It is actually kind of wild when you think about it. Most TV shows are lucky to survive five years before the actors get bored or the budget explodes. Yet, here we are, decades later, and the cast of the Simpsons characters is still recording lines in a studio, bringing the same yellow citizens of Springfield to life. Honestly, the endurance of this group is less of a Hollywood career and more of a marathon that never ends.
Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer. Those are the big six. If you grew up with a television, those names are probably burned into your brain from the closing credits. But the sheer volume of work they do behind the microphone is something most people don't fully grasp. We're talking about a handful of people voicing hundreds of distinct personalities.
The Vocal Gymnastics of Dan Castellaneta
Homer Simpson is the obvious one. He's the glue. But Dan Castellaneta isn't just the guy saying "D'oh!" over and over. He is also Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Groundskeeper Willie, and Mayor Quimby. Imagine the throat strain. In the early seasons, Homer's voice was actually a lot lower, sort of a loose Walter Matthau impression. Castellaneta eventually shifted it higher because it allowed for more emotional range—and because screaming "Marge!" in a gravelly bass is apparently a great way to lose your voice by noon.
It’s not just about the pitch. It’s the breath. When Barney Gumble lets out a massive, phlegmy belch, that is a conscious vocal choice. When Krusty’s raspy laugh breaks into a coughing fit, that is a performance. Castellaneta often has to record dialogue where he is literally talking to himself as three different characters in the same scene. While the editors piece it together later, the actor has to maintain the distinct rhythm of each persona without them bleeding into one another. It's a mental juggle that most actors would find exhausting.
The Mystery of the Marge Voice
Julie Kavner is a bit of an enigma in the industry. She rarely does interviews. She doesn't really do the "convention circuit." She just shows up and delivers the most recognizable gravelly voice in animation history. There is a long-standing bit of trivia that Kavner’s voice is naturally raspy, which is true, but voicing Marge Simpson for thirty-plus years takes a specific kind of physical toll.
She also voices Marge’s sisters, Patty and Selma. If Marge is a "happy" rasp, the twins are the "chain-smoking cynicism" rasp. Kavner has famously requested that she record her Patty and Selma lines at the very end of a session so she doesn't blow out her vocal cords for the softer Marge dialogue. It's a tactical approach to acting.
The Oddity of Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith
Most people know by now that Bart Simpson is voiced by a woman. Nancy Cartwright is a legend for a reason. She didn't even audition for Bart initially; she went in for Lisa. But she found Lisa "a bit too vanilla" and asked to read for the bratty brother instead. Matt Groening reportedly gave her the job on the spot after hearing her "Eat my shorts" voice.
Cartwright’s range is arguably the most "cartoony" of the bunch. She handles Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, and Todd Flanders. Think about that spectrum. You have the aggressive, guttural bully Nelson and the airy, nasal, "I'm in danger" innocence of Ralph.
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Then you have Yeardley Smith.
She is the only member of the main cast of the Simpsons characters who primarily voices just one person: Lisa Simpson. Smith has often joked about this in her own podcast, Small Town Dicks. While the others are switching hats every five minutes, Smith stays in the pocket of the eight-year-old Buddhist vegetarian. Her voice is the most "human" of the group, providing the moral compass that the show constantly tries to spin out of alignment.
The Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer Utility Players
If the show is a building, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer are the foundation, the walls, and the plumbing. They are the "utility" actors who populate the rest of the town.
Harry Shearer is the man behind:
- Mr. Burns
- Waylon Smithers
- Principal Skinner
- Ned Flanders
- Reverend Lovejoy
- Kent Brockman
Shearer has a background in satire (think This Is Spinal Tap), and you can hear that edge in his delivery. His Mr. Burns is a masterclass in "ancient evil." It’s thin, brittle, and sounds like it’s being squeezed out of a dying lung.
Hank Azaria, meanwhile, handles the more high-energy citizens. Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, and Cletus Spuckler. Azaria has often said that his voices are almost all "stolen" from real people. Moe is a bad Al Pacino impression. Chief Wiggum is Edward G. Robinson.
The Controversy and the Shift
We can't talk about the cast of the Simpsons characters without mentioning the major shifts in recent years. For decades, Azaria voiced Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Following the 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu by Hari Kondabolu, a massive conversation started about racial stereotyping in voice acting.
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Azaria eventually stepped down from the role, stating that he didn't want to be part of something that caused pain or reinforced stereotypes. This led to a wider policy change at The Simpsons: white actors would no longer voice non-white characters. This brought in new talent like Alex Désert (taking over for Lou and Carl) and Kevin Michael Richardson (as Dr. Hibbert). It was a seismic shift for a show that had stayed virtually identical for thirty years. It showed that even a cultural titan like Springfield isn't immune to the changing world outside.
Why Do They Make So Much Money?
It’s no secret the main cast makes a staggering amount of money. At their peak, they were pulling in $400,000 per episode. Currently, it sits around $300,000. People love to complain about "overpaid actors," but from a business perspective, the cast of the Simpsons characters is the most valuable asset Fox (and now Disney) owns.
If Dan Castellaneta quits, the show is over. You can’t "replace" Homer Simpson the way you replace a lead in a sitcom. The voice is the character. The actors know this, and the studio knows this. Every few years, there is a public contract dispute where the studio threatens to recast, but they never do. They can't. The fans would riot. The voices are part of our collective DNA at this point.
The Process: How a Table Read Actually Works
You might think they all stand in a room and act it out. Kinda. Usually, it starts with a table read on Thursdays. The writers, the cast, and the executives sit around a massive table and read the script aloud to see what's funny and what's a "clunker."
If a joke doesn't get a laugh, it’s cut on the spot.
Recording usually happens on Mondays. Most of the time, the actors are together, which is rare for modern animation. Being in the same room allows them to ad-lib and play off each other's energy. If Dan does something weird as Homer, Julie can react to it in real-time as Marge. That chemistry is why the dialogue feels snappy even when the animation is static.
The Evolution of the Springfield Sound
If you watch an episode from 1989 and then one from 2024, the voices sound different. They just do. Voices age. Julie Kavner’s Marge has become significantly more strained over the years. Some fans find it distracting; others see it as a natural evolution of a character who has been stressed out for three decades.
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Harry Shearer’s Mr. Burns has also softened. It’s less "menacing tyrant" and more "frail old man" now. It’s a fascinating case study in vocal aging. These actors have spent more time being these characters than they have being themselves in public.
The Supporting Stars and Guest Legends
Beyond the main six, the show has used a rotating door of legends. The late, great Phil Hartman (Troy McClure, Lionel Hutz) was arguably the "seventh" member of the main cast. His death in 1998 left a hole in the show that was never truly filled; the producers chose to retire his characters rather than recast them out of respect.
Then you have the guests. The Simpsons holds the world record for the most guest stars in a television series. From Michael Jackson (under a pseudonym) to Lady Gaga, everyone has been through Springfield. But the best guests are the ones who don't play themselves—like Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob. Grammer’s booming, operatic baritone turned a one-off sidekick into the show’s greatest recurring villain.
How to Appreciate the Craft
If you want to actually "hear" the skill involved in the cast of the Simpsons characters, try watching an episode and ignoring the visuals.
Listen to the timing.
Listen to the way Hank Azaria shifts the "nasal-ness" of his voice when he moves from Professor Frink to the Sea Captain.
It’s a masterclass in character acting.
Practical Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you are looking to understand the industry or just appreciate the show more, keep these points in mind:
- Vocal Protection is Real: These actors have survived this long because they know their limits. They don't do the "screaming" voices for four hours straight.
- Improv is the Secret Sauce: Many of the most iconic lines ("I, for one, welcome our new insect overloads") came from tweaks made during the recording process, not just the writers' room.
- Consistency is King: The reason the show feels like "home" to millions is because the vocal performances haven't fundamentally changed their "soul" in 35 years.
The cast of the Simpsons characters represents a unique moment in entertainment history. We will likely never see another group of actors stay with a single project for this long. It is a combination of financial success, creative freedom, and a bit of luck. When the show finally does end—if it ever does—it will be the end of the most significant vocal ensemble ever assembled.
Check out the "Behind the Scenes" features on the older DVD sets if you can find them. Seeing Nancy Cartwright slip into the Bart voice while standing in a grocery store line is a reminder that these characters aren't just drawings; they are living, breathing extensions of the people behind the mic.
To keep your Springfield knowledge sharp, pay attention to the credits in the newer seasons. You'll see new names appearing as the show continues to diversify its cast, ensuring that the next generation of Springfieldians sounds just as vibrant as the first.