← Back to explore

Harry Shearer

Acting

Born December 23, 1943 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Also known as Harry Julius Shearer

Biography

Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, musician, radio host, writer, and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member of The Credibility Gap, a radio comedy group. Following the breakup of the group, Shearer co-wrote the film Real Life (1979) with Albert Brooks and worked as a writer on Martin Mull's television series Fernwood 2 Night. Shearer was a cast member on Saturday Night Live between 1979 and 1980, and 1984 and 1985. Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in the film This Is Spinal Tap (1984), a hit satirical rockumentary. In 1989, he joined the cast of the animated sitcom The Simpsons, providing voices for characters including Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Lenny Leonard, Kang, Principal Skinner, Kent Brockman, Otto Mann, Scratchy, and formerly Dr. Hibbert. Shearer has appeared in films including The Truman Show (1998) and A Mighty Wind (2003), and has directed two, Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002) and The Big Uneasy (2010). Since 1983, Shearer has been the host of the public radio comedy/music program Le Show, incorporating satire, music, and sketch comedy. He has written three books. Shearer has won a Primetime Emmy Award and has received several other Emmy and Grammy Award nominations. He has been married to singer-songwriter Judith Owen since 1993. He became an artist in residence at Loyola University, New Orleans in 2013. Description above from the Wikipedia article Harry Shearer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Character Voice-Over Performance · 2014

Filmography50+ titles

Joe Frank: Somewhere Out There

2019as Self

Have You Been Paying Attention?

2013as Panellist

Friends

1994as Dr. Baldharar

The Truman Show

1998as Mike Michaelson

Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost and Found

2005as Self

Animaniacs

1993as Ned Flat (voice)

The Simpsons

1989as Ned Flanders / Mr. Burns / Smithers / Skinner / Lenny (voice)

Would I Lie to You?

2007as Self

ER

1994as John Smythe

Metallica: A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica

1992as Derek Smalls

Dinosaurs

1991as Narrator (voice)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955as Street Kid

Jaws

1975as Crowd Voices (uncredited)

The Golden Girls

1985as George Bush (voice)

Miami Vice

1984as FBI Agent Timothy Anderson

This Is Spinal Tap

1984as Derek Smalls

The Right Stuff

1983as NASA Recruiter

Satan & Adam

2018as Self

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

1999as Voice of Scratchy (voice) (archive footage)

Dawson's Creek

1998as Principal Peskin

The Fisher King

1991as Sitcom Actor Ben Starr

Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled

2014as Self

The Graham Norton Show

2007as Self

A League of Their Own

1992as Newsreel Announcer

Laverne & Shirley

1976Writer

L.A. Law

1986as Gordon Huyck

The Last Laugh

2016as Self

The Simpsons Movie

2007as Scratchy / Mr. Burns / Rev. Lovejoy / Ned Flanders / Lenny / Skull / President Arnold Schwarzenegger / Kent Brockman / Principal Skinner / Dr. Hibbert / Smithers / Toll Booth Man / Guard / Otto / Kang (voice)

Waiting for Guffman

1996Lyricist, Original Music Composer

Dream On

1990as Steve

CBS News Sunday Morning

1979as Self

The Colbert Report

2005

Saturday Night Live

1975as Derek Smalls (uncredited)

The Robe

1953as David (uncredited)

Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

2007as Self

A Mighty Wind

2003as Mark Shubb

Jeopardy!

1984as Self

The History of Comedy

2017as Self

Small Soldiers

1998as Punch-It (voice)

Just Shoot Me!

1997as Larry Fenwick

My Best Friend's Wedding

1997as Jonathan P.E. Rice

Little Giants

1994as Announcer

Real Life

1979as Pete - Cameraman / Radio Announcer

The Egyptian

1954as Boy

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

1992as Fairy #3 (voice)

Oscar

1991as Guido Finucci

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

2025as Derek Smalls

Casper

1995as Radio announcer (uncredited)

Animalympics

1980as Keen Hacksaw / Mayor of Animal Olympic Island / Burnt Woody / Mark Spritz (voice)

My Suicide

2009as Caress Moscowitz