Julie Kavner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julie Kavner
Kavner in 1974
Born	Julie Deborah Kavner (1950-09-07) September 7, 1950 (age 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	San Diego State University (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1974–present
Known for	Marge Simpson of The Simpsons
Partner(s)	David Davis (1976–2022; his death)

Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. She is famous for being the voice of Marge Simpson on the popular animated TV show The Simpsons. Before that, she was known for playing Brenda Morgenstern, the younger sister in the sitcom Rhoda. For her role in Rhoda, she won an Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Julie Kavner also voices other characters on The Simpsons. These include Marge's mother, Jacqueline Bouvier, and Marge's sisters, Patty and Selma Bouvier. She is known for her unique "honeyed gravel voice" and for being good at making up lines on the spot.

In 1987, Kavner joined The Tracey Ullman Show. This show featured short animated cartoons about a funny family called The Simpsons. The producers asked Julie to voice Marge. These shorts became so popular that they turned into their own TV show, The Simpsons.

Julie Kavner is a very private person. Her contract for The Simpsons even says she doesn't have to promote the show on video. For her work as Marge, she won another Primetime Emmy Award in 1992. She was also nominated for an Annie Award for her voice work in The Simpsons Movie in 2007.

Early Life and Education

Julie Kavner was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 7, 1950. Her mother, Rose, was a family counselor, and her father, David, made furniture. Julie grew up in Southern California. She always knew she wanted to be an actress.

She went to Beverly Hills High School, but she didn't enjoy it much. She tried out for many school plays but didn't get many parts. After high school, Julie went to San Diego State University. She studied drama there and acted in several plays. She became known for her ability to improvise and for being good at both comedy and drama. After graduating in 1971, she worked as a typist for a while.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out in Television

Kavner (left) with the cast of Rhoda in 1977

In 1973, Julie Kavner tried out for a role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. A year later, the character Rhoda Morgenstern got her own show called Rhoda. Julie was chosen to play Brenda Morgenstern, Rhoda's sister. This was her first professional acting job.

Rhoda was on CBS from 1974 to 1978. Julie was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for her role as Brenda, and she won one in 1978. She also received four Golden Globe Award nominations.

After Rhoda, Julie appeared in other TV shows and movies. She was in the comedy film Bad Medicine (1985) and Surrender (1987). She also acted in TV movies like Revenge of the Stepford Wives.

Filmmaker Woody Allen saw Julie on Rhoda in the 1970s. He was very impressed and later offered her a role in his 1986 film Hannah and Her Sisters. Julie says this movie helped her career a lot.

Joining The Tracey Ullman Show

Julie Kavner then joined The Tracey Ullman Show, which started in 1987. She played many different characters on the show. Julie said it was like being back in school, giving her a chance to play many different types of people. She was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for her performances on this show.

Becoming Marge Simpson

Julie Kavner became very famous for voicing Marge Simpson on The Simpsons. This show started as animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. The creators needed voices for the Simpson family. They asked Julie and fellow cast member Dan Castellaneta (who voices Homer) to do the voices.

Julie's voice has been described as a "honeyed gravel voice." She says this is because of a small bump on her vocal cords.

Even though Marge is her most famous character, Julie's favorite characters to voice are Marge's sisters, Patty and Selma Bouvier. She finds them "really funny and sad at the same time." The show's creator, Matt Groening, told Julie to make them sound like they "suck the life out of everything." Patty and Selma have similar raspy voices, but Patty's is deeper and more masculine. Julie also voices other female members of the Bouvier family, like Marge's mother, Jacqueline.

Julie is a big fan of The Simpsons and the characters she voices. However, she has a special rule in her contract: she never has to promote the show on video. She also doesn't perform Marge's voice in public. She believes this helps keep the "illusion" that the characters are real.

In 1992, Julie won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for voicing Marge in the episode "I Married Marge". In 2004, she and Dan Castellaneta won a Young Artist Award for Most Popular Mom & Dad in a TV Series. For her performance in The Simpsons Movie (2007), Julie was nominated for an Annie Award. Critics praised her emotional performance in the movie.

Other Film Roles

Many of Julie Kavner's roles have been described as supportive or funny characters. However, she started to dislike playing these types of roles. In 1992, she starred in This Is My Life, which was her first main role in a movie. She played Dottie Ingels, a comedian who starts to neglect her family as her career takes off.

Julie has often appeared in films by director Woody Allen. She was in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Radio Days (1987), New York Stories (1989), Alice (1990), Shadows and Fog (1991), and Deconstructing Harry (1997). Woody Allen described her as "a naturally funny person." Julie says she always wants to work with him.

She has also done voice-over work in other movies, like The Lion King 1½ (2004) and Dr. Dolittle (1998). In 2006, she played the mother of Adam Sandler's character in the movie Click.

Personal Life

Julie Kavner is Jewish. She has lived in Manhattan, New York City, since around 1992. She keeps her personal life very private. She rarely appears in public and doesn't like to be photographed while working. She was in a relationship with producer David Davis from 1976 until he passed away in 2022.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Julie Kavner para niños