What The Cast Of The Simpsons Looks Like In Real Life

"The Simpsons" has been a part of popular culture since the family debuted on "The Tracey Ullman Show" in 1987. After getting their own series, "The Simpsons" became a phenomenon, and after more than 780 episodes, it's still going strong. Throughout its long run on television, "The Simpsons" has featured hundreds of actors, all providing their unique voices to the series' many characters.

For the most part, the principal voice cast, which consists of the family and the people they interact with the most, has remained unchanged. Of course, not every "Simpsons" character sticks around; some have mysteriously disappeared over the years. Some actors from "The Simpsons" have passed away, while others chose to retire or were fired for a variety of reasons.

Still, it's exceptionally rare for a cast to stick around for as long as "The Simpsons,'" which features many talented and funny people. As the series continues into its 37th season and beyond, the cast may change, but for the ones who remain, they continue a fantastically funny legacy. Here's what the main cast of "The Simpsons" looks like in real life as of January 2025.

Dan Castellaneta was working on "The Tracey Ullman Show" when he was tapped to voice Homer Simpson in an animated short. He was already well known for his voiceover work, and he took to Homer rather easily, though his voice has changed over the years. Castellaneta had some difficulty nailing down Homer's emotions, but in the end, he figured out his character and provided the voice for over 35 years.

Like most actors on "The Simpsons," Castellaneta hasn't done just one character and called it a day. He also provides the voices for Barney Gumble, Abraham "Grandpa" Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Hans Moleman, Groundskeeper Willie, and a few others. Still, his work as Homer made Castellaneta a star, and he fully embraced his role as his primary work.

Castellaneta started out in front of the camera, and he never stopped making on-camera appearances. He's popped up in "The Office," "Parks and Recreation," Desperate Housewives," and a slew of other popular TV series over the years. He even appeared in "Stargate: SG1" after years of in-universe Homer references. Still, "The Simpsons" is Castellaneta's bread and butter, and it's probably what he's best known for — even if his adoring fans don't always know what he looks like.

Julie Kavner was working alongside Dan Castellaneta on "The Tracey Ullman Show" when she joined him in the recording booth to voice Marge Simpson. She and Castellaneta were tapped for the task to save money, which worked out for Kavner. Her unique voice has somewhat limited her performances to Marge and her relatives, including Gladys, Patty, Selma, and Jacqueline Bouvier.

Of course, limiting oneself to a unique voice is a great way to stay employed, and it's worked out for Kavner and company. Kavner got her start on television and never stopped appearing in live-action. She's also worked on the silver screen, having appeared in "Forget Paris," "I'll Do Anything," Adam Sandler's 2006 film "Click" and many others. Of course, having spent the majority of her career giving voices to animated characters, Kavner has branched out to voice work outside "The Simpsons."

Among her many credits unrelated to "The Simpsons," Kavner voiced Ma in "The Lion King 1 ½," Pigeon in "Dr. Doolittle," and more. Kavner is probably a bit more recognizable to fans, not because of her appearance but because of her voice. Her normal speaking voice is similar to Marge's, making it obvious who she is even if you've never seen her in live-action.

It may shock some readers, but Bart Simpson is voiced by a woman: Nancy Cartwright. It makes sense to cast a woman for a prepubescent young boy because their voices change in their teenage years. Cartwright has been able to bring the same vocal talent and an unwavering voice to "The Simpsons'" most famously infamous little ruffian for nearly 40 years. She was also the voice of Chuckie Finster in "Rugrats," as well as the doomed shoe in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

Over the years, Cartwright has provided additional characters on "The Simpsons," including Maggie, though many actors have voiced the youngest Simpson. Her other characters include Nelson, Ralph, Kearney, Martin, Todd, and many others. Cartwright initially wanted to audition for Lisa Simpson but changed her mind upon reading the character's description.

She refocused her attention on Bart and landed the gig on "The Tracey Ullman Show." While Bart's voice has changed somewhat over the years, it hasn't strayed much from Cartwright's initial take on the character. She's added many nuances to evolve the character's voice over the years. Her natural speaking voice is dissimilar enough from Bart's that you'd probably not make the connection upon meeting her, and fortunately, she looks nothing like her character.

Yeardley Smith started her acting career in small roles in movies and TV series throughout the 1980s, and in 1987, she joined the cast of "The Simpsons" shorts on "The Tracey Ullman Show." She was initially asked to audition for Bart, but her voice came across as too high to play a boy. Fortunately, Lisa still needed to be cast, so Smith was tapped for the role, and she's played it ever since.

Smith is an unusual cast member in that she's voiced primarily only one character: Lisa. Most voice actors branch out to fill out the cast of characters, but not Smith. Her voice is unique among her co-stars, and if you hear her speak normally, she sounds exactly like Lisa. Unlike most voice actors, Smith primarily speaks in her regular manner when voicing Lisa, with only minor adjustments in tone.

The other characters she tackled have been Maggie, Lisa Jr., Lisabella, and herself. In fact, because Smith's voice is so unique, her co-stars dread it when she's sick because they have a tough time approximating her voice. That's because her voice is nasal and placed far forward — it's her job security, since few people can even come close to imitating.

If there was ever a workhorse actor on "The Simpsons," it would be Hank Azaria. Of all the actors working on the show, Azaria's resume is stacked with the most characters of all. Primarily, Azaria is known for voicing Moe Szyslak, a voice he's evolved considerably over the years. Of course, that's only one of his many characters to feature his inimitable vocal talent on "The Simpsons," as the list is quite long.

Azaria voiced Apu before the character started to fade into the background in 2016, and he's also the voice of Chief Wiggum, Carl Carlson, Comic Book Guy, Superintendent Chalmers, Dr. Nick Riviera, Kirk Van Houten, Snake Jailbird, and so many more. Azaria may be the hardest-working actor on "The Simpsons," given his many character responsibilities, but he doesn't limit his career to standing behind a microphone.

Azaria's career began on the small screen before making the leap to films, and he's been in a bunch. Among his many credits are roles in "Pretty Woman," "Heat," and "The Birdcage." Unlike some of his colleagues, Azaria continues to work both in front of and behind the camera, having recently appeared in 10 episodes of "Hello Tomorrow!" and 32 episodes of "Brockmire."

Pamela Hayden got her career started on television in the 1970s, playing characters in both live-action and animation. She wasn't involved in "The Simpsons" before the series launched in 1989 but has been a mainstay performer ever since. Her most notable character is Milhouse Van Houten, Bart's best friend, but he's not the only character Hayden has played. She's also the voice of Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Dolph Starbeam, Mona Simpson, and others.

Unfortunately for her fans, Hayden announced she was retiring from the series after 35 years. Her announcement came in November 2024, shocking many, as she's one of the first major players to voluntarily depart from "The Simpsons." Upon making her announcement, Hayden spoke with Variety about her time working on the show and why she decided to leave, saying, "How many actors can say they've worked on a show for 35 years straight? That alone is amazing. But it was time for me to devote my time to other creative endeavors that I have, like filmmaking. It was a tough decision, but I feel like it was the right one." The series' producers knew of her decision in advance and planned accordingly, so it's unlikely Hayden's characters will depart when she does.

While most voice actors on "The Simpsons" came from on-camera work, that's not necessarily true of Tress MacNeille. She's a professional voice actor and has been for decades, before and throughout her time on "The Simpsons." MacNeille has voiced dozens of characters on a variety of TV shows and films, having played several on "Rugrats," "Animaniacs," "Futurama," and more. For "The Simpsons," MacNeille primarily voices background characters.

Her most prominent role on the show is probably Agnes Skinner, but she's given voice to many more. Some of the other characters MacNeille has played on "The Simpsons" include Lunchlady Doris, Crazy Cat Lady, Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, and others. She's even done some celebrity imitations on the show, including one for Jennifer Aniston and another for Rosie O'Donnell.

In many ways, MacNeille fills out much of the background cast on her shows, including "The Simpsons." This gives her a wide area to work with, as she's voiced all manner of characters over the years. That said, she's provided leading character voices outside "The Simpsons" for years, having worked as Chip in "Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers," Baby in "Tiny Toon Adventures," Mom in "Futurama," and Daisy Duck in a variety of Disney programs.

Before joining  "The Simpsons" in 1989, Maggie Roswell built up an extensive career on the small and silver screens, appearing in films like "Pretty in Pink" and shows like "M*A*S*H," "Mork & Mindy," and "Happy Days." She landed the roles of several background characters on "The Simpsons" and was made a regular cast member with the introduction of Maude Flanders in Season 2.

Famously, Roswell was fired from "The Simpsons" over a contractual pay dispute. She had to fly from her home in Denver to Los Angeles twice each week to work on the show, and she wanted compensation to cover this. Instead, "The Simpsons" killed Maude off in a ridiculous way, eliminating Roswell from the show in 1999. She finally returned in 2002 after coming to an agreement with the producers.

By that point, Maude was dead and buried and has since only appeared in flashbacks or as a ghost. That doesn't limit Roswell's work, as she voices numerous other characters. Some of her most well-known are Elizabeth Hoover, Helen Lovejoy, Luann Van Houten, and Martha Quinby, though there are over a dozen. Outside her work in "The Simpsons," Roswell has voiced characters in "Animaniacs," "Darkwing Duck," "TaleSpin," and many other animated series.

Long before Harry Shearer stepped in front of a microphone to voice characters on "The Simpsons," he worked as a writer and cast member on "Saturday Night Live." Shearer didn't love the experience and didn't remain on the show for very long, opting to leave instead of renewing his contract. Outside of "SNL," Shearer appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies, most notably playing Derek Smalls in "This Is Spinal Tap," a role he's reprising in the long-awaited sequel.

"The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening personally hired Shearer, as he was a fan of his work, and while he initially balked at the idea of doing voiceovers, he accepted. Shearer went on to voice a number of important characters, including Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Principal Skinner, Kent Brockman, Otto Man, and several others, making him a vital member of the cast.

Shearer picked up additional voice acting work outside of "The Simpsons," but that's where he's remained for most of his career. He still makes live-action appearances, having recently popped up in "The Salon," "Father Figure," and "Love & Taxes," to name a few. Evidently, there's only one "Simpsons" character Shearer hated voicing, and that's the now-deceased Dr. Marvin Monroe, one of few characters to be hit with permadeath on the show.

Kevin Michael Richardson's voice helped him land numerous gigs in video games, TV shows, and films throughout his career. He's also worked as an on-screen actor, appearing in everything from "Dream On" in the 1990s to "Better Things" in 2022. Still, for all of his work, Richardson specialized primarily in voice acting, and he has a ton of credits to his name.

In addition to "The Simpsons," Richardson is known for voicing Goro in the 1995 live-action "Mortal Kombat" movie, Captain Gantu in "Lilo & Stitch," the Joker in "The Batman vs. Dracula," and Jabba the Hutt in "LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy." He has hundreds of voice acting credits on his resume, and for "The Simpsons," he's probably best known for voicing the always amiable Dr. Hibbert — but he's only one of his many characters.

In addition to the good doctor, Richardson also voices a variety of African-American characters and one African, the Nigerian King. Richardson's deep voice is typically easy to recognize, but he's exceptionally talented at adjusting his normal manner of speaking to a variety of characters. You'd probably recognize him more for playing Captain Gantu than you might pick up his Cleveland Jr. from "The Cleveland Show" or Dr. Hibbert.

Alex Désert is a relatively new addition to the cast of "The Simpsons," having joined in 2020. He took over the voice acting work for Carl Carlson and Lou, both of whom were previously voiced by Hank Azaria. The reason for this replacement was a choice made by the producers to no longer have actors of one race voice characters of another, which is also why Azaria stopped voicing Apu in the show.

Because of this, Désert has only voiced those two characters in just over 60 episodes, but that number will likely continue to rise as the series progresses. Still, despite the actor swap, Désert does an amazing job of approximating Azaria's voice for Carl and Lou, making it difficult to tell that a different actor is voicing the characters. Still, if you pay close attention, you can detect the nuances Désert brings to the recording booth to make the characters his own.

Outside of his work in "The Simpsons," Désert has primarily provides the voices for African-American characters, including several adaptations of Nick Fury. For his on-camera work, you might recognize Désert in "Fire Country," "Chicago Fire," and "Shameless." Most of his acting gigs consist of single-episode cameo roles, as he works mostly as a voice actor for a variety of programs and video games.

Unlike most of the semi-regular voice actors working in "The Simpsons," Joe Mantegna is probably better known for his work on the stage and screen. He won a Tony Award in 1984 for his work in "Glengarry Glen Ross" on Broadway and has appeared in numerous other high-profile projects. Some of these include "Three Amigos," "Forget Paris" alongside Julie Kavner, and "The Godfather Part III," where he played Joey Zasa.

Like Yeardley Smith, Mantegna only ever voiced one character on "The Simpsons." He brought his vocal talents to Fat Tony, one of the few characters the show killed off over the years. That limited Mantegna's work with the series, and while Fat Tony only had a handful of appearances through "The Simpsons'" run, Mantegna showed up for several dozen episodes. Fat Tony was replaced by Fit-Fat Tony, who is now known as Fat Tony II, and Mantegna continues to voice the character. When he wasn't voicing Fat or Fit Tony, Mantegna provided the voice for Grem in "Cars 2" and its tie-in video game, Jimmy Blamhammer in "Kim Possible," and Derek Man in "Frasier." Still, despite all his voiceover work, these days, Mantegna is probably best known for playing David Rossi in "Criminal Minds."

When Kelsey Grammer joined the cast of "The Simpsons" to play Sideshow Bob in the first season, he was already a highly celebrated actor for playing Dr. Frasier Crane in over 200 episodes of "Cheers." The success of that series launched one of the most successful spin-offs of all time, "Frasier," which ran for nearly a decade. It recently had two revival seasons but was canceled in early 2025.

Still, Grammer brought a lot of gravitas to the role of Sideshow Bob, and he delightfully chews every bit of scenery he's in. Bob has only appeared in a couple dozen episodes, some of which are "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween specials. Because of this, he's not exactly a regular cast member, but his impact on "The Simpsons" lore and the entire structure of the series over its many seasons is undeniable.

Grammer did so well as Bob they brought in "Frasier" co-star David Hyde Pierce to voice his brother, Cecil, and it was a perfect fit for the two on-screen siblings. Grammer has lent his unique vocal talents to a few characters over the years, including Martin the GEICO Gecko, Stinky Pete in "Toy Story 2," Hunter in "Storks," and many more. In live-action, outside of "Frasier," he's kept himself busy as an executive producer on shows like "Girlfriends," "The Game," and "Christina Milian Turned Up."