Harry Shearer

Biography: "Hollywood Lifer" does not even begin to describe Harry Shearer. True, the actor/writer/musician has been around for as long as many remember, but he is no hack.

Harrison Shearer got his big break in the pilot of the 1957-63 sitcom Leave It To Beaver, in which he played the original Eddie Haskell. The role was recast in future episodes, though he appeared as a different character later on in the first season.

Shearer resurfaced in the mid-70's as a comedian in Los Angeles, writing and occasionally performing on Laverne & Shirley, Fernwood 2Night, and America 2Night. He eventually landed a gig on Saturday Night Live, where he performed and wrote sketches during the 1979-80 season, then came back to do the same in 1984-85. Shearer never fit the SNL mold on either attempt, blaming the show's producers for not giving him enough exposure or attention. When he resigned from the show January 13, 1985, a press release cited "creative differences" for his departure. Shearer clarified the quote by saying, "I was creative and they were different."

However, his greatest fame came from two completely different entities: as bassist Derek Smalls in the movie This Is Spinal Tap, and as the voice of Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Smithers, Reverend Lovejoy, and many others as welll as the voices from some guest stars on the hit TV series The Simpsons.

Shearer has worked as various other occupations apart from showbiz. He worked as a freelance journalist and a high school teacher after he finished his degree at Harvard University, Massachusetts. He also hosted a comedy radio show Le Show that became intensely popular during it's run.

He has had two wives. The first, he divorced in 1977. His current wife, Judith Owen, has been married to him since 1993.… Expand