Dan Castellaneta | |
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Castellaneta at an autograph signing in New York City in 2004
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Born |
Daniel Louis Castellaneta October 29, 1957 Oak Park, Illinois, United States |
Residence | Los Angeles, California |
Education | Oak Park and River Forest High School |
Alma mater | Northern Illinois University |
Occupation | Actor, voice actor, comedian, screenwriter |
Years active | 1985–present |
Known for | Homer Simpson in The Simpsons |
Notable work | The Simpsons |
Home town | Chicago, Illinois, US |
Spouse(s) | Deb Lacusta (m. 1987) |
Signature | |
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta (born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he also voices many other characters on the show, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Mel, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby and Hans Moleman.
Born in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Castellaneta started taking acting classes at a young age. He would listen to his father's comedy records and do impressions of the artists. After graduating from Northern Illinois University, Castellaneta joined Chicago's Second City in 1983, and performed with the troupe until 1987. He was cast in The Tracey Ullman Show, which debuted in 1987. The Tracey Ullman Show included a series of animated shorts about a dysfunctional family. Voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask Castellaneta to voice Homer. His voice for the character started out as a loose impression of Walter Matthau, but later evolved into a more robust voice. The shorts would eventually be spun off into The Simpsons. Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his work on the show as well as an Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Field of Animation in 1993. Castellaneta has co-written four episodes of The Simpsons with his wife Deb Lacusta.