Bio

Tony Award nominee and six-time Emmy Award winner, Hank Azaria is a multifaceted performer in film, television and on the stage, as well as a respected director and comedian. 

Azaria received critical acclaim for starring as Jim Brockmire on IFC’s comedy series, BROCKMIRE. He was nominated for the 2018, 2019 and 2021 Critics’ Choice Award for “Best Actor in a Comedy Series” and served as executive producer on the series.  Hank reprised his role as the fabled sportscaster with THE JIM BROCKMIRE PODCAST which launched on April 7th across all platforms that Le Batard & Friends podcasts are available. This ten-episode run featured Brockmire interviewing a guest with his inimitable, hard-ball style.  Guests included Charles Barkley, Joe Buck, Don Cheadle, Steve Cohen, Colin Cowherd, Rich Eisen, Jemele Hill, Dan Patrick, Ben Stiller and Joy Taylor. Azaria can next be seen in Showtime’s SUPER PUMPED opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kyle Chandler.

Azaria starred alongside Liev Schreiber in a recurring role on Showtime’s drama series, RAY DONOVAN for which he won the 2016 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series” and was nominated for the 2017 Emmy Award.  Additionally, Azaria starred as Frank Dipascali, Madoff’s right-hand man in Barry Levinson’s Emmy nominated, THE WIZARD OF LIES opposite Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer on HBO.  

Azaria is also well known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Craig “Huff” Huffstodt on Showtime’s HUFF. The show ran for two seasons, from 2004 to 2006, and garnered seven Emmy nominations in 2005, including a nomination for Azaria for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” as well as a SAG Award nomination. Azaria served as an executive producer and directed an episode during the show’s second season. In 1999, Azaria starred as Mitch Albom, alongside the legendary Jack Lemmon, in the television film TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE and took home the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.”  Azaria also earned Emmy Award nominations for his notable recurring guest-starring roles on FRIENDS and MAD ABOUT YOU.  His other television film credits include Jon Avnet’s UPRISING and Stephen Frears’ FAIL SAFE.  

As a vocal artist, Azaria is highly regarded as one of the best, with more than 20 years as a principal voice actor on THE SIMPSONS. Azaria brings to life a list of characters too numerous to mention, though some of his best known voices include Moe Szyslak, Police Chief Wiggum and ComicBook Guy. He has been nominated for six Emmy Awards and has won four for “Outstanding Voice-Over Performance” for his work on THE SIMPSONS.  And brought many of his beloved characters to the big screen in 2007’s THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. His additional voice-over work includes the feature films HOP and HAPPY FEET 2, which both grossed over $150 million worldwide. He made multiple appearances as Venom/Eddie Brock, from 1994 to 1996, on the animated series SPIDER-MAN and voiced the lead character in Fox’s animated series BORDERTOWN, which was created and written by Seth MacFarlane and Mark Hentemann. 

On the big screen, Azaria starred as the scene-stealing Guatemalan housekeeper, Agador Spartacus, in Mike Nichols’ THE BIRDCAGE. The role catapulted Azaria’s film career and earned him a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nomination for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role” and won “Outstanding Performance by a Cast with the film’s ensemble.” 

Some of Azaria’s other film credits include: LOVELACE opposite Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard; LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway; YEAR ONE opposite Jack Black and Michael Cera; Roland Emmerich’s GODZILLA; the 1998 adaptation of GREAT EXPECTATIONS opposite Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow; Tim Robbins’ CRADLE WILL ROCK; Woody Allen’s CELEBRITY; AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS with Julia Roberts and Billy Crystal; SHATTERED GLASS with Peter Skarsgaard and Hayden Christensen; and Robert Redford’s QUIZ SHOW which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1994. As well: THE SMURFS and THE SMURFS 2 (grossing over $850 million worldwide, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN (grossing over $415 million worldwide), NORMAN, ALONG CAME POLLY, DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY, GROSSE POINTE BLANK, HEAT, NOW AND THEN and PRETTY WOMAN. 

In the theater, Azaria starred in Thomas Kail’s 2016 off-Broadway play DRY POWDER opposite Claire Danes and John Krasinski. He also starred opposite Matthew Perry and Minnie Driver in David Mamet’s SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO in London’s West End in 2003. In 2005, Azaria originated the role of Sir Lancelot in SPAMALOT, the musical-comedy adaptation of MONTY PYTHON AND THE  HOLY GRAIL. The show was a huge success and earned 14 Tony Award nominations, including one for Azaria for “Best Actor in a Musical.” In 2007, he returned to Broadway and starred as RCA head David Sarnoff in Aaron Sorkin’s THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION. 

As a filmmaker, Azaria wrote, directed and produced the 2004 short film NOBODY’S PERFECT, which won the Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Short at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and the award for Best Narrative Short at the Ojai Film Festival.  And in 2014, Azaria created the documentary web series, FATHERHOOD, which followed him as he interviewed his friends and colleagues about their experiences as fathers while illustrating his own journey in becoming a dad.