer’s voice on Walter Matthau, but after a few seasons, he changed it to the voice we hear today. Among the hilarious characters Castellaneta plays include Abe Simpson, Krusty the Clown, and Groundskeeper Willie. Castellaneta has done tons of voice acting work on other cartoons, including “Hey Arnold!” where he was Arnold’s Grandpa, and he’s also made several appearances on live-action TV shows over the years.