Hank Azaria

Biography

Despite his initial intentions of becoming a stage performer, actor Hank Azaria turned his childhood talent for mimicry into a highly successful career, voicing many characters on the long-running animated comedy, "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ). Thanks to his varied oddball interpretations of Moe the Bartender, Apu the Kwik-E-Mart owner, and Police Chief Wiggum, Azaria was able to transfer his success with animation into the live-action world. 

Following his breakthrough performance as a smarmy 1950s television producer in "Quiz Show" (1994), he stole the show from the likes of Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a flamboyant houseboy in "The Birdcage" (1996). Though he tried - and failed - to enter into blockbuster territory with "Godzilla" (1998), Azaria fared well with moving and award-nominated performances in "Tuesdays with Morrie" (ABC, 1999) and "Uprising" (NBC, 2001). 

Though he finally fulfilled his lifetime ambition with a triumphant performance as an effeminate Sir Lancelot in the Broadway smash "Spamalot" (2004-05), Azaria never strayed far from his steady and lucrative tenure on "The Simpsons," which solidified his standing as one of the most talented voice-over artists working in the business. 

He also worked steadily in both film and television, with big screen credits ranging from the porn-industry biopic "Lovelace" (2013) to a starring role as the evil Gargamel in "The Smurfs" (2011) and its sequels, and a starring role in the dark comedy "Brockmire" (IFC 2017- ) as a disgraced baseball announcer attempting to rebuild his life and career.