Voice of Mr Burns isn't leaving The Simpsons after all

Shearer is the actor behind characters including Mr Burns

Kashmira Gander
Wednesday 08 July 2015 09:52 BST
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Actor Harry Shearer plays Mr Burns among other characters
Actor Harry Shearer plays Mr Burns among other characters

Harry Shearer, who voices dozens of Simpsons characters including Mr Burns, has returned to the show following a contract dispute.

The actor, 71, announced he was leaving the cast of the iconic cartoon earlier this year, when he tweeted a message which he said was from the lawyer of James L Brooks, one of the show’s producers.

However, Fox has announced that Shearer will return for the show’s 27th and 28th seasons, alongside cast members including Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson), Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson), Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) and Hank Azaria (Moe Szyslak).

Since the show debuted as a bit on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1989, Shearer has voiced a number of key characters including the Simpsons’ neighbour Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, and Mr Burns’ beleaguered aide Waylon Smithers.

However, he has also enjoyed a rich career outside the show.

Before he joined the programme, he worked as an actor and writer on hit US comedy show Saturday Night Live, as well as a musician and producer.

Since then, he has appeared in numerous TV shows and films, most notably as a hapless rockstar Derek Smalls in This is Spinal Tap, which he co-wrote and co-created.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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