The Simpsons: 10 Best Characters Voiced By Harry Shearer

6. Otto Mann

The Simpsons Kent Brockman
20th Century Fox

Hands up if you didn't realise Otto's surname was Mann until right now?! Another memorable character voiced by Harry Shearer is the free-wheeling, rocker and bus driver, Otto.

Undeniably a character close to Shearer's alter ego in the fictional rock band Spinal Tap, the heavy metal loving Otto is a perfectly pitched stoner character known for his comically bad driving, carefree attitude and never being without his headphones!

The years of being a long-haired pretend rocker evidently inspired the type of voice that Shearer gave to the character of Otto, and is a perfect match to the character design. Like so many of Shearer's other characters, some real-world inspiration was drawn upon with the sketches for Springfield Elementary's bus driver reportedly based on Simpsons writer Wallace Wolodarsky, who sported a similarly distinct outfit.

Bart Simpson frequently addresses this character as "Otto, man", but who knew that all this time he was actually saying his full name!

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I have been writing about film for almost 5 years, contributing to sites including WhatCulture, JumpCut Online, Cineworld, and Zavvi. I also host a couple of podcasts, JumpCast and Let's Jaws for a Minute. You can often find me on the internet evangelising about Disney or why Jaws is the greatest film ever made...