Dan Castellaneta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Castellaneta
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Castellaneta in 1988
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| Born |
Daniel Louis Castellaneta
October 29, 1957 |
| Alma mater | Northern Illinois University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Deb Lacusta
(m. 1987) |
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Daniel Louis Castellaneta (born October 29, 1957) is an American actor famous for his voice work. He is best known as the voice of Homer Simpson on the animated TV show The Simpsons.
Besides Homer, he also voices many other characters on the show. These include Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and Barney Gumble. Castellaneta has also voiced characters in other popular shows. He was Grandpa in Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! and had roles in Futurama, Darkwing Duck, and Aladdin.
In 1999, he won an Annie Award for his role as the Postman in the Christmas special Olive, the Other Reindeer. He also released a comedy album called I Am Not Homer.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Daniel Louis Castellaneta was born in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in the nearby towns of River Forest and Oak Park. His father, Louis, was an amateur actor who worked at a printing company.
From a young age, Dan was good at doing impressions of people. When he was 16, his mother signed him up for an acting class. He loved listening to his father's comedy records and would imitate the comedians. After high school, he went to Northern Illinois University in 1975.
He studied to become an art teacher. As a student teacher, he would entertain his students by doing different voices and impressions. He also joined a university radio show, which helped him practice his voice acting skills.
Career Beginnings
After graduating from college in 1979, Castellaneta started his acting career. He took classes in improvisational theatre, which is a type of acting where performers make up scenes on the spot. In one of these classes, he met his future wife, Deb Lacusta.
From 1983 to 1987, he worked at The Second City, a famous comedy theater in Chicago. He also did voice-over work for radio stations with his wife.
Later, he auditioned for The Tracey Ullman Show. At first, the producers weren't sure about him. But the show's star, Tracey Ullman, flew to Chicago to see him perform live. She was so impressed that she hired him for the show.
The Voice of The Simpsons
Castellaneta is most famous for his work on The Simpsons, the longest-running animated show in American history. The show started as a series of short cartoons on The Tracey Ullman Show. The producers asked Castellaneta and his co-star Julie Kavner to voice the parents, Homer and Marge Simpson.
Finding Homer's Voice
At first, Homer's voice was an impression of actor Walter Matthau. But Castellaneta found it hard to do that voice for long recording sessions. So, he changed it, making it lower and easier to do. He developed Homer's voice into the one we know today during the show's second and third seasons.
To do Homer's voice, Castellaneta lowers his chin to his chest. He says he tries to "let his IQ go" to get into character. He likes to stay in character during recordings to make his performance better.
Voicing Other Characters
Castellaneta voices many other characters in Springfield.
- Krusty the Clown's voice is based on a Chicago TV clown named Bozo the Clown, played by Bob Bell.
- Groundskeeper Willie is a grumpy Scottish janitor. When Castellaneta was asked to give him an accent, he tried a few voices. The Scottish accent was chosen and was based on a character from the comedy show Second City Television.
- Mayor Quimby's voice is an imitation of members of the Kennedy family.
- Sideshow Mel's voice is an impression of Kelsey Grammer, who voices Sideshow Bob.
- Gil Gunderson, the unlucky salesman, is based on Jack Lemmon's character in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross.
Awards and Recognition
Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for his voice work on The Simpsons. In 2000, the Simpson family received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Over the years, the salaries for the main voice actors on The Simpsons have increased. In 1998, the main cast members had a pay dispute with Fox. It was resolved, and their pay went up. After more negotiations in later years, the actors now earn around $300,000 for each episode.
Castellaneta and his wife, Deb Lacusta, have also written several episodes of The Simpsons. Their first one was "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses". They were nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award in 2007 for the episode "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore".
Other Roles and Projects
Besides The Simpsons, Castellaneta has had many other roles in television and movies.
Television Work
He has been a regular voice actor on many other animated shows, including:
- Darkwing Duck as Megavolt
- Back to the Future: The Animated Series as Doc Brown
- Earthworm Jim as Earthworm Jim
- Hey Arnold! as Grandpa Phil
- Futurama as the Robot Devil
He also voiced the Genie in the Aladdin sequel The Return of Jafar and the Aladdin TV series. He took over the role from Robin Williams.
Castellaneta has appeared in live-action shows too. He has had guest roles in Friends, Parks and Recreation, How I Met Your Mother, and Arrested Development.
Movies and Albums
Castellaneta has appeared in movies like Space Jam, The Cat in the Hat, and The Pursuit of Happyness. He was also in The Simpsons Movie.
In 2002, he released a comedy album with his wife called I Am Not Homer. The title is a playful reference to Leonard Nimoy's book I Am Not Spock. The album features comedy sketches they had written and performed over the years.
Personal Life
Castellaneta married writer and actress Deb Lacusta in 1987. They live in Los Angeles, California. He is a vegetarian and enjoys exercising.
Discography
| Album | Released | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two Lips | February 2000 | Oglio Records | All-music comedy album |
| I Am Not Homer | April 23, 2002 | Oglio Records | Comedy album released with Deb Lacusta |
He was also featured on several Simpsons albums, including:
- The Simpsons Sing the Blues (1990)
- Songs in the Key of Springfield (1997)
- The Yellow Album (1998)
- Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons (1999)
- The Simpsons: Testify (2007)
See also
In Spanish: Dan Castellaneta para niños
