Hank Azaria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hank Azaria
Azaria in 2016
Born	Henry Albert Azaria (1964-04-25) April 25, 1964 (age 61) New York City, U.S.
Education	Tufts University (BA) American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Actor producer
Years active	1986–present
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Helen Hunt ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2000)​ Katie Wright ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	1

Henry Albert Azaria (born April 25, 1964), known as Hank Azaria, is an American actor and producer. He is famous for lending his voice to many characters in the long-running animated TV show The Simpsons since 1989. Some of his well-known characters include Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, and Comic Book Guy. Azaria started on the show with little voice acting experience but quickly became a regular. He has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The Simpsons.

Beyond voice acting, Azaria has appeared in many live-action films. These include Quiz Show (1994), Heat (1995), and The Birdcage (1996). He also had roles in Godzilla (1998) and The Smurfs (2011). His voice work also extends to films like Anastasia (1997), for which he won an Annie Award.

On television, Azaria had recurring roles in popular sitcoms like Mad About You and Friends. He also took on serious roles in TV movies such as Tuesdays With Morrie (1999). For this role, he won a Primetime Emmy Award. He starred in the TV series Huff (2004–2006) and Brockmire (2017–2020). His role in the drama Ray Donovan earned him another Primetime Emmy Award in 2016. Azaria has also performed on Broadway, earning a Tony Award nomination for Spamalot.

Early Life and Education

Henry Albert Azaria was born in Manhattan, New York City, on April 25, 1964. His parents were Ruth and Albert Azaria. He started using the name "Hank" as a child. His grandparents were Sephardic Jews from Thessaloniki, Greece. His family spoke Ladino, an old Spanish dialect.

Hank's father ran clothing businesses, and his mother worked as a publicist for Columbia Pictures. As a child, Hank loved to "memorize and mimic" movie scripts and comedy routines. He attended The Kew-Forest School in Queens. At 16, he decided to become an actor after performing in a school play.

He studied drama at Tufts University from 1981 to 1985. There, he became friends with actor Oliver Platt. They performed in college plays together. After college, Azaria trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. His first acting job was a TV advertisement in Italy when he was 17. He also worked as a busboy. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting in television.

Career Highlights

Starting Out (1986–1988)

Hank Azaria's first TV appearance was in the pilot episode of Joe Bash in 1986. His small role helped him join the Screen Actors Guild. He also appeared in the TV movie Nitti: The Enforcer and the pilot Morning Maggie. He became good friends with actor Matthew Perry during this time. Azaria describes his career as a slow climb, not an overnight success. He also performed as a stand-up comedian and worked as a bartender.

Voice of The Simpsons (Since 1989)

Azaria is most famous for his voice work on The Simpsons. He joined the show with little voice acting experience. His first voice was for the bartender Moe Szyslak. He based Moe's voice on actor Al Pacino. He then started voicing other characters like Chief Wiggum and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

By the show's second season, Azaria was a permanent cast member. He voices many characters, including Comic Book Guy, Cletus Spuckler, Professor Frink, and Superintendent Chalmers. Many of his voices are based on other actors or people he met. For example, Chief Wiggum's voice is based on Edward G. Robinson.

Azaria has won four Emmy Awards for his voice work on The Simpsons. He also reprised his roles for The Simpsons Movie in 2007. He has described his work on the show as "the best job in the world."

In recent years, Azaria has discussed the character of Apu. He understood that the character, voiced by a white actor, could be seen as a stereotype. In 2020, he decided to stop voicing Apu and later also stepped away from voicing Carl Carlson. In 2021, he formally apologized for voicing Apu.

Other TV Roles

Hank Azaria in 2016

As The Simpsons became successful, Azaria took on more live-action roles. He was a main cast member on Herman's Head (1991–1994). He also had a recurring role as David, one of Phoebe Buffay's boyfriends, in Friends. He appeared in 16 episodes of Mad About You as Nat Ostertag. He received Emmy nominations for his guest roles in both Mad About You and Friends.

Azaria starred in and produced the drama series Huff (2004–2006). He played Dr. Craig "Huff" Huffstodt, a psychiatrist. He also directed an episode of the show. Critics praised his performance, and the show received Emmy nominations.

From 2014 to 2016, Azaria had a recurring role in Ray Donovan as FBI agent Ed Cochran. He won an Emmy for this role in 2016. He also starred in the IFC series Brockmire (2017–2020). In this show, he played Jim Brockmire, a baseball announcer. Azaria based the character's voice on real sportscasters.

Film Appearances

Azaria's first film role was in Pretty Woman (1990). He played Albert Freedman in the Oscar-nominated film Quiz Show (1994). In 1996, he played Agador Spartacus in The Birdcage. This role was a big step in his career. He used a Guatemalan accent and made the character very funny.

He appeared in many other films in the late 1990s, including Heat (1995) and Godzilla (1998). In Godzilla, he played photographer Victor "Animal" Palotti. He also starred in the superhero comedy Mystery Men (1999) as The Blue Raja.

Azaria played Claude, a French scuba instructor, in Along Came Polly (2004). He also appeared as a younger Patches O'Houlihan in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). In 1999, he played author Mitch Albom in the TV film Tuesdays with Morrie, which he considers some of his best work. He also took on a dramatic role in the 2001 TV film Uprising, playing a Jewish resistance leader.

In 2009, Azaria played the villainous pharaoh Kahmunrah in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Critics praised his performance. He also played Gargamel in The Smurfs (2011) and its sequel The Smurfs 2 (2013). For Gargamel, he wore prosthetics and shaved his head. He worked to make Gargamel more sarcastic and lonely.

More Voice Work

Besides The Simpsons, Azaria has voiced characters in other animated projects. He was the voice of Eddie Brock / Venom in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1996). He voiced Bartok the bat in Anastasia (1997) and its prequel Bartok the Magnificent (1999).

In 2011, he voiced Carlos and Phil in the film Hop. He also voiced The Mighty Sven in Happy Feet Two. In 2016, he voiced Bud Buckwald in the TV series Bordertown.

Other Projects

Azaria wrote and directed the 2004 short film Nobody's Perfect, which won an award. He also worked on a documentary series about fatherhood called Fatherhood, which aired online in 2014.

He has returned to theater several times. In 2003, he appeared in the play ... in Chicago in London. In 2004, he starred as Sir Lancelot and other characters in the musical Spamalot on Broadway. He was nominated for a Tony Award for this role. In 2007, he played David Sarnoff in The Farnsworth Invention. In 2024, after his 60th birthday, Azaria began touring with a Bruce Springsteen tribute act called Hank Azaria and the EZ Band.

Acting Style and Voice Skills

Friends call Azaria "the freakish mimic" because he can copy almost any voice he hears. He realized this was a special talent and found a perfect use for it in The Simpsons. He says he can remember every voice and use them when needed.

Many of his characters are funny because of their unique voices, like in The Birdcage and Night at the Museum. He enjoys playing these "broad characters" and trying to make them feel real. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has said that Azaria can make even simple lines hilarious.

Personal Life

Hank Azaria was married to actress Helen Hunt from 1999 to 2000. He later married former actress Katie Wright in 2007. They have a son named Hal, born in 2009. The family has a dog and two rescue cats.

Azaria is a big fan of the New York Mets and the New York Jets sports teams. He is also a regular poker player. He is the godfather of Oliver Platt's son, George. Azaria supports the Democratic Party. He has said that if he weren't an actor, he might have been a therapist. He also co-founded a charity called "Determined to Succeed," which helps with education.

In 2016, Tufts University awarded him an Honorary degree for his achievements.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Hank Azaria para niños