--- description: The entire original cast will return for season 27 title: Mr. Burns Actor Harry Shearer Returns to 'The Simpsons' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66799cacf5aa4033/698859dc0a4a22436b9c50b1/harry-shearer-simpsons.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Mr. Burns Actor Harry Shearer Returns to _The Simpsons_  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jul 7, 2015 6:13 PM CUT  Harry Shearer, left, voices numerous characters on The Simpsons including that of Mr. Burns. Harry Shearer, left, voices numerous characters on The Simpsons including that of Mr. Burns.Getty Images; Fox  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jul 7, 2015 6:13 PM CUT _Simpsons_ actor Harry Shearer will return to the series after all. Seven weeks after tweeting he would leave the show, the voice of Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Smithers and several other characters has signed a deal to return to the comedy, [according to](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/15/harry-shearer-simpsons-returns?hootPostID=c9207bc716489e677082ac3971988718 "undefined") _Entertainment Weekly_. That means the show’s original cast will return in full for the next four seasons. Shearer reportedly signed the same deal as the other five main voice actors, Dan Castellaneta, Yeardley Smith, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright and Hank Azaria. _The Simpsons_ returns for its 27th season on Sept. 27. \[[_EW_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/15/harry-shearer-simpsons-returns?hootPostID=c9207bc716489e677082ac3971988718 "undefined")\] ### Meet the Voices of The Simpsons  Dan Castellaneta is the voice of Homer, the bumbling patriarch of the Simpson family. He also voices other adult males such as Grampa Simpson, Groundskeeper Willie and Krusty the Clown. Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images; Fox  Julie Kavner voices Marge Simpson as well as her twin sisters Patty and Selma and their estranged mother Jacqueline. Michael N. Todaro—Getty Images; Fox  Nancy Cartwright voices many of the male children in The Simpsons. She primarily voices Bart, but also gives life to Nelson Muntz, Todd Flanders and Ralph Wiggum, amongst others. Amanda Edwards—WireImage/Getty Images; Fox  Yeardley Smith is the voice of Lisa, the brains of the Simpson clan. Imeh Akpanudosen—Getty Images; Fox  Hank Azaria plays the town barkeep, Moe Szyslak, as well as a wide cast of male characters ranging from Chief Wiggum and Apu to Duffman (can't breathe! oh no!). Brad Barket—Getty Images; Fox  The other everyman of the series, Harry Shearer gives voice to Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner and a host of other Springfield residents. Dave J. Hogan—Getty Images; Fox  Pamela Hayden voices Milhouse, Bart's sidekick, as well as some other male children in Springfield like Jimbo Jones and Rod Flanders. Frazer Harrison—Getty Images; Fox  The late Marcia Wallace was the voice of elementary school teacher Edna Krabappel. Angela Weiss—Getty Images; Fox  Russi Taylor voiced some of the kids at Springfield Elementary such as Martin Prince, Terri and Sherri, and German exchange student Üter Zörker. David Livingston—Getty Images; Fox ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3948369/mr-burns-harry-shearer-returns-simpsons/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3948369/mr-burns-harry-shearer-returns-simpsons/"},"headline":"Mr. Burns Actor Harry Shearer Returns to The Simpsons","datePublished":"2015-07-07T18:13:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:37.280Z","description":"The entire original cast will return for season 27","url":"https://time.com/3948369/mr-burns-harry-shearer-returns-simpsons/","keywords":["Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66799cacf5aa4033/698859dc0a4a22436b9c50b1/harry-shearer-simpsons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66799cacf5aa4033/698859dc0a4a22436b9c50b1/harry-shearer-simpsons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"harry-shearer-simpsons","caption":"Harry Shearer, left, voices numerous characters on The Simpsons including that of Mr. Burns.","creditText":"Getty Images; Fox","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3948369/mr-burns-harry-shearer-returns-simpsons/","name":"Mr. Burns Actor Harry Shearer Returns to The Simpsons"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"See the Real Life People Who Inspired the Simpsons","description":"Even some of the Simpson's more animated characters come from real-life people.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ckFGPY1s/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-08-21T21:26:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ckFGPY1s.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3948369/mr-burns-harry-shearer-returns-simpsons/","duration":"PT1M33S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3948369/mr-burns-harry-shearer-returns-simpsons/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```