Dan Castellaneta
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Biography
A native of Chicago, he was educated at the Oak Park and River Forest High School and Northern Illinois University. After graduation, Castellaneta 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.
Voices and 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 [link]), Grampa Abraham 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.He also played Grandpa on the Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!, Doctor Emmett L. Brown in the animated series ', the Things in Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat and Robot Devil in Futurama. In 1999 he played as the comedic Nordom the anti-Modron in the computer game '.
Castellaneta voices the leading 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, 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.
Castellaneta portrayed Aaron Spelling in the 2004 NBC film; which followed the true story of how Spelling created the show.
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 and Homer is deep in Jack's mind (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.
Dan can be seen in the upcoming Will Smith drama Pursuit of Happyness.
Filmography
Films
- The Simpsons Movie (2007)
- Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
- The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour (2004)
- The Cat in the Hat (2003)
- (2003)
- Return to Never Land (2002)
- (2000)
- Space Jam (1996)
- Toonstruck (1996)
- Love Affair (1994)
- The Client (1994)
- The Return of Jafar (1994)
- Super Mario Bros. (1993)
- Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)
- The War of the Roses (1989)
- K-9 (1989)
- The Thing that Ate Everybody (1989)
- Say Anything... (1989)
- Nothing in Common (1986)
Television
- Arrested Development (2005) - Doctor Stein
- The Batman (2004)
- (2004)
- Disney's House of Mouse (2001)
- (2001)
- Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999)
- Cow and Chicken (1997)
- Hey Arnold! (1996-2004) - Grandpa
- Friends (1996) - The Zoo Keeper in "The One After the Superbowl, Part One"
- Aladdin (1994-1995) - Genie
- Earthworm Jim (1994) - Jim
- Sonic the Hedgehog (1993) - Lazar the Wizard in Super Sonic
- (1991-1993) - Doctor Emmett L. Brown
- Darkwing Duck (1991)
- Taz-Mania (1991)
- Fievel's American Tails (1991) - Chula the Tarantula
- Tale Spin (1990) TV Series
- The Simpsons (1989-present)
- Stargate SG-1 (2004) Sci-fi series ("Stargate SG-1 - Citizen Joe")
- Yes, Dear Evan
- Futurama (various episodes between 1999 and 2003) Robot Devil ('Belzebot')
Other
- Kingdom Hearts II (2006) (Video game) - Genie
- (2004) (Video game) - Genie
- I am Not Homer (2003) (CD comedy)
- Kingdom Hearts (2002) (Video game) - Genie
- Two Lips (2000) (CD Beatles satire/homage)
- (1999) - Nordom
- ClayFighter 63 1/3 (1997) (Video game) - Earthworm Jim, Boogerman
- Toonstruck (1996) - Flux Wildly
- Castallenta played Harvey Pekar in the stage adaptation of Pekar's autobiographical comic book series American Splendor.
External links
- [Simpson voice actors]
- [Dan Castellaneta and Harry Shearer doing their Simpsons voices on Conan O'Brien]
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