Hubert Gagnon facts for kids

Hubert Gagnon (born September 29, 1947 – died June 7, 2020) was a Canadian actor from Quebec. He was famous for being the voice of Homer Simpson and Grampa Simpson in the French version of The Simpsons for Quebec. He also worked in television and theatre.

His Amazing Voice Work

Hubert Gagnon was a talented voice actor. This means he used his voice to bring cartoon characters and foreign movie characters to life. He was known for his ability to make a character's actions clear just by using his voice. People called this special skill a "Gagnonerie."

The Voice of Homer Simpson

Hubert Gagnon started voicing Homer Simpson in 1991. This was for the French version of The Simpsons in Quebec. He played Homer for 27 years. He stopped in 2017 because of health reasons.

Even though he voiced Homer, Hubert Gagnon was very different from the character. His friends remembered him as charming and polite. His voice was so well-known that children in Cuba would ask him to say Homer's famous line, "D'oh!" He also voiced Grampa Simpson after the first voice actor passed away.

Other Big Roles

Hubert Gagnon also lent his voice to many famous actors. He was the French voice for actors like Mel Gibson, Robert De Niro, Richard Gere, and Christopher Walken. He dubbed their movies into French for Quebec.

He also voiced Picabo in the TV show Les Oraliens. Fans of Harry Potter might know his voice as Vernon Dursley in the French versions of the movies. He was also the voice of Optimus Prime in the original Transformers cartoon.

Voice Acting Becomes Respected

In 2012, when The Simpsons reached its 500th episode, Hubert Gagnon shared his thoughts on voice acting. He noted that voice acting was now taught in stage schools. This meant it was no longer looked down upon by the theatre world. He was happy that he could make a good living from this type of work.

His Life and Passing

Hubert Gagnon passed away on June 7, 2020. He was 72 years old. He died at his home in Longueuil, Quebec. He had been battling cancer for several years.

Filmography

Here are some of the TV shows and movies Hubert Gagnon worked on:

• 1968–1970: Les Oraliens (TV series): Picabo (voice)
• 1970: Mont-Joye (TV series): Denis Meunier
• 1971: Nic et Pic (TV series)
• 1974: Les Beaux dimanches
• 1974–1975: La Petite Patrie (TV series): Laurent
• 1982: Monsieur le ministre
• 1984–1985: Transformers (The Transformers) (TV series): Optimus Primus (Optimus Prime) (French voice for Quebec)
• 1991–2017: Les Simpson (The Simpsons) (Animation): Homer Simpson (French voice for Quebec)
• 1994–2001: 4 et demi
• 2007: Les Simpson: Le Film (The Simpsons Movie) (Animated movie): Homer Simpson (French voice for Quebec)