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 comedian producer
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Helen Hunt ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2000)​ Katie Wright ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	1

Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria (born April 25, 1964) is an American actor and comedian. He is famous for using his voice to play many characters in the cartoon show The Simpsons. He has been on the show since 1989.

Some of his well-known Simpsons characters include Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, and Comic Book Guy. Hank Azaria started on the show with little voice acting experience. He became a regular cast member in its second season. He has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for his voice work on The Simpsons.

Besides his voice roles, Azaria has acted in many movies. These include Quiz Show (1994), Heat (1995), and The Birdcage (1996). He also appeared in Godzilla (1998). He played roles in The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013). He also voiced a character in the animated movie Anastasia (1997). For this role, he won an Annie Award.

On TV, he had recurring roles on Mad About You and Friends. He also acted in TV movies like Tuesdays With Morrie (1999). For Tuesdays With Morrie, he won another Primetime Emmy Award. He also starred in the TV shows Huff (2004–2006) and Brockmire (2017–2020). In 2016, he won a sixth Emmy for his role on Ray Donovan.

Azaria also performed on Broadway. He played Lancelot in Spamalot. For this, he was nominated for a Tony Award.

Early Life and Education

Henry Albert Azaria was born in New York City on April 25, 1964. His parents were Ruth and Albert Azaria. As a child, he started using the name "Hank." A doctor suggested it was a better name for a kid.

His grandparents were Sephardic Jews from Thessaloniki, Greece. His family spoke Ladino. This is an old Spanish language written in Hebrew letters. Hank's father ran clothing businesses. His mother raised him and his two older sisters. She used to promote movies in Latin American countries.

When he was young, Hank loved to "memorize and mimic" movie scripts. He also copied TV shows and comedy routines.

He went to The Kew-Forest School in Queens. At 16, he acted in a school play and decided to become an actor. He became "obsessed with acting." His parents loved show business, which encouraged him.

He studied drama at Tufts University from 1981 to 1985. There, he met actor Oliver Platt. They acted in college plays together. After college, Azaria trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He decided to become a professional actor. His first acting job was a TV ad for Italy when he was 17. He also worked as a busboy.

He first wanted to be a theater actor. He and Platt started a company called Big Theatre. But they only performed one show. Azaria then thought TV offered more chances. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting there.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Acting

Hank Azaria's first TV role was in 1986. It was a small part in a show called Joe Bash. His scene was cut, but it helped him join the Screen Actors Guild. He also appeared in a TV movie and a few TV shows. His career grew slowly, not overnight.

In Los Angeles, he learned from acting coach Roy London. Between acting jobs, he did stand-up comedy. He also worked as a bartender.

The Simpsons: Voice Acting Fun

Hank Azaria in 2016

Hank Azaria is most famous for his voice work on The Simpsons. Before this, he had only done one voice-over job. It was for a cartoon dog in a pilot show.

He first voiced Moe Szyslak, the bartender. He replaced another actor. The casting director, who knew him, asked him to audition. Hank used a voice based on actor Al Pacino. The show's creators liked it. They asked him to make it more "gravelly." He recorded lines for Moe before even seeing a script.

He didn't expect to be called back. But they kept asking him to voice more characters. These included Chief Wiggum and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. By the show's second season, he was a permanent cast member.

Besides Moe, Wiggum, and Apu, he voices many others. These include Comic Book Guy, Carl Carlson, Cletus Spuckler, Professor Frink, Dr. Nick Riviera, Lou, Snake Jailbird, Kirk Van Houten, Bumblebee Man, and Superintendent Chalmers. He also voices Duffman and many guest characters.

Many of his voices are based on real people or characters. Apu's voice came from Indian and Pakistani store workers he met. It was also loosely based on a character from the movie The Party. Chief Wiggum's voice changed from a news anchor to Edward G. Robinson. Officer Lou sounds like Sylvester Stallone. Dr. Nick is a "bad Ricky Ricardo impression." Snake's voice is based on his old college roommate. Comic Book Guy's voice is from a college student. Professor Frink is based on Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor.

Hank Azaria has won four Emmy Awards for his voice work on The Simpsons. He won in 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2015. He also voiced his characters in The Simpsons Movie (2007). He says working on The Simpsons is "the best job in the world."

In 2018, Azaria talked about the character Apu. Some people felt Apu was a stereotype. Azaria said it made him sad if anyone was teased because of Apu. He offered to stop voicing the character. In 2020, he officially stepped away from Apu. He also stopped voicing Carl for similar reasons. In 2021, he apologized for voicing Apu.

More Acting Roles

As The Simpsons became popular, Azaria took on more live-action roles. He was a main actor on Herman's Head (1991–1994). He filmed this show and recorded for The Simpsons on the same days.

He auditioned for a role in Friends but didn't get it. Instead, he played David, one of Phoebe Buffay's boyfriends. He appeared in five episodes. From 1995 to 1999, he was also on Mad About You. He was nominated for an Emmy for both shows.

He starred in the TV drama Huff from 2004 to 2006. He played a psychiatrist. He also helped produce the show. Critics praised his acting in Huff. The show was nominated for Emmys, but it had low ratings.

From 2014 to 2016, Azaria had a role on Ray Donovan. He played an FBI agent. He won an Emmy for this role in 2016.

Azaria starred in the show Brockmire from 2017 to 2020. He played Jim Brockmire, a baseball announcer. He based the voice on real sportscasters. He also helped produce this show.

Movie Appearances

Hank Azaria's first movie was Cool Blue (1990). His first movie in theaters was Pretty Woman (1990). He played a police detective.

In 1994, he was in Quiz Show. In 1996, he played Agador Spartacus in The Birdcage. He used a Guatemalan accent for this role. He said this was his "big break." Critics called his performance "hilarious."

He appeared in many other movies in the late 1990s. These include Heat (1995) and Godzilla (1998). In Godzilla, he played a photographer. He said it was "tough to make" and "very disappointing."

In 1999, he starred in Mystery Men. He played The Blue Raja, who throws silverware. He also appeared in America's Sweethearts (2001) and Along Came Polly (2004). In Along Came Polly, he played a French scuba instructor. He worked out a lot for this role.

Azaria played a composer in Cradle Will Rock (1999). The same year, he was in the TV movie Tuesdays with Morrie. He won an Emmy for this role. He said it was his "best work." He usually acts in comedies, but he likes to do dramas too.

In 2001, he was in the TV movie Uprising. It was about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. He played one of the leaders. He found this role "very difficult" and "depressing." In 2003, he played a journalist in Shattered Glass.

After Huff ended in 2006, he continued in movies. He was in Run Fatboy Run (2007). He worked with Ben Stiller again in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009). Azaria played the bad pharaoh Kah Mun Rah. Critics liked his performance.

He played Gargamel in The Smurfs (2011). He wore a fake nose, ears, and wig. He spent many hours getting ready. He based Gargamel's voice on an old cartoon character. He wanted Gargamel to be "more sarcastic" and "very lonely." He thought Gargamel hated the Smurfs because they were a happy family. He returned as Gargamel in The Smurfs 2 (2013).

Other Voice Roles

Besides The Simpsons, Azaria has done other voice work. He voiced Eddie Brock / Venom in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1996).

In the movie Anastasia (1997), he voiced Bartok the bat. He played Bartok again in Bartok the Magnificent (1999). He won an Annie Award for his voice in Anastasia.

He also voiced characters in Futurama and Happy Feet Two. In the 2011 movie Hop, he voiced Carlos and Phil. Many reviewers praised his performance in Hop. He also voiced Bud Buckwald in the show Bordertown (2016).

Other Work and Hobbies

Azaria wrote and directed a short film called Nobody's Perfect (2004). It won an award at a comedy festival. He also worked on a documentary about fatherhood called Fatherhood (2014).

Azaria (center) performing in Spamalot, December 2005

He has also acted in plays. He made his Broadway debut in Spamalot in 2004. He played Sir Lancelot and other characters. He was nominated for a Tony Award for this role. He loved being in the show. In 2007, he was in another Broadway play, The Farnsworth Invention.

In 2024, after his 60th birthday, Azaria started touring with a Bruce Springsteen tribute band. It's called Hank Azaria and the EZ Band.

Acting Style and Voice Skills

Hank Azaria's friends call him "the freakish mimic." He can copy almost anyone's voice right after hearing it. As a child, he thought everyone could do this. He later realized it was a special talent. He can remember every voice he hears.

He was happy to find a perfect use for this skill in The Simpsons. He said the show became like a "lab" for him. He had to do so many voices. He feels that being funny with a funny voice is his "comfort zone."

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening says Azaria can make unfunny lines great. A former writer said Azaria always has new tricks to surprise them. Azaria has also sung in character many times on The Simpsons. He finds this easier than singing normally.

Personal Life

Hank Azaria was married to actress Helen Hunt from 1999 to 2000. They had appeared together on Mad About You.

He started dating actress Katie Wright in 2007. They got married later that year. They have a son named Hal, born in 2009. The family has a dog and two rescue cats.

Hank Azaria is the godfather of Oliver Platt's son. He also enjoys playing poker. He has appeared on TV poker shows.

He supports the Democratic Party. He likes the music of Elvis Costello. He has said he would have been a therapist if he wasn't an actor. Azaria also helped start a charity called "Determined to Succeed."

In 2016, Tufts University gave him an honorary degree.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Hank Azaria para niños