Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer,
voice artist, musician, author and radio host. He is known for his long-running role on
The Simpsons, his work on
Saturday Night Live, the comedy band
Spinal Tap and his radio program
Le Show. Born in
Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a
child actor, appearing in
The Jack Benny Program, as well as the 1953 films
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars and
The Robe. In 1957, Shearer played the precursor to the
Eddie Haskell character in the pilot episode for the television series
Leave It to Beaver, but his parents decided not to let him continue in the role so that he could have a normal childhood.
From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member of
The Credibility Gap, a radio comedy group. Following the break up of the group, Shearer co-wrote the film
Real Life with
Albert Brooks and started writing for
Martin Mull's television series
Fernwood 2 Night. In August 1979, Shearer was hired as a writer and cast member on
Saturday Night Live. Shearer describes his experience on the show as a "living hell" and he did not get along well with the other writers and cast members. He left the show in 1980. Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in the 1984 film
This Is Spinal Tap, a
satirical rockumentary about a band called
Spinal Tap. Shearer portrayed
Derek Smalls, the bassist, and
Michael McKean and
Christopher Guest played the other two members. The film became a cult hit and the band has since released several albums and played several concerts. While promoting the film, Shearer was offered the chance to return to
Saturday Night Live. He accepted, but left the show for good in January 1985. Since 1983, Shearer has been the host of the public radio comedy/music program
Le Show on
Santa Monica's NPR-affiliated radio station,
KCRW. The program, a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and
sketch comedy, is carried on many
public radio stations throughout the United States.
In 1989, Shearer became a part of the cast of
The Simpsons. He was initially reluctant because he thought the recording sessions would be too much trouble. He felt voice acting was "not a lot of fun" because traditionally, voice actors record their parts separately. He provides voices for numerous characters, including
Mr. Burns,
Waylon Smithers,
Ned Flanders,
Reverend Timothy Lovejoy,
Kent Brockman,
Dr. Hibbert,
Lenny Leonard,
Principal Skinner,
Otto Mann and
Rainier Wolfcastle. Shearer has been vocal about what he perceives as the show's declining quality. In 2004, he said "I rate the last three seasons as among the worst."
