Harry Shearer | |
|---|---|
 Shearer in 2009 | |
| Born | Harry Julius Shearer (1943-12-23)December 23, 1943 (age 81) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1951–present |
| Spouses | |
| Website | harryshearer |
Harry Julius Shearer[1] (born December 23, 1943)[2] is an American actor, comedian, musician, radio host, writer, and producer. Born inLos Angeles,California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ofThe Credibility Gap, a radio comedy group. Following the breakup of the group, Shearer co-wrote the filmReal Life (1979) withAlbert Brooks and worked as a writer onMartin Mull's television seriesFernwood 2 Night.[3]
Shearer was a cast member onSaturday Night Live between 1979 and 1980, and 1984 and 1985. Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in the filmThis Is Spinal Tap (1984), asatiricalrockumentary, which became a hit. In 1989, he joined the cast of the animated sitcomThe Simpsons; he provides voices for characters includingMr. Burns,Waylon Smithers,Ned Flanders,Reverend Lovejoy,Lenny Leonard,Scratchy,Principal Skinner,Kent Brockman,Otto Mann, and formerlyDr. Hibbert. Shearer has appeared in films includingThe Truman Show (1998) andA Mighty Wind (2003), and has directed two,Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002) andThe Big Uneasy (2010). Since 1983, Shearer has been the host of the public radio comedy/music programLe Show, incorporating satire, music, andsketch comedy. He has written three books.
Shearer has won aPrimetime Emmy Award and has received several other Emmy andGrammy Award nominations. He has been married to singer-songwriterJudith Owen since 1993. He became anartist in residence atLoyola University, New Orleans in 2013.[4]
Shearer was born December 23, 1943,[2] inLos Angeles,California,[5] the son of Dora, a bookkeeper, and Mack Shearer, a trainedopera singer who ran a gas station.[6][5] His parents were Jewish immigrants fromPoland andAustria respectively. His parents escapedNazi-occupied Europe and met inHavana,Cuba. As a child, Shearer and his family often listened to radio programs such asBob and Ray and the weekly show for theJewish Theological Seminary of America. His father died when he was 12 and he had hisBar Mitzvah the following year.[7][8][9] Shearer grew up in the neighborhood ofWest Adams.[10] Starting when Shearer was four years old, he had a piano teacher whose daughter worked as a child actress. The piano teacher later decided to make a career change and become a children's agent, since she knew people in the business through her daughter's work. The teacher asked Shearer's parents for permission to take him to an audition. Several months later, she called Shearer's parents and told them that she had gotten Shearer an audition for the radio showThe Jack Benny Program. Shearer received the role when he was seven years old.[3] He describedJack Benny as "very warm and approachable ... He was a guy who dug the idea of other people on the show getting laughs, which sort of spoiled me for other people in comedy."[11] Shearer has stated that one person who took him "under his wing" and was his mentor during his early days in show business was voice actorMel Blanc, who voiced many animated characters, includingBugs Bunny,Daffy Duck andBarney Rubble; Blanc was a regular onThe Jack Benny Show. He also befriended Blanc's sonNoel.[12][13] Shearer made his film debut in the filmAbbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953), in which he had a small part, and appeared inThe Robe (also 1953).[11] Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he worked in television, film, and radio.[11]
In 1957, Shearer played the precursor to theEddie Haskell character in the pilot episode of the television seriesLeave It to Beaver. After the filming, Shearer's parents said they did not want him to be a regular in a series. Instead they wanted him to just do occasional work so that he could have a normal childhood. Shearer and his parents made the decision not to accept the role in the series if it was picked up by a television network.[11]
In the summer of 1960, Shearer volunteered as a driver for theDemocratic National Convention during the1960 U.S. presidential election where he was regularly assigned trips toDisneyland.[14]
Shearer graduated fromLos Angeles High School and attendedUCLA as a political science major in the early 1960s. He decided to quit show business to become a "serious person".[15][3] However, he says this lasted approximately a month, and he joined the staff of theDaily Bruin, UCLA's school newspaper, during his first year.[3] He was editor of the college humor magazine (Satyr), including the June 1964 parodyPreyboy.[16] He also worked as a newscaster atKRLA, a top 40 radio station in Pasadena, during this period. According to Shearer, after graduating, he had "a very serious agenda going on, and it was 'Stay Out of the Draft'."[3] He attended graduate school atHarvard University for one year and worked at the state legislature inSacramento. From 1967 to 1968, he was a high school teacher, teaching English and social studies. He left teaching following "disagreements with the administration".[3]
From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ofThe Credibility Gap, a radio comedy group that includedDavid Lander,Richard Beebe, andMichael McKean.[17] The group consisted of "a bunch of newsmen" atKRLA 1110, "the number two station" in Los Angeles.[11] They wanted to do more than just straight news, so they hired comedians who were talented vocalists. Shearer heard about the group from a friend, so he brought over a tape to the station and nervously gave it to the receptionist. He found out he was hired that same day. The group's radio show was canceled in 1970 by KRLA and in 1971 byKPPC-FM, so they started performing in various clubs and concert venues.[3] While at KRLA, Shearer also interviewedCreedence Clearwater Revival for thePop Chronicles music documentary.[18][19]
In 1973, Shearer appeared as Jim Houseafire onHow Time Flys, an album byThe Firesign Theatre'sDavid Ossman. The Credibility Gap broke up in 1976 when Lander and McKean left to perform in the sitcomLaverne & Shirley.[3] Shearer started working withAlbert Brooks, producing one of Brooks' albums and co-writing the filmReal Life (1979). Shearer also started writing forMartin Mull's television seriesFernwood 2 Night.[3] In the mid-1970s, he started working withRob Reiner on a pilot forABC. The show, which starredChristopher Guest,Tom Leopold and McKean, was not picked up.[3]
In August 1979, Shearer was hired as a writer and cast member onSaturday Night Live, one of the first additions to the show'soriginal 1975 cast.[11] Recommended byAl Franken toSaturday Night Live creatorLorne Michaels,[20] the acquisition of Shearer was seen as an unofficial replacement forJohn Belushi andDan Aykroyd, who were both leaving the show.[21]
Shearer describes his experience on the show as a "living hell" and "not a real pleasant place to work."[21] He did not get along well with the other writers and cast members and states that he was not included with the cast in the opening montage (although he was added to the montage for later episodes of the1979–80 season) and that Michaels had told the rest of the cast that he was "just a writer".[22]
Michaels leftSaturday Night Live at the end of the fifth season, taking the entire cast with him.[23] Shearer told new executive producerJean Doumanian that he was "not a fan of Lorne's" and offered to stay with the show if he was given the chance to overhaul the program and bring in experienced comedians, like Christopher Guest. However, Doumanian turned him down, so he decided to leave with the rest of the cast.[24]
When I left, Dick [Ebersol] issued a press release, saying "creative differences." And the first person who called me for a comment on it read me that and I blurted out, "Yeah, I was creative and they were different."
In 1984, while promoting the filmThis Is Spinal Tap, Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean performed onSaturday Night Live. All three members were offered the chance to join the show in the1984–1985 season. Shearer accepted because he was treated well by the producers and he thought the backstage environment had improved[21] but later stated that he "didn't realize that guests are treated better than the regulars."[26] Guest also accepted the offer while McKean rejected it, although he would join the cast in 1994.
Dick Ebersol, who replaced Lorne Michaels as the show's producer, said that Shearer was "a gifted performer but a pain in the butt. He's just so demanding on the preciseness of things and he's very, very hard on the working people. He's just a nightmare-to-deal-with person."[27] In January 1985, Shearer left the show for good,[21] partially because he felt he was not being used enough.[25]Martin Short said Shearer "wanted to be creative and Dick [Ebersol] wanted something else. ... I think he felt his voice wasn't getting represented on the show. When he wouldn't get that chance, it made him very upset."[28]
Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred inRob Reiner's filmThis Is Spinal Tap (1984).[11] Shearer, Reiner, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest received a deal to write a first draft of a screenplay for a company called Marble Arch. They decided that the film could not be written and instead filmed a 20-minute demo of what they wanted to do.[21] It was eventually greenlighted byNorman Lear andJerry Perenchio atEmbassy Pictures.[21] The film satirizes the wild personal behavior and musical pretensions ofhard rock andheavy metal bands, as well as thehagiographic tendencies ofrockumentaries of the time. The three core members of the bandSpinal Tap—David St. Hubbins,Derek Smalls andNigel Tufnel—were portrayed by McKean, Shearer and Guest respectively. The three actors play their musical instruments and speak with mock English accents throughout the film. There was no script, although there was a written breakdown of most of the scenes, and many of the lines were ad-libbed.[21] It was filmed in 25 days.[21]
Shearer said in an interview that "The animating impulse was to do rock 'n' roll right. The four of us had been around rock 'n' roll and we were just amazed by how relentlessly the movies got it wrong. Because we were funny people it was going to be a funny film, but we wanted to get it right."[5] When they tried to sell it to various Hollywood studios, they were told that the film would not work. The group kept saying, "No, this is a story that's pretty familiar to people. We're not introducing them to anything they don't really know," so Shearer thought it would at least have some resonance with the public.[11] The film was only a modest success upon its initial release but found greater success, and developed acult following, after its video release. In 2000, the film was ranked 29th on theAmerican Film Institute'slist of the top 100 comedy movies in American cinema[29] and it was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[30]
Shearer, Guest and McKean have since worked on several projects as their Spinal Tap characters. They released three albums:This Is Spinal Tap (1984),Break Like the Wind (1992) andBack from the Dead (2009).[31] In 1992, Spinal Tap appeared in an episode ofThe Simpsons called "The Otto Show".[32] The band has played several concerts, including atLive Earth in London on July 7, 2007. In anticipation of the show, Rob Reiner directed a short film entitledSpinal Tap.[33] In 2009, the band releasedBack from the Dead to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of the film.[34] The album features re-recorded versions of songs featured inThis Is Spinal Tap and its soundtrack, and five new songs.[35][36] The band performed a one-date "world tour" at London'sWembley Arena on June 30, 2009.The Folksmen, a mock band featured in the filmA Mighty Wind that is also made up of characters played by Shearer, McKean and Guest, was the opening act for the show.[37]
Shearer is known for his work as a voice actor onThe Simpsons.Matt Groening, the creator of the show, was a fan of Shearer's work, while Shearer was a fan of a column Groening used to write.[38] When approached by Groening to be in the series, Shearer was initially reluctant because he thought the recording sessions would be too much trouble.[38] He felt that voice acting was "not a lot of fun" as, traditionally, voice actors record their parts separately.[13] He was told that the actors would record their lines together,[13] and after three phone calls for executive producerJames L. Brooks, Shearer was convinced to join the cast ofThe Simpsons.[5] Shearer's first impression ofThe Simpsons was that it was funny. He – who thought it was a "pretty cool" way to work – found it peculiar that his fellow cast members were adamant about not being known to the public as the people behind the voices.[11]
Shearer provides voices forPrincipal Skinner,Kent Brockman,Mr. Burns,Waylon Smithers,Ned Flanders,Reverend Lovejoy, formerlyDr. Hibbert until 2021,Lenny Leonard,Otto Mann,Rainier Wolfcastle,Scratchy,Kang,Dr. Marvin Monroe, andJudge Snyder, among others.[39] He has described all of his regular characters' voices as "easy to slip into. ... I wouldn't do them if they weren't easy."[38] Shearer modeled Mr. Burns's voice on the two actorsLionel Barrymore andRonald Reagan.[40] Shearer says that Burns is the most difficult character for him to voice because it is rough on his vocal cords and he often needs to drink tea and honey to soothe his voice.[41] He describes Burns as his favorite character, saying he "like[s] Mr. Burns because he is pure evil. A lot of evil people make the mistake of diluting it. Never adulterate your evil."[42] Shearer is also the voice of Burns' assistant Smithers, and is able to perform dialogue between the two characters in one take. In the episode "Bart's Inner Child", Shearer said "wow" in the voice of Otto, which was then used when Otto was seen jumping on a trampoline.[43] Ned Flanders had been meant to be just a neighbor thatHomer Simpson was jealous of, but because Shearer used "such a sweet voice" for him, Flanders was broadened to become aChristian and a sweet guy that someone would prefer to live next to over Homer.[44] Dr. Marvin Monroe's voice was based on psychiatristDavid Viscott.[45] Monroe has been largely retired since theseventh season barring a few cameo appearances because voicing the character strained Shearer's throat.[46]
In 2004, Shearer criticized what he perceived asthe show's declining quality: "I rate the last three seasons as among the worst, soseason four looks very good to me now."[47] Shearer has also been vocal about "The Principal and the Pauper" (season nine, episode two, 1997), one of the most controversial episodes ofThe Simpsons. Many fans and critics reacted negatively to the revelation thatPrincipal Seymour Skinner, a recurring character since the first season, was an impostor. The episode has been criticized by both Shearer and Groening. In a 2001 interview, Shearer recalled that after reading the script, he told the writers, "That'sso wrong. You're taking something that an audience has built eight years or nine years of investment in and just tossed it in the trash can for no good reason, for a story we've done before with other characters. It's so arbitrary and gratuitous, and it's disrespectful to the audience."[48] In a December 2006 interview, Shearer added, "Now, [the writers] refuse to talk about it. They realize it was a horrible mistake. They never mention it. It's like they're punishing [the audience] for paying attention."[49]
Due to scheduling and availability conflicts, Shearer decided not to participate inThe Simpsons Ride, which opened in 2008, so none of his characters have vocal parts and many do not appear in the ride at all.[50] In a 2010 interview onThe Howard Stern Show, Shearer alluded that the reason he was not part of the ride was because he would not be getting paid for it.[51] Similarly, Shearer was unable to appear in theFamily Guy crossover episode "The Simpsons Guy" due to further scheduling conflicts. Therefore, his characters are again mute. When asked about how he felt about the crossover, Shearer replied, "Matter and anti-matter."[52]
Until 1998, Shearer was paid $30,000 per episode. During a pay dispute in 1998, Fox threatened to replace the six main voice actors with new actors, going as far as preparing for casting of new voices.[53] The dispute, however, was resolved and Shearer received $125,000 per episode until 2004, when the voice actors demanded that they be paid $360,000 an episode.[53] The dispute was resolved a month later,[54] and Shearer's pay rose to $250,000 per episode.[55] After salary re-negotiations in 2008, the voice actors received $400,000 per episode.[56] Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel the series unless production costs were cut, Shearer and the other cast members accepted a 30% pay cut, down to just over $300,000 per episode.[57] On May 14, 2015, Shearer announced he was leaving the show. After the other voice actors signed a contract for the same pay, Shearer refused, stating it was not enough. Al Jean made a statement from the producers saying "the show must go on," but did not elaborate on what might happen to the characters Shearer voiced.[58] On July 7, 2015, Shearer agreed to continue with the show, on the same terms as the other voice actors.[59]
Because I don't do stand-up, radio has always been my equivalent, a place to stay in connection with the public and force myself to write every week and come up with new characters. Plus it's a medium that – having grown up with it and putting myself to sleep with a radio under my pillow [as a kid] – I love. No matter what picture you want to create in the listener's mind, a few minutes of work gets it done.
Since 1983, Shearer has been the host of the public radio comedy/music programLe Show. The program is a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and sketch comedy that takes aim at the "mega morons of the mighty media".[61] It is carried on manyNational Public Radio and other public radio stations throughout the United States.[62] Since the merger ofSIRIUS andXM satellite radio services the program is no longer available on either.[63] The show has also been made available as apodcast oniTunes[64] and byWWNO. On the weekly program Shearer alternates between DJing, reading and commenting on the news of the day after the manner ofMort Sahl, and performing original (mostly political) comedy sketches and songs. In 2008, Shearer released a music CD calledSongs of the Bushmen, consisting of his satirical numbers about former PresidentGeorge W. Bush onLe Show.[5] Shearer says he criticizes bothRepublicans andDemocrats equally, and also says that "the iron law of doing comedy about politics is you make fun of whoever is running the place"[65] and that "everyone else is just running around talking. They are the ones who are actually doing something, changing people's lives for better or for worse. Other people the media calls 'satirists' don't work that way."[66]
Since encountering satellite news feeds when he worked onSaturday Night Live, Shearer has been fascinated with the contents of the video that does not air. Shearer refers to these clips asfound objects. "I thought, wow, there is just an unending supply of this material, and it's wonderful and fascinating and funny and sometimes haunting – but it's always good," said Shearer.[67] He collects this material and uses it onLe Show[68][69] and on his website.[70] In 2008, he assembled video clips of newsmakers from this collection into an art installation titled "The Silent Echo Chamber" which was exhibited atThe Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum inRidgefield, Connecticut.[67] The exhibit was also displayed in 2009 at Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (IVAM) inValencia, Spain[71][72] and in 2010 at the New OrleansContemporary Arts Center.[73]
In 2006 Shearer appeared withBrian Hayes in four episodes of theBBC Radio 4 sitcomNot Today, Thank You, playing Nostrils, a man so ugly he cannot stand to be in his own presence.[74] He was originally scheduled to appear in all six episodes but had to withdraw from recording two due to a problem with his work permit.[75] On June 19, 2008, it was announced that Shearer would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the radio category.[76]
Shearer's first feature film as director,Teddy Bears' Picnic, which he also wrote, was released in 2002. The plot is based onBohemian Grove, which hosts a three-week encampment of some of the most powerful men in the world. The film was not well received by critics. It garnered a 0% approval rating onRotten Tomatoes, with all 19 reviews being determined as negative[77] and received a rating of 32 out of 100 (signifying "generally negative reviews") onMetacritic from 10 reviews.[78] In 2003, he co-wroteJ. Edgar! The Musical withTom Leopold, which spoofedJ. Edgar Hoover's relationship withClyde Tolson.[79] It premiered at theU.S. Comedy Arts Festival inAspen, Colorado and starredKelsey Grammer andJohn Goodman.[80]
Shearer, Guest and McKean starred in thefolk musicmockumentaryA Mighty Wind (2003), portraying a band called The Folksmen. The film was written by Guest andEugene Levy, and directed by Guest.[11] Shearer had a major role in the Guest-directed parody of Oscar politickingFor Your Consideration released in 2006. He played Victor Allan Miller, a veteran actor who is convinced that he is going to be nominated for anAcademy Award.[81] He also appeared as a news anchor inGodzilla (1998) with fellowThe Simpsons cast membersHank Azaria andNancy Cartwright.[82] His other film appearances includeThe Right Stuff (1983),The Fisher King (1991),The Truman Show (1998),Small Soldiers (also 1998), andEdTV (1999). He also directed and appeared in the television programPortrait of a White Marriage (1988), a sequel toThe History of White People in America.[83]
Shearer has also worked as a columnist for theLos Angeles Times Magazine, but decided that it "became such a waste of time to bother with it."[66] His columns have also been published inSlate andNewsweek.[84] Since May 2005 he has been a contributing blogger atThe Huffington Post.[83] Shearer has written three books.Man Bites Town, published in 1993, is a collection of columns that he wrote forThe Los Angeles Times between 1989 and 1992.[48] Published in 1999,It's the Stupidity, Stupid analyzed the hatred some people had for then-PresidentBill Clinton.[85] Shearer believes that Clinton became disliked because he had an affair with "the least powerful, least credentialed woman cleared into his official compound."[48] His most recent book isNot Enough Indians, his first novel. Published in 2006, it is a comic novel about Native Americans and gambling.[83] Without the "pleasures of collaboration" and "spontaneity and improvisation which characterize his other projects",Not Enough Indians was a "struggle" for Shearer to write. He said that "the only fun thing about it was having written it. It was lonely, I had no deal for it and it took six years to do. It was a profoundly disturbing act of self-discipline."[5]
Shearer has released five solo comedy albums:It Must Have Been Something I Said (1994),Dropping Anchors (2006),Songs Pointed and Pointless (2007),Songs of the Bushmen (2008) andGreed and Fear (2010).[86] His most recent CD,Greed and Fear is mainly aboutWall Street economic issues, rather than politics like his previous albums. Shearer decided to make the album when he"started getting amused by the language of the economic meltdown – when 'toxic assets' suddenly became 'troubled assets,' going from something poisoning the system to just a bunch of delinquent youth with dirty faces that needed not removal from the system but just ... understanding."[87] In May 2006, Shearer received an honorary doctorate fromGoucher College.[88]
Shearer is the director ofThe Big Uneasy (2010), a documentary film about the impacts ofHurricane Katrina onNew Orleans. Narrated by actorJohn Goodman, the film describesleveefailures andcatastrophic flooding in theNew Orleansmetropolitan area, and includes extended interviews with formerLSU professorIvor Van Heerden, Robert Bea, an engineering professor at theUniversity of California at Berkeley, and Maria Garzino, an engineer and contract specialist for the Los Angeles district of theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The film is critical of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its management offlood protectionprojects in SouthernLouisiana.[89][90][91][92][93] Shearer draws on numerous technical experts to maintain that Hurricane Katrina's "... tragic floods creating widespread damage were caused by manmade errors in engineering and judgment."[94] Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 71% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 6.85/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Big Uneasy offers an admittedly uneven – yet still worthy and well-intentioned – look at a horrific disaster's aftermath."[93]
Shearer marriedfolk singerPenelope Nichols in 1974. They divorced in 1977.[95] He has been married to Welsh singer-songwriterJudith Owen since 1993.[5] In 2005, the couple launched their own record label called Courgette Records.[96] Shearer primarily resides in theFrench Quarter ofNew Orleans, Louisiana, but has homes inSanta Monica, California andNotting Hill, London. He first went to New Orleans in 1988 and has attended everyNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival since.[97]
Shearer often speaks and writes about thefailure of the Federal levee system which floodedNew Orleans duringHurricane Katrina, blasting the coverage of it in the mainstream media[98] and criticizing the role of theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers.[99][100] Prior to the DVD release of his film,The Big Uneasy, Shearer would hold screenings of the film at different venues and take questions fromaudience members.[89]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Abbott and Costello Go to Mars | Boy | |
| The Robe | David | ||
| 1977 | American Raspberry | Trucker's friend | |
| Cracking Up | Various characters | Credited as part of "The Credibility Gap" | |
| 1979 | Real Life | Pete | Also co-writer |
| The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh | Murray Sports | ||
| 1980 | Loose Shoes | Narrator | Voice |
| One Trick Pony | Bernie Wepner | ||
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | NASA Recruiter | |
| 1984 | This Is Spinal Tap | Derek Smalls | Also co-writer, composer and musician |
| 1987 | Flicks | Narrator | Voice |
| 1988 | Plain Clothes | Simon Feck | |
| My Stepmother Is an Alien | Carl Sagan | Voice[101] | |
| 1990 | Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School | Announcer | Voice, short film |
| 1991 | Blood and Concrete | Sammy Rhodes | |
| Oscar | Guido Finucci | ||
| Pure Luck | Monosoff | ||
| The Fisher King | Ben Starr | ||
| 1992 | A League of Their Own | Newsreel Announcer | Voice |
| 1993 | Wayne's World 2 | Handsome Dan | |
| 1994 | I'll Do Anything | Audience Research Captain | |
| Little Giants | Announcer | ||
| Speechless | Chuck | ||
| 1997 | My Best Friend's Wedding | Jonathan P.F. Rice | |
| Waiting for Guffman | N/A | Composer | |
| 1998 | Godzilla | Charles Caiman | |
| Almost Heroes | Narrator | Voice | |
| The Truman Show | Mike Michaelson | ||
| Small Soldiers | Punch-It | Voice[101] | |
| 1999 | EDtv | Moderator | |
| Encounter in the Third Dimension | Narrator | Voice | |
| Dick | G. Gordon Liddy | ||
| 2000 | Catching Up with Marty DiBergi | Derek Smalls | Short film |
| Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big | General | Voice[101] | |
| 2001 | Haiku Tunnel | Orientation leader | |
| Out There | Dr. Gerard | ||
| Haunted Castle |
| ||
| 2002 | Teddy Bears' Picnic | Joey Lavin | Also writer, director and executive producer |
| 2003 | A Mighty Wind | Mark Shubb | |
| 2005 | Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School | Promo announcer | Voice |
| Chicken Little | Don Bowowser | Voice[101] | |
| 2006 | For Your Consideration | Victor Allan Miller | |
| 2007 | A Couple of White Chicks at the Hairdresser | Marc Gavin | |
| The Simpsons Movie | Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brockman, Seymour Skinner, Otto Mann, Dr. Hibbert, Reverend Lovejoy, Scratchy, Lenny Leonard,Arnold Schwarzenegger | Voice[101] | |
| 2010 | The Big Uneasy | Narrator | Voice; also director and producer |
| 2011 | Flood Streets | Dr. Keeley | Also executive producer |
| 2015 | Love & Taxes | Sean Boykin/Agent | |
| 2016 | Mascots | Competition Announcer | Voice |
| 2017 | Father Figures | Gene Baxter | |
| 2019 | Easy Does It | "Breezy" Bob Mckee | Voice |
| TBA | Spinal Tap II | Derek Smalls | Filming, also co-writer[102] |
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953, 1955 | The Jack Benny Program | Young Jack Benny | 2 episodes |
| 1955 | The Donald O'Connor Show | Himself | Episode 1.7 |
| It's a Great Life | Terry | Episode: "The Paper Drive" | |
| Death Valley Days | Unnamed character | Episode: "The Valencia Cake" | |
| 1956 | Private Secretary | Chuckie Wills, shoeshine boy | Episode: "The Little Caesar of Bleecker Street" |
| 1957 | General Electric Theater | Timmy | Episode: "Cab Driver" |
| Studio 57 | Frankie Bennett | Episode: "It's a Small World" (Pilot for the eventual seriesLeave It to Beaver, though never aired as part of that series.) | |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Street Kid | Episode: "The Night the World Ended" | |
| 1976 | Serpico | Hippy | TV film/Pilot: "The Deadly Game" |
| 1976–82 | Laverne & Shirley | Various characters | Appeared in six episodes; also co-wrote episode "Hi, Neighbor" |
| 1977 | Fernwood 2 Night | Writer | |
| 1978 | America 2-Night | Writer | |
| 1979 | Stockard Channing in Just Friends | Saul | Episode: "The Ziegenfuss Force" |
| The T.V. Show | Various characters | Pilot; also writer, producer and composer | |
| 1979–80, 1984–85 | Saturday Night Live | Various characters | Appeared in 32 episodes; also co-wrote 39 episodes |
| 1980 | Animalympics | Keen Hacksaw/Mayor of Animal Olympic Island/Burnt Woody/Mark Spritz | Voice, TV film |
| 1981 | Likely Stories, Vol. 1 | Various characters | TV film; also co-wrote |
| 1982 | Million Dollar Infield | Jack Savage | TV film |
| 1985 | The History of White People in America | Rabbi | TV film; also director |
| 1986 | Viva Shaf Vegas | Rabbi | TV film; also director, writer and executive producer |
| The History of White People in America: Volume II | Rabbi | TV film; also director | |
| Spitting Image: Down And Out In The White House | Additional voice | Pilot/TV special | |
| ALF | Larry / President | Voice, episode: "Pennsylvania 6-5000" | |
| 1987 | Spitting Image: The Ronnie and Nancy Show | Additional voice | TV special |
| Down and Out with Donald Duck | Additional voices | TV special | |
| 1988 | Portrait of a White Marriage | Unnamed character | TV film; also director |
| Miami Vice | FBI Agent Timothy Anderson | Episode: "The Cows of October" | |
| Merrill Markoe's Guide to Glamorous Living | Unnamed character | TV special | |
| 1989–1990 | Not Necessarily the News | Various Characters | |
| 1989–present | The Simpsons | Ned Flanders,Mr. Burns,Dr. Hibbert (1990–2021),[103]Waylon Smithers,Principal Skinner,Reverend Lovejoy, Various characters | Voice |
| 1990 | The Golden Girls | George H. W. Bush | Voice, episode: "The President's Coming! The President's Coming! Part 2" |
| Hometown Boy Makes Good | Unnamed character | Voice, TV film | |
| Murphy Brown | Chris Bishop | Episode: "The 390th Broadcast" | |
| 1991 | Sunday Best | Various characters | |
| 1993 | Dream On | Steve | Episode: "Home Sweet Homeboy" |
| L.A. Law | Gordon Huyck | Episode: "Safe Sex" | |
| Animaniacs | Ned Flat | Voice, episode: "Fair Game"[101] | |
| 1994 | Ellen | Ted | Episode: "The Trainer" |
| 1995 | Friends | Dr. Baldharan | Episode: "The One with the Fake Monica" |
| Sliders | Day Tripper | Voice, episode: "Pilot"; uncredited | |
| Frontline | Larry Hages | Episode: "Changing the Face of Current Affairs" | |
| The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show | Mr. Blackwell | TV special | |
| 1996 | State of the Union: Undressed | Newt Gingrich | TV special |
| Chicago Hope | Nowhere man | Episode: "A Time to Kill" | |
| 1997 | Tracey Takes On... | Ronald Littleman | Episode: "Race Relations" |
| ER | John Smythe | Episode: "Calling Dr. Hathaway" | |
| The Visitor | Louis Faraday | Episode: "Fear of Flying" | |
| 1998 | George & Leo | Unnamed character | Episode: "The Poker Game" |
| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Himself | Voice, episode: "Feng Shui"[101] | |
| 1999 | Seven Days | Walter Landis | Episode: "EBE's" |
| Just Shoot Me! | Larry Fenwick | Episode: "A Divorce to Remember" | |
| 1999–2001 | Jack & Jill | Dr. Wilfred Madison | 4 episodes |
| 2000–01 | Dawson's Creek | Principal Peskin | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | That's Life | Dean | Episode: "Oh, Baby!" |
| 2002 | The Agency | The President | Episode: "The Gauntlet" |
| 2003 | Mad TV | Mark Shubb | Episode 8.21 |
| 2004 | Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks | Unnamed sheep | Episode: "No Girls Allowed" |
| 2008 | The Graham Norton Show | Himself | Series 4 Episode 1 |
| 2012 | Nixon's the One | Richard Nixon | TV special |
| Have I Got News for You | Himself | Series 44 Episode 5 | |
| 2014 | Outnumbered | Mr Johnson | Episode: "Communication Skills" |
| 2016 | Would I Lie to You? | Himself | Series 10 Episode 3 |
| 2018 | The Last Leg | Himself | Series 14 Episode 2 |
| 2019 | Paul Shaffer Plus One | Derek Smalls | Episode: "Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap" |
| 2020 | The Salon | Marc Gavin/Marc | 4 episodes |
| Year | Game | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Simpsons Cartoon Studio | Various characters |
| 1997 | Virtual Springfield | Various characters |
| 2001 | The Simpsons Wrestling | Various characters |
| The Simpsons: Road Rage | Various characters | |
| 2002 | The Simpsons Skateboarding | Various characters |
| 2003 | The Simpsons: Hit & Run | Various characters |
| 2005 | Chicken Little | Don Bowowser |
| 2007 | The Simpsons Game | Various characters |
| 2012 | The Simpsons: Tapped Out | Various characters |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Kevin Pollak's Chat Show | Himself/Guest | Episode: "125" |
| 2021–present | Deutsche Eisenbahnmärchen | Hans, Jürgen Heisler | Voices |
| Year | Song | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Do the Bartman" | Seymour Skinner | Nancy Cartwright |
| Album | Release | Label |
|---|---|---|
| It Must Have Been Something I Said | 1994 | Rhino |
| Dropping Anchors | 2006 | Courgette |
| Songs Pointed and Pointless | 2007 | Courgette |
| Songs of the Bushmen | 2008 | Courgette |
| Greed and Fear | 2010 | Courgette |
| Smalls Change[104] | 2018 | Twanky Records/BMG |
Shearer was the last of the six regular voice actors fromThe Simpsons to win thePrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.[105] His win came for theseason 25 episode "Four Regrettings and a Funeral".
| Year | Award | Category | Series/album | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series | America 2Night | Nominated | [106] |
| 1980 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program | Saturday Night Live | Nominated | [106] |
| 2008 | Grammy Award | Best Comedy Album | Songs Pointed and Pointless | Nominated | [107] |
| 2009 | Grammy Award | Best Comedy Album | Songs of the Bushmen | Nominated | [67] |
| 2009 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Voice-Over Performance | The Simpsons: "The Burns and the Bees" | Nominated | [108] |
| 2010 | Grammy Award | Best Comedy Album | Back from the Dead (with Spinal Tap) | Nominated | [109] |
| 2014 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance | The Simpsons: "Four Regrettings and a Funeral" | Won | [110] |
Shearer, Harry Dec. 23, 1943 – Satirist; nonfiction writer; radio talk-show host; actor; director; musician; playwright
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