The Simpsons: 10 Secondary Characters Voiced By Hank Azaria

3. Carl Carlson

First Appearance: "Homer's Night Out," Season 1. Considered to be one of the most handsome men in Springfield, Carl Carlson has been around since the first season, and continues to grow with the show as a character and distinct personality. Originally just an unnamed co-worker of Homer's from the Nuclear Power Plant, Carl has become a multi-layered character in Springfield. In the early seasons, Carl's personality didn't range much further than "barfly at Moe's" and occasional bowler; since then, it has been discovered that Carl is originally from Iceland, where he was adopted; he is a practicing Buddhist, although his individual practices anger fellow-Buddhist Richard Gere; and he is childhood friends with both Homer and Lenny. Carl's relationship with his best-friend, Lenny Leonard, has taken a turn from the early seasons. Initially cast as mere co-workers and later best friends- Carl has been known to refer to himself as "an Urban-Lenny"- Lenny and Carl have the "homosexual" rumors thrown at them as well. It is possible that the implied feelings are one-sided: when looking at the stars to "see into their souls," Lenny sees a constellation of Carl while Carl also sees a constellation of himself. When looking at a sculpture, Lenny stated, "I can't tell where Carl ends and I begin!" Carl's response was a straight-forward: "It's stuff like this that makes everyone think we're gay." But they have dated each others' sisters, and - in one of The Simpsons' future-timeline episodes - switched brains because Lenny's wife left him for Carl. Carl is not the funniest character Hank Azaria voices- or even the third funniest- but he is one of the most important in many plots. His "straight man" to Lenny's randomness and Homer's idiocy holds the the trio together; add Moe's insanity, and occasionally Barney's drunken stupor, and Carl's personality and demeanor becomes all the more important to the progression of storylines, plots, and jokes. Funniest Moment: In a reenactment of every group of teenage boys ever at a bowling alley... Lenny: "Hey Carl, check out the overhead scoreboard." Carl: "(Laughing.)Ha, ha... 'Poo'... Ah, Homer. What whacky name do you want?" Homer: "Are 'POO' and 'ASS' taken?" Carl: "Yeah."