Julie Kavner

Julie Kavner
Kavner in 1974
Born	Julie Deborah Kavner (1950-09-07) September 7, 1950 (age 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, voice actress, comedian
Years active	1974–present
Known for	Marge Simpson in The Simpsons

Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American film and television actress, voice actress and comedian. She first attracted notice for her role as Valerie Harper's character's younger sister Brenda in the sitcom Rhoda for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She is best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons. She also voices other characters for the show, including Jacqueline Bouvier, and Patty and Selma Bouvier.

Known for her improvisation and distinctive "honeyed gravel voice," Kavner was cast in her first professional acting role as Brenda Morgenstern in Rhoda in 1974. She received the Primetime Emmy Award in 1978 and three more nominations for playing the character. Following Rhoda, Kavner 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, and the producers decided to ask Kavner to voice Marge. The shorts would eventually be spun off into The Simpsons.

Kavner has been described as "nearly reclusive"; part of her contract says that she will never have to promote The Simpsons on video. For her work as Marge, Kavner received another Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992 and an Annie Award nomination for her performance as the character in The Simpsons Movie.