Despite having become the longest-running animated show of all time and widely being regarded as one of the greatest things to have ever graced the screens of television, much of the cast of The Simpsons is mostly known for exactly that and not a lot else. Remember, they’ve been playing the same characters (most of them taking on many voices) for over 30 years.
Therefore, we’ve used IMDb to find out the best roles of the primary cast outside of the world of The Simpsons.
Dan Castellaneta
Despite being known primarily for providing the voice to the overweight, abusive and stupid Homer J. Simpson, Dan Castellaneta has been able to pick up a few more serious roles elsewhere in cinema.
Arguably his biggest non-Simpsons part came with his role in Super 8, but according to IMDb, is it his role in the Will Smith-led The Pursuit Of Happyness that wins, with an 8.0 average.
Julie Kavner
Julie Kavner rose to fame when she played Brenda in Rhoda, winning a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress. On The Simpsons, she is known for voicing Marge, as well as all the rest of the Bouvier women.
One of her many collaborations with Woody Allen, Hannah And Her Sisters, is what lands her a 7.9 IMDb average.
Nancy Cartwright
Known for playing Bart, a spiky headed 10-year-old boy, Nancy Cartwright (a 62-year-old woman) has probably had a stranger life than most. She also lends her to voice to the likes of Nelson Muntz and Ralph Wiggum, making The Simpsons, by far, her most well-known position.
However, she also plays Margo Sherman in The Critic. Fun fact: this is one of the very few shows to have landed a crossover with The Simpsons.
Yeardley Smith
One of the only voice actors in The Simpsons to pretty much exclusively voice one character, Yeardley Smith is the distinctive voice of Lisa Simpson.
Playing just one character has allowed for Smith to land some more regular external work than many of her co-stars, with her role in As Good As It Gets landing a 7.7 average.
Hank Azaria
He might not voice one of the primary members of the family, but Hank Azaria is as key to the central cast of The Simpsons as anyone. He voices the likes of Moe, Apu and Comic Book Guy, meaning he has an important role in many episodes, despite first joining the show with almost no voice acting experience.
He has a relatively successful live-action career on top of the animated show, with his small role in Heat coming out on top with 8.2.
Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer has remained a part of the core cast of The Simpsons since its inception back in 1989. He voices a wide range of characters, from Mr. Burns to Kent Brockman.
In a weird twist of events, it isn’t The Simpsons that he is most known for. Shearer is known to many for his starring role in the British mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, which averages a 7.9.
Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks doesn’t have anywhere near the same level of presence in The Simpsons as the voice actors we’ve looked at so far, but he certainly returns to play some important characters when it counts.
He played the greatest bad guy in the show’s history, Hank Scorpio, and returned to voice the primary antagonist of The Simpsons Movie, Russ Cargill. His highest IMDb rating comes from the incredible 8.3 in Taxi Driver.
Phil Hartman
Another of The Simpsons' impressive recurring guests, Phil Hartman voiced the immortal Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure up until his murder.
For these iconic characters to be remembered today without Hartman being a part of the show since his death in 1998, he must have been a pretty incredible voice actor. He had a wide-ranging career, with NewsRadio on 7.9.
Kelsey Grammer
Playing one of the most-loved and best characters in The Simpsons, Kelsey Grammer has gone down in the show’s history as possibly its greatest guest star.
He is, of course, most well-known for his starring role in Frasier, as Frasier Crane. It’s this role that landed him a solid 8.0 average.
Marcia Wallace
Despite only really playing one character in The Simpsons, Marcia Wallace is remembered as one of the show’s most important figureheads.
Upon her death in 2013, Edna Krabappel was retired. Outside of the show, she is remembered fondly for her important role in The Bob Newhart Show, which has an 8.1.