Henry Albert Azaria (/əˈzɛəriə/ ə-ZAIR-ee-ə; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom The Simpsons since 1989, most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Snake Jailbird, and formerly Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Lou, Carl Carlson, and Bumblebee Man, among others. He gained recognition after becoming a series regular in its second season. For his work, he has won six Primetime Emmy Awards, an Annie Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Azaria is also known for his live-action roles in feature films such as Quiz Show (1994), The Birdcage (1996), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Godzilla (1998), Mystery Men (1999), Cradle Will Rock (1999), America's Sweethearts (2001), Shattered Glass (2003), Along Came Polly (2004), Run Fatboy Run (2007), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), The Smurfs (2011), and The Smurfs 2 (2013).
He starred in the title roles in the IFC sitcom Brockmire (2017–2020), and the Showtime drama series Huff (2004–2006). Azaria has had recurring roles in Mad About You, Friends, and Ray Donovan. He received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in Tuesdays with Morrie (1999). He portrayed Mordechai Anielewicz in Uprising (2001), and Frank DiPascali in The Wizard of Lies (2017). Azaria's recent credits include roles in Hello Tomorrow!, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Idol (all 2023).
He made his Broadway debut in the Eric Idle musical Spamalot, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He returned to Broadway in the Aaron Sorkin play The Farnsworth Invention (2007).
Early life
Henry Albert Azaria was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City on April 25, 1964, the son of Ruth Altcheck and Albert Azaria. His grandparents on both sides were Sephardic Thessalonian Jews (i.e. from the Greek city of Thessaloniki). His family spoke Ladino, also known as Judaeo-Spanish, which he described as "a strange, antiquated Spanish dialect written in Hebrew characters." Azaria's father ran several dress-manufacturing businesses while his mother raised him and his two older sisters, Stephanie and Elise. Before marrying his father, Azaria's mother had been a publicist for Columbia Pictures, promoting films in Latin American countries as she was fluent in both English and Spanish. During his childhood, Azaria would often "memorize and mimic" the scripts of films, shows, and stand-up comedy routines he enjoyed. He attended Camp Towanda in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and now visits annually as a judge for the camp's Olympics.
Azaria attended The Kew-Forest School in Queens' Forest Hills neighborhood. He decided to become an actor after performing in a school play at the age of 16, becoming "obsessed with acting" at the expense of his academic studies. Both of his parents loved all forms of show business, which further spurred him to become an actor. He studied drama at Tufts University from 1981 to 1985, where he met and befriended actor Oliver Platt and noted that Platt was a "better actor" than he was and inspired him. Together they starred in various college stage productions, including The Merchant of Venice, before Azaria went to train at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Although he did not expect the endeavor to be successful, he decided to become a professional actor so that he would not regret not having tried later in life. His first acting job was an advertisement for Italian television when he was 17 years old. He also worked as a busboy. He originally intended to work predominantly as a theatrical actor, and he and Platt set up a company called Big Theatre, although Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter was the only show they ever performed. Azaria decided that television was a better arena and offered more opportunity, and moved to Los Angeles after being offered work with talent agent Harry Gold.
