Harry Shearer
Best known as Mr. Burns, Smithers and Ned Flanders (among others) on the long-running Fox hit "THE SIMPSONS" and as the dimly thoughtful bass player Derek Smalls in the modern classic "THIS IS SPINAL TAP," Harry Shearer is now available for satirical lectures!
Harry Shearer has been active in the entertainment business as a child and adult for more than half a century. Making his debut on the Jack Benny radio program at the advanced age of 7, he worked in television and films ("The Robe", "Abbott & Costello Go to Mars") until, at age 15, he entered UCLA, where he majored in political science and edited the editorial page of the school newspaper and the humor magazine. After a year in graduate school, and two years teaching public school in Compton, Shearer returned to the entertainment business as part of the seminal late-60s-early-70s comedy group The Credibility Gap, producing daily satirical news broadcasts, touring clubs and producing a memorable album of their work, "A Great Gift Idea" (Reprise).
Shearer then collaborated with Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest and Tom Leopold on the special, "The TV Show" (ABC) from which grew the band that eventually surfaced in the 1984 film that Shearer, Guest, McKean and Reiner co-created, "This is Spinal Tap". The band was reunited in July 2007, for a special performance at London's Live Earth Concert.
In 1979, Shearer joined the cast and writing staff of "Saturday Night Live" for the final year of the original crew (alongside Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris), and returned to the show five years later with Guest and Martin Short, among others.
In the years since, Shearer has created specials for Cinemax and HBO, comedy segments for NBC and ABC television, weekly commentaries for ABC-TV News, and his weekly radio hour of comedy and music, "Le Show", is currently in its 24th year of being broadcast nationwide and around the world.
In 1989, he became part of the founding cast of the FOX animated series "The Simpsons," where he has created the voices of more than a dozen major characters.
Shearer returned to motion pictures after "Tap", with memorable appearances in "Godzilla", "Wayne's World 2", "The Truman Show", and as the trans-gender folkie bass player Mark/Marta Shubb in Guest's "A Mighty Wind," for which he also helped compose the songs. He also starred in Guest's "For Your Consideration." In 2001, he wrote and directed the darkly comic feature film "Teddy Bears' Picnic", which, after theatrical release, is beginning its second life on DVD.
In 2006, Shearer released two comedy albums. His television comedy and satire compilation DVD "Now You See It," and, "Dropping Anchors," his CD that boasts a satirical salute to the end of the era of the television news anchor. In 2007, Shearer released his most recent compilation of original music, "Songs Pointed and Pointless.
Shearer has written three non-fiction books, "Man Bites Town" (St. Martin's Press) and "It's the Stupidity, Stupid" (Random House) and the 2006 comic novel, "Not Enough Indians" (Justin & Charles).
In 2007, Harry, along with other notable comedians and filmmakers (such as David Wain, Andy Milonakis, and Paul Reiser) launched www.mydamnchannel.com. The site is a web destination and a production hub where comedians, musicians and filmmakers can create, produce and distribute their own original shortform series. Harry is producing a weekly political and pop culture satire show called The Harry Shearer Project.
Where technically possible, Harry's satirical lecture will include video of media and political figures at their worst. Married to a Welshwoman and himself a first-generation American, Shearer's unique view of the national scene mixes an insider's knowledge with an outsider's puzzled awe.
Best known as Mr. Burns, Smithers and Ned Flanders (among others) on the long-running Fox hit "THE SIMPSONS" and as the dimly thoughtful bass player Derek Smalls in the modern classic "THIS IS SPINAL TAP," Harry Shearer is now available for satirical lectures!
Harry Shearer has been active in the entertainment business as a child and adult for more than half a century. Making his debut on the Jack Benny radio program at the advanced age of 7, he worked in television and films ("The Robe", "Abbott & Costello Go to Mars") until, at age 15, he entered UCLA, where he majored in political science and edited the editorial page of the school newspaper and the humor magazine. After a year in graduate school, and two years teaching public school in Compton, Shearer returned to the entertainment business as part of the seminal late-60s-early-70s comedy group The Credibility Gap, producing daily satirical news broadcasts, touring clubs and producing a memorable album of their work, "A Great Gift Idea" (Reprise).
Shearer then collaborated with Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest and Tom Leopold on the special, "The TV Show" (ABC) from which grew the band that eventually surfaced in the 1984 film that Shearer, Guest, McKean and Reiner co-created, "This is Spinal Tap". The band was reunited in July 2007, for a special performance at London's Live Earth Concert.
In 1979, Shearer joined the cast and writing staff of "Saturday Night Live" for the final year of the original crew (alongside Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris), and returned to the show five years later with Guest and Martin Short, among others.
In the years since, Shearer has created specials for Cinemax and HBO, comedy segments for NBC and ABC television, weekly commentaries for ABC-TV News, and his weekly radio hour of comedy and music, "Le Show", is currently in its 24th year of being broadcast nationwide and around the world.
In 1989, he became part of the founding cast of the FOX animated series "The Simpsons," where he has created the voices of more than a dozen major characters.
Shearer returned to motion pictures after "Tap", with memorable appearances in "Godzilla", "Wayne's World 2", "The Truman Show", and as the trans-gender folkie bass player Mark/Marta Shubb in Guest's "A Mighty Wind," for which he also helped compose the songs. He also starred in Guest's "For Your Consideration." In 2001, he wrote and directed the darkly comic feature film "Teddy Bears' Picnic", which, after theatrical release, is beginning its second life on DVD.
In 2006, Shearer released two comedy albums. His television comedy and satire compilation DVD "Now You See It," and, "Dropping Anchors," his CD that boasts a satirical salute to the end of the era of the television news anchor. In 2007, Shearer released his most recent compilation of original music, "Songs Pointed and Pointless.
Shearer has written three non-fiction books, "Man Bites Town" (St. Martin's Press) and "It's the Stupidity, Stupid" (Random House) and the 2006 comic novel, "Not Enough Indians" (Justin & Charles).
In 2007, Harry, along with other notable comedians and filmmakers (such as David Wain, Andy Milonakis, and Paul Reiser) launched www.mydamnchannel.com. The site is a web destination and a production hub where comedians, musicians and filmmakers can create, produce and distribute their own original shortform series. Harry is producing a weekly political and pop culture satire show called The Harry Shearer Project.
Where technically possible, Harry's satirical lecture will include video of media and political figures at their worst. Married to a Welshwoman and himself a first-generation American, Shearer's unique view of the national scene mixes an insider's knowledge with an outsider's puzzled awe.
