Maggie Roswell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maggie Roswell
Born	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress comedian writer producer
Years active	1973–present
Spouse(s)	Hal Rayle ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	1

Maggie Roswell is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California. She is very well known for her voice work on the animated TV show The Simpsons.

On The Simpsons, she voices many characters. These include Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover, and Luann Van Houten. Her work on the show earned her a nomination for an Annie Award.

Maggie Roswell started her acting career in the 1980s. She appeared in movies like Midnight Madness (1980) and Pretty in Pink (1986). She also made guest appearances on TV shows such as Happy Days. She often appeared on The Tim Conway Show and did voice acting for cartoons.

In 1989, Roswell joined The Simpsons. She became a regular voice actor in the second season when Maude Flanders was introduced. In 1994, Roswell and her husband, Hal Rayle, moved to Denver, Colorado. They wanted to raise their daughter there.

They started a company called Roswell 'n' Rayle. They created and voiced advertisements for different companies. Because she lived in Denver, Maggie had to travel to Los Angeles often for The Simpsons. In 1999, she asked for more pay, but Fox, the TV network, did not agree. So, she left the show.

Maggie Roswell returned to The Simpsons in 2002. She made a deal to record her lines from her home in Denver.

Maggie Roswell's Career Journey

Early Acting Roles

Maggie Roswell was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After finishing school, she started acting. In the 1970s, she had small roles on TV shows like M*A*S*H. Her first big roles came in the 1980s.

In the 1980 movie Midnight Madness, she played a character who led a group of college students in a puzzle race. She also starred in The Tim Conway Show in 1980 and 1981. Roswell appeared in the film Lost in America (1985) and had a role in Pretty in Pink (1986). She also acted in the TV film The Deliberate Stranger.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Roswell had minor roles on TV shows. These included Remington Steele (1983), Happy Days (1984), and Quantum Leap (1993). She was offered a chance to join Saturday Night Live, but she turned it down.

Maggie Roswell also performed on stage. In 1986, she was in improv shows where the audience gave actors characters and situations. In 1988, she acted in a play called Mea's Big Apology. She played Eunice, a cynical woman whose company tried to avoid paying her retirement benefits. Roswell played this role again in 1992.

Voice Acting for The Simpsons

Besides acting in live-action roles, Maggie Roswell also did voice acting for cartoons. She voiced Teegra in the 1983 animated film Fire and Ice. This led to her being hired for The Simpsons in 1989.

Her first role on The Simpsons was in the first season episode "Homer's Night Out". She voiced Princess Kashmir, a belly dancer. She had minor roles in four episodes of the first season. Roswell became a regular cast member in the second season. This happened with the introduction of Maude Flanders in the episode "Dead Putting Society" (1990). Maude Flanders is the neighbor of the Simpson family and wife of Ned Flanders.

Roswell went on to voice other important characters on the show. These include Helen Lovejoy (the reverend's wife), Miss Hoover (an elementary school teacher), and Luann Van Houten (Milhouse's mom). She also voiced many other one-time and background characters. Nancy Cartwright, another voice actor on The Simpsons, said that Maggie Roswell is great at making "normal sounds." This means she can easily voice everyday people like neighbors, reporters, or moms.

Roswell was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on The Simpsons. She also received an Annie Award nomination in 1997. This was for her role as Shary Bobbins in the episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious".

Roswell 'n' Rayle Company and Return to The Simpsons

Maggie Roswell started writing, producing, and voicing advertisements for companies. She and her husband, Hal Rayle, created "The Roswell 'n' Rayle Company" for this purpose. They even built a recording studio in their basement. In 1994, they made radio ads for companies like Burger King in Denver. They also did voice work for Campbell's Soup and Pontiac commercials. Their company is still active today and even creates funny ringtones.

In 1997, Roswell appeared in the movie Switchback with Danny Glover and Dennis Quaid.

Maggie Roswell left The Simpsons in 1999 because of a disagreement over her pay. She had been paid $1,500 to $2,000 per episode. She asked Fox for a raise to $6,000 per episode. She explained that she was tired of flying between Denver and Los Angeles twice a week for recordings, and travel costs were increasing. Fox only offered her a small raise of $150, which was not enough to cover her travel. So, she decided to quit. She told The Denver Post that she loved the show but felt the money she asked for was fair.

After Roswell left, another actress, Marcia Mitzman Gaven, voiced her characters. Maude Flanders was even written out of the show in the episode "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily".

Roswell returned to The Simpsons in 2002. This was for the fourteenth season premiere, where Maude appeared as a ghost. She made a deal with Fox to record her lines from her home in Denver. Since then, Roswell has remained on the show. She also voiced Helen Lovejoy in The Simpsons Movie (2007). She attended the movie premiere with her daughter.

In 2004, Roswell had a small role in the movie Silver City. In 2009, she starred in a play in Denver called Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner, a Sort of Romantic Comedy. She played the actress Gilda Radner in the play.

Maggie Roswell also enjoys singing. In 1999, she performed as a nightclub singer to help a charity for homeless families. In 2003, she sang with a group called The Sirens in Denver.

Maggie Roswell's Personal Life

Maggie Roswell met Hal Rayle, who is also a voice actor, in 1986. They got married in 1987. Hal Rayle has voiced characters like Marvin the Martian in commercials.

In June 1994, Maggie and Hal moved from Los Angeles to Denver, Colorado. They wanted to raise their adopted daughter, who was born in 1993. When The Simpsons episodes were being recorded, Maggie had to fly to Los Angeles twice a week. She would go for script readings and recording sessions. She once said that the way Helen Lovejoy says "B-bye, b-bye, b-bye" when leaving church was inspired by how flight attendants say it when people leave a plane.

Maggie Roswell's Filmography

Films

Television

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Maggie Roswell para niños