7. Glenn Close
Played: Mona Simpson Episode: Mother Simpson, Mona Leaves-a, My Mother the Carjacker, How I Wet Your Mother There may be some that were aware of Glenn Close playing Homer's mother, but she plays it so well that it's pretty much impossible to guess it's her from her voice alone. Mona Simpson disappears from Homer's life very early on, forced into a life on the run after a botched attack on Mr. Burns' germ warfare laboratory. Her gentle streak wins out over her political convictions and stops to help Mr. Burns up after her activist friends trample him, and in doing so allows Burns to remember her face, making it unsafe to stay in Springfield. Homer believed his mother had died for many years until she returns to Springfield after Homer fakes his own death to get out of an afternoon of litter picking, but he finally learns the truth. He easily bonds with Mona again, but it's a short-lived joy as she abandons Homer again after Mr. Burns recognises her once again. Homer helps her to escape, before the famous ending scene where the credits roll over Homer sitting on his car, staring wistfully at the starry night sky. Mona Simpson has been voiced by other Simpsons stalwarts such as Tress MacNeille and Maggie Roswell, but Glenn Close's performances were always very well-received by audiences. Her motherly tone bears all the hallmarks of a grandmother, but the strength of her voice will always convince us that she's still a determined hippy activist.