Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#903
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Harry Shearer represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 73 years in, and Harry is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Harry Shearer appears in 29 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Harry. The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders is the clearest case: a film rated 10.0 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for comedy, family, animation. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Matthew Nastuk, Debbie Bruce Mahan, Rob Reiner and others, Harry Shearer helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders (2021) as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice) · The Truman Show (1998) as Mike Michaelson · The Simpsons Movie (2007) as Scratchy / Mr. Burns / Rev. Lovejoy / Ned Flanders / Lenny / Skull / President Arnold Schwarzenegger / Kent Brockman / Principal Skinner / Dr. Hibbert / Smithers / Toll Booth Man / Guard / Otto / Kang (voice)
Career snapshot
Ranked #903 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
29
1953–2026
Career length
73 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
10.0
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
Average Nutevio score
6.5
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
10.0
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
Most frequent director
Christopher Guest
4 films together
Longest collaboration
4×
With Christopher Guest
Most common genre
Comedy
25 titles
Average runtime
1h 35m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
7.1
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1980s
6.7 average MV
The 1980s are where the work and the material meet. My Stepmother Is an Alien, This Is Spinal Tap, The Right Stuff — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1980s
6.7
Across 3 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1980s
6.9
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1950s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. The Egyptian, The Robe.
Most productive era
1990s
11 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1950s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.62 films | 7.21 film | 7.82 films | — | — | — |
| Action | — | — | 6.32 films | — | — | 3.31 film |
| Thriller | — | — | 5.91 film | — | — | 10.01 film |
| Comedy | — | 6.52 films | 6.610 films | 6.44 films | 5.62 films | 6.67 films |
| Crime | — | — | — | — | — | 6.83 films |
| Romance | — | — | 6.61 film | — | — | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1953The Robe
Where our catalogue meets this career, as David (uncredited).
First Nutevio masterpiece · Highest rated performance · Career peak
2021The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
The first film here to clear 9.0 on our scale — a threshold fewer than one film in ten reaches. 10.0 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2026Simpsley
The current state of the argument, as Seymour Skinner (voice).
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
29 of 29 films
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
Directed by Debbie Bruce Mahan
as Mike Michaelson
Directed by Peter Weir
as Scratchy / Mr. Burns / Rev. Lovejoy / Ned Flanders / Lenny / Skull / President Arnold Schwarzenegger / Kent Brockman / Principal Skinner / Dr. Hibbert / Smithers / Toll Booth Man / Guard / Otto / Kang (voice)
Directed by David Silverman
as Seymour Skinner (voice)
Directed by Debbie Bruce Mahan
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
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The defining work
#1
Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders (2021)
Performance score9.7
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice) gives Harry Shearer a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Mike Michaelson
The Truman Show (1998)
Performance score8.1
The Truman Show asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Mike Michaelson is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Derek Smalls
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Performance score7.6
This Is Spinal Tap asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Derek Smalls is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Scratchy / Mr. Burns / Rev. Lovejoy / Ned Flanders / Lenny / Skull / President Arnold Schwarzenegger / Kent Brockman / Principal Skinner / Dr. Hibbert / Smithers / Toll Booth Man / Guard / Otto / Kang (voice)
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Performance score7.3
The Simpsons Movie asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Scratchy / Mr. Burns / Rev. Lovejoy / Ned Flanders / Lenny / Skull / President Arnold Schwarzenegger / Kent Brockman / Principal Skinner / Dr. Hibbert / Smithers / Toll Booth Man / Guard / Otto / Kang (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
Start here. The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders is the clearest statement of what Harry Shearer does — accessible, 44 minutes, and rated 10.0 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Harry at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Keeps the comedy register of The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Truman Show (1998)
Keeps the comedy register of This Is Spinal Tap but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Keeps the comedy register of The Truman Show but asks for a colder reading of it.
Simpsley (2026)
Keeps the comedy register of The Simpsons Movie but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Christopher Guest
Director
4 films together
Notably A Mighty Wind
Debbie Bruce Mahan
Director
3 films together
Notably The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
David Silverman
Director
2 films together
Notably The Simpsons Movie
Rob Reiner
Director
2 films together
Notably This Is Spinal Tap
Henry Koster
Director
1 film together
Notably The Robe
Michael Curtiz
Director
1 film together
Notably The Egyptian
Philip Kaufman
Director
1 film together
Notably The Right Stuff
Richard Benjamin
Director
1 film together
Notably My Stepmother Is an Alien
John Landis
Director
1 film together
Notably Oscar
Penny Marshall
Director
1 film together
Notably A League of Their Own
Stephen Surjik
Director
1 film together
Notably Wayne's World 2
Brad Silberling
Director
1 film together
Notably Casper
P.J. Hogan
Director
1 film together
Notably My Best Friend's Wedding
Joe Dante
Director
1 film together
Notably Small Soldiers
Peter Weir
Director
1 film together
Notably The Truman Show
Roland Emmerich
Director
1 film together
Notably Godzilla
Andrew Fleming
Director
1 film together
Notably Dick
Ron Howard
Director
1 film together
Notably EDtv
Mark Dindal
Director
1 film together
Notably Chicken Little
Lawrence Sher
Director
1 film together
Notably Father Figures
Matthew Nastuk
Director
1 film together
Notably Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Christopher Guest
Director
4 films together · 6.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 4 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
A Mighty WindDebbie Bruce Mahan
Director
3 films together · 8.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Simpsons: A Serious FlandersRob Reiner
Director
2 films together · 6.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
This Is Spinal TapDavid Silverman
Director
2 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Simpsons MoviePeter Weir
Director
1 film together · 8.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Truman ShowPenny Marshall
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A League of Their OwnPhilip Kaufman
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Right StuffMatthew Nastuk
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Extreme Makeover: Homer EditionHenry Koster
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The RobeJoe Dante
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Small SoldiersP.J. Hogan
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My Best Friend's WeddingBrad Silberling
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CasperJohn Landis
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
OscarMichael Curtiz
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The EgyptianStephen Surjik
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Wayne's World 2Ron Howard
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
EDtvAndrew Fleming
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DickMark Dindal
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Chicken LittleRoland Emmerich
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
GodzillaLawrence Sher
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Father FiguresRichard Benjamin
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My Stepmother Is an AlienSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
The Right Stuff
as NASA Recruiter
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
EDtv
as Moderator
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Harry Shearer has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
73 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
25 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
The Right Stuff
as NASA Recruiter
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Small Soldiers
as Punch-It (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Simpsons: A Serious Flanders
as Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Mr. Burns (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Almost Heroes
as Narrator (voice)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
David Krumholtz
Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
Cillian Murphy
Built a career in the same territory: drama and history
Have your say
Community
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