Events in Film & TV
Television Premiere
1989-12-17 "The Simpsons" created by Matt Groening, premieres on Fox TV as a full animated series with the episode, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"
- 1997-02-09 Fox cartoon series "The Simpsons" airs 167th episode; longest-running animated series in cartoon history
- 2018-04-29 Animated series "The Simpsons" surpasses 635-episode count of "Gunsmoke"'; highest number of episodes of any series on TV
Film & TV History
2021-04-13 Voice actor Hank Azaria who is white apologizes for voicing Indian character Apu on "The Simpsons" for 30 years
Birthdays in Film & TV
- 1941-03-28 Alf Clausen, American orchestra leader and film and television score composer (Donny & Marie; The Simpsons; ALF), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1943-12-23 Harry Shearer, American screenwriter, actor (SNL, 1975-85; The Simpsons; This Is Spinal Tap), radio host (Le Show), and musician, born in Los Angeles, California
Phil Hartman (1948-1998)
1948-09-24 Canadian-American actor (NewsRadio, 1995-98; The Simpsons, 1991-91; SNL, 1986-94: Peewee's Playhouse), and graphic artist, born in Brantford, Ontario
- 1950-09-07 Julie Kavner, American actress and voice artist (Brenda-Rhoda, Marge-Simpsons), born in Los Angeles, California
- 1950-11-16 John Swartzwelder, American television writer (The Simpsons), born in Seattle, Washington
Matt Groening (69 years old)
1954-02-15 American cartoonist and writer (Life in Hell, The Simpsons, Futurama), born in Portland, Oregon
Homer Simpson (67 years old)
1956-05-12 Fictional character from the long running television show "The Simpsons", born in Springfield
- 1957-03-15 David Silverman, American animator (The Simpsons), born in Long Island, New York
- 1957-10-29 Dan Castellaneta, American comedian, and Emmy Award-winning voice actor (The Simpsons -"Homer"), born in Chicago, Illinois
Hank Azaria (59 years old)
1964-04-25 American actor (The Birdcage) and voice behind many characters in The Simpsons (Moe, Apu, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Carl Carlson), born in NYC, New York
- 1964-07-03 Yeardley Smith, French-born American actress (Lisa Simpson-The Simpsons), born in Paris
- 1964-08-24 Dana Gould, American comedian and writer (The Simpsons 1989), born in Hopedale, Massachusetts
Weddings in Film & TV
Helen Hunt & Hank Azaria
1999-07-17 Academy Award-winning actress Helen Hunt (36) weds "The Simpsons" voice actor Hank Azaria (35) in Los Angeles, California
Deaths in Film & TV
Phil Hartman (1948-1998)
1998-05-28 Canadian-American actor (NewsRadio, 1995-98; The Simpsons, 1991-91; SNL, 1986-94: Peewee's Playhouse), and graphic artist, murdered by his wife in his sleep at 49