Top 10 Simpsons Characters Based on Real People

June Marlowe

Barts surly teacher is more than an ever-present thorn in his side. Shes also a walking tribute to June Marlowes work in the Our Gang shorts from the 1930s. If you dont recognize those short films, you might know them better by their revived title: The Little Rascals. As you can imagine, Marlowes charming work as Miss Crabtree left a major impression, especially on Simpsons writers Wallace Wolodarsky and Jay Kogen. When they needed a teacher character to inject some tension into Barts school life, their imaginations wandered back to Marlowe. And, thus, Edna Krabappel was born! You could say, in this case, the apple really doesnt fall far from the free.

Roberto Gómez Bolaños a.k.a. Chespirito

In the early 90s, producers of The Simpsons took one look at Roberto Gómez Bolaños hilarious comedic timing and went, we want one of those. Gómez Bolaños, better known by his stage name, Chespirito, dazzled audiences as the incompetent superhero, The Red Grasshopper, in the Spanish-language El Chapulín Colorado. Since he always gave 100%, The Simpsons created a character who would also never waver. In the case of Bumblebee Man, though, its because hes never seen without his costume. As a wink to the characters origins, Bumblebee Man shares a first name with Gómez Bolaños stage alias - Chespirito.

Dr. George Nichopoulos

If theres one thing you can always count on from The Simpsons - besides a never-ending episode count - it's not-so-subtle commentary on pop culture. For proof, you need look no further than Dr. Nick, a very pointed parody of Elvis Presleys personal physician, George Nichopoulos. His real-life nickname was, you guessed it, Dr. Nick. He was heavily criticized for over-prescribing, and while he was acquitted of charges in Presleys death, he eventually lost his medical license all the same. What that translates to in The Simpsons is a doctor whos comically inept, borderline evil, and all kinds of wackadoo. Its not exactly a friendly portrayal, thats for sure.

Troy Donahue & Doug McClure

Now, to be fair, a down-on-their-luck actor could be inspired by any number of wannabe artists. But, the name Troy McClure makes the origin pretty obvious. Its a composite of Troy Donahue and Doug McClure, both actors who flirted with mainstream success before seeing their Hollywood star fade into obscurity. They were both forced into low-budget genre fare or schmaltzy endorsements to make ends meet, and surprise surprise, thats exactly where audiences find Troy McClure in The Simpsons. Although, something tells us the real actors didnt embrace the cheese quite as much as their animated counterpart. Thankfully, Doug McClures daughter reported he took the homage in stride.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Is there any action hero in cinematic history more meme-worthy than Arnie himself? The accent, the testosterone, the ludicrously over-the-top action - its all utterly rife with potential, and The Simpsons uses every bit of it with Rainier Wolfcastle. You probably dont need us to tell you that, though. From the moment Rainier opens his mouth, its extremely obvious who hes based on. That doesnt make his hilarious in-universe movies any less entertaining, though. On the contrary, the most important thing Rainier and Schwarzenegger have in common is they both know how to pull off explosive fits of violence with just the right amount of knowing irony.

Edward G. Robinson

The epitome of a donut-obsessed, lazy police officer, its both funny and a little disheartening to know Chief Wiggum is inspired by a real person. But, not in the way youd expect. While Wiggums appearance is heavily based on a pig - the jokes there write themselves - the officers voice is an impression of Edward G. Robinson. Considered one of the greatest performers to never receive an Oscar, Robinson is a far cry from Wiggum. But, clearly, his embodiment of various gangster characters made him perfect for impressions. As they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

The Kennedys

Joseph Fitzgerald O'Malley Fitzpatrick Culverstone O'Donnell The Edge "Diamond Joe" Quimby Jr. is a handful. But, thats kind of the point. Based on the Boston accent, political leanings, and a million other easter eggs, its all-too clear the Quimbys are the Springfield version of the Kennedys. Or, are we just supposed to believe its a coincidence that Quimbys wife wears all pink? Or that they vacation in the beachside Quimby Compound? The signs are all there if you look for them. Actor Dan Castellaneta even voices Quimby with a distinct, JFK-like cadence. If you like this on-the-nose brand of political comedy, then remember to vote Quimby!

Rusty Nails the Clown

Love em or hate em, you have to admit, Rusty Nails is quite an off-putting name for a clown. Especially one hosting several childrens programs. It struck a nerve with series creator Matt Groenig, who repurposed his memories of Rusty Nails into a character for The Simpsons. Enter Krusty the Clown! Groenig marvelled at the irony of a childrens performer being named after such a dangerous item, and that joke ended up defining Krustys edgy persona. Dont worry, though. Rusty himself is a good clown, and by Groenigs own admittance, the actor behind the makeup is a stand-up guy, too. Krusty really is a breed all to himself.

John D. Rockefeller, Barry Diller & Many Others

No need to release the hounds, sniffing out how Mr. Burns came to be is actually pretty easy. Hes walking, talking corporate greed personified, so it makes sense why series creator Matt Groenig wrote him with oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller in mind. The animators had their own inspirations, though, with frequent director David Silverman basing Burns design on Fox founder Barry Diller. We could go on. Over the years, Burns behavior has been reminiscent of dozens of greedy, corporate figures, and even a few fictional characters, too. As cool as it would be to exist in The Simpsons, something tells us Mr. Burns isnt supposed to be a compliment.

Louis "Red" Deutsch & Rich Hall

In 1975, two boys made frequent prank calls to a Jersey Tube Bar asking for absurdly-named patrons. Soon enough, the owner, Louis "Red" Deutsch, began telling them off. Recordings of the calls went as viral as things could back in the day, and eventually led all the way to The Simpsons. Not only did it lead to the creation of Moe Szyslak, but it also gave us his iconic fury towards Barts prank calls. However, thats not all Moes based on. Writer George Meyer also took a lot from the comedic work of Rich Hall, who could bring the house down in creatively vulgar fashion. We have both Deutsch and Hall to thank for the Moe we have today.

What would a Simpsons character inspired by you look like? Let us know in the comments below!