Nancy Cartwright facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nancy Cartwright
Cartwright in 2019
Born	Nancy Jean Cartwright (1957-10-25) October 25, 1957 (age 67) Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Warren Murphy ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 2002)​
Children	2
Relatives	Sabrina Carpenter (niece)

Nancy Jean Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is most famous for being the voice of Bart Simpson on the long-running TV show The Simpsons. For this role, she won a Primetime Emmy Award and an Annie Award.

Besides Bart, Cartwright also voices other characters on the show. These include Maggie Simpson, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, and Nelson Muntz. She is also the voice of Chuckie Finster in the Nickelodeon series Rugrats and its spin-off All Grown Up!.

Cartwright was born in Dayton, Ohio. She moved to Hollywood in 1978 to train with the famous voice actor Daws Butler. Her first professional role was voicing Gloria in the cartoon Richie Rich. She later appeared in the TV movie Marian Rose White (1982) and the film Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).

In 1987, Cartwright auditioned for a new cartoon about a family called The Simpsons shorts. She planned to try out for the part of Lisa Simpson. But when she saw the character of Bart, she found him much more interesting. The show's creator, Matt Groening, let her audition for Bart and gave her the role right away.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Nancy Jean Cartwright was born on October 25, 1957, in Dayton, Ohio. She grew up in the nearby city of Kettering, Ohio. She discovered her talent for making different voices when she was young. In fourth grade, she won a school speech contest. She performed a story from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories.

In high school, Cartwright was active in theater and the marching band. She often competed in public speaking events. Judges told her she should do cartoon voices. After graduating in 1976, she got a scholarship to Ohio University.

While in college, Cartwright got a part-time job doing voice-overs for radio commercials. A man from Warner Bros. Records gave her a list of people in the animation industry. One name on the list was Daws Butler. He was the voice of famous characters like Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound.

Cartwright called Butler and left a message on his answering machine in a funny accent. Butler called her back and agreed to become her mentor. For the next year, he sent her scripts to practice. She would record herself reading them and send the tape back to him for feedback.

To be closer to Hollywood and her mentor, Cartwright transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Career Journey

Starting in Hollywood

Daws Butler was Cartwright's mentor and helped her become a voice actress.

While at UCLA, Cartwright continued her training with Daws Butler. He introduced her to many directors at the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Soon, she got her first big voice role as Gloria in the cartoon Richie Rich. After graduating from UCLA in 1981, she acted in the TV movie Marian Rose White.

Her first role in a major film was in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). The director, Joe Dante, was a huge cartoon fan. When he saw that Daws Butler was her mentor, he knew she was perfect for the part.

Cartwright continued to do voice work for many cartoons. These included Pound Puppies, Snorks, and My Little Pony. She also did small voice parts in movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

Becoming the Voice of Bart Simpson

Cartwright in 2007

In 1987, Cartwright went to an audition for animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. She planned to audition for Lisa Simpson, the middle child. But she found the character of Bart, the "devious, underachieving, school-hating" older brother, more exciting.

Creator Matt Groening let her audition for Bart. He hired her on the spot. Cartwright said Bart's voice came naturally to her. She had used parts of it for other cartoon characters before.

In 1989, the shorts became a full half-hour show called The Simpsons. Bart quickly became one of the most popular characters on TV. This period in the early 1990s was even called "Bartmania."

For a while, the TV network didn't want people to know a woman voiced Bart. Cartwright was rarely recognized in public, which she called "the best acting job in the world." Bart's famous catchphrase, "Eat My Shorts," was something Cartwright ad-libbed. It came from a chant her high school marching band used to do.

Other Simpsons Voices

In 2000, the Simpson family received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cartwright voices several other characters on The Simpsons. These include the bully Nelson Muntz and the cheerful Ralph Wiggum. She also voices Todd Flanders, one of Ned Flanders' sons. She based Todd's voice on a character from the old cartoon The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

Over the years, Cartwright and the other main voice actors have negotiated their salaries. They are among the highest-paid actors in television.

More Voice Acting and Other Projects

Besides The Simpsons, Cartwright has voiced many other famous characters. She took over the role of Chuckie Finster in Rugrats and All Grown Up! after the original actress retired. She also voiced Rufus the naked mole-rat in Kim Possible. For this role, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award.

In 2000, she wrote a book about her life called My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy. It tells the story of her career and her time on The Simpsons. She later turned the book into a one-woman play.

In 2016, Cartwright started her own production company, Spotted Cow Entertainment. The company produced the movie In Search of Fellini (2017), which Cartwright also wrote. The film was based on her own trip to Italy in the 1980s.

Personal Life

Cartwright married Warren Murphy in 1988, and they had two children, Lucy and Jack. The couple divorced in 2002.

She was raised Roman Catholic but joined the Church of Scientology in 1991. She is also a painter and sculptor.

Cartwright supports many charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She also started a scholarship at her old high school for students studying speech, drama, or music. In 2012, she received an honorary doctorate degree from Ohio University.

A fun fact is that the singer and actress Sabrina Carpenter is her niece.

Selected Roles

Cartwright has had hundreds of roles in movies, television, and video games. Here are some of her most famous ones:

• Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, and others in The Simpsons (1989–present)
• Chuckie Finster in Rugrats (2002–2004) and All Grown Up! (2003–2008)
• Rufus in Kim Possible (2002–2007)
• Pistol Pete in Goof Troop (1992–1993)
• Mindy in Animaniacs (1993–1996)
• Daffney Gillfin in Snorks (1984–1988)
• Gloria Glad in Richie Rich (1980–1984)
• Ethel in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Awards

Images for kids

• The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!.jpg

  Cartwright in The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special

• Nancy Cartwright at The Simpsons Ride opening.jpg

  Cartwright at the opening of The Simpsons Ride

• Nancy Cartwright, 2012.jpg

  Cartwright in 2012

See also

In Spanish: Nancy Cartwright (actriz) para niños