The Simpsons: 10 Characters Who Reappeared After Long Absences

Voiced by the late great Jackie Mason, Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky was the ultra-religious father of Springfield's resident harlequin, Krusty The Clown.

The Rabbi first appeared in Season 3's Like Father, Like Clown, in which Krusty attempts to reconnect with his dear old dad after he rejected him for following a career in comedy.

Mason had to do very little research for this story, as his own father was a Rabbi who did exactly the same thing to him! Talk about method.

The Rabbi would make some background appearances over the next few years, but would return in a major role in the Season 15 episode Today, I Am A Clown. The elder Krustofsky reluctantly helps his son have a proper bar mitzvah, although his concerns about Krusty turning it into a sideshow are quickly realised.

Mason returned to voice the character a handful of times before the Season 26 premiere, in which the Rabbi suddenly passes away. Mason then returned once more in a flashback sequence before his own passing in 2021, and he will always be remembered for bringing levity and humour to such a great character.