Oscar winners who have been guest stars on The Simpsons

Far from the first Oscar winner on “The Simpsons,” we start with Basinger for another reason. It’s not just because she and then-husband Alec Baldwin played themselves in “When You Dish Upon a Star.” Basinger’s Oscar, which she won for “L.A. Confidential,” also makes an appearance in the episode.

Gibson’s Oscar is for directing “Braveheart,” but he’s still an Oscar winner. Also, a total maniac, but back in 1999, this wasn’t really known. As such, Gibson appeared as himself in the season opener of the 11th season, “Beyond Blunderdome,” wherein he and Homer make a movie together. It’s fun, but of course, time hasn’t been kind to it.

Obviously, the next name to go to is Streep. She is, after all, the winner of three Oscars for acting, with many nominations. Streep didn’t play herself, but instead played Jessica Lovejoy in “Bart’s Girlfriend.” She plays the daughter of Reverend Lovejoy, sweet on the surface, but a real troublemaker in reality. Shockingly, Streep is good in the role.

Hoffman wasn’t the first guest voice actor for “The Simpsons,” but he got on board early. Prior to him, it was usually guys like Albert Brooks and Kelsey Grammer. Hoffman played Mr. Bergstrom, Lisa’s substitute in, well, “Lisa’s Substitute.” In fact, it was so odd for an Oscar winner and famous movie star to lend his voice to a cartoon that Hoffman was credited not with his own name, but as Sam Etic.

She dreamed a dream, and it came true. Hathaway’s overt desire to win an Oscar was polarizing, and then when she tried to act surprised and demure when she won, that rubbed more people the wrong way. However, a win is a win, and she won for “Les Misérables.” Hathaway has actually played two characters on “The Simpsons,” one in 2009, and one in 2010. She won her Oscar for a 2012 film, so she wasn’t an Oscar winner at the time. Hathaway is worth noting, though, because she won an Emmy for her work on “The Simpsons.”

When Ernest Borgnine played himself on “The Simpsons,” part of the joke was that Borgnine was playing himself on “The Simpsons.” He announced to a group of elementary school students that they would remember him for his role in “From Here to Eternity,” and they did, because that’s funny. His Oscar, though, was for “Marty,” which came out two years later. Both of those films won Best Picture as well. That Borgnine magic.

It’s not uncommon for a character to first appear voiced by a notable guest star and then to later return voiced by one of the regulars in the cast of “The Simpsons.” Mrs. Glick is such a character. When she first appeared in “Three Men and a Comic Book,” she was voiced by Leachman. The actress was an Emmys darling, winning a whopping eight in her lifetime. On top of that, she won an Oscar in 1971 for “The Last Picture Show.”

The fourth-season finale of “The Simpsons” busted out all the stops. Johnny Carson, Luke Perry, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were among the stars who cameoed as themselves. Taylor, a two-time Oscar winner and once as big a movie star as anybody, had a brief cameo in the episode as well. Notably, Taylor also once voiced Maggie Simpson.

Not every Oscar winner is still a household name, which is not a knock on Steiger by any means. There’s a good chance you haven’t heard of Glenda Jackson, and she won Best Actress twice, once in 1969 and once in 1973. Steiger won Best Actor for 1967’s “In the Heat of the Night,” which also won Best Picture. Toward the end of his career/life, Steiger voiced a submarine captain in “Simpson Tide.”

Bancroft, alongside co-star Patty Duke, won an Oscar for “The Miracle Worker.” Her turn on “The Simpsons,” while well-done, was pretty understated. She played Dr. Zweig, Marge’s therapist in “Fear of Flying.” Bancroft’s husband came with her to record at his own insistence and made it known he really wanted to be on “The Simpsons.” Fortunately for all parties involved, Bancroft’s husband was Mel Brooks.

In 1983, Rooney got an honorary Oscar, and we weren’t really considering those. However, in also got the honorary Juvenile Oscar for child actors (which no longer exists) in 1938, so those two honorary Oscars sufficed for us. Plus, Rooney memorably played himself on “The Simpsons.” And we bet he would have won an Oscar had he gotten the chance to play Fallout Boy.

The year 1998 was a great one for Hunt. She won an Oscar for “As Good as It Gets,” which is a 1997 movie, but, of course, those Oscars happened in 1998. That same year, Hunt voiced Renee, a woman who falls for Moe, in “The Simpsons.” Oh, and she won an Emmy for “Mad About You” again. Like we said, a good year for her.

Fraser won his Oscar many years after “The Simpsons,” and his Oscar for “The Whale” was pretty silly, but we know Millennials would flip if we decided not to include him. Fraser’s turn on “The Simpsons” also isn’t very memorable (we’re really baiting people who loved “The Mummy” as a kid now). He voiced Brad in “King of the Hill.” The episode of “The Simpsons,” not the other cartoon that aired on FOX.

While Howard was an actor for many years, he won his Oscar for directing “A Beautiful Mind.” He voiced himself on “The Simpsons” just a bit earlier, once in 1998 and once in 1999. Howard is actually in “When You Dish Upon a Star” with Basinger and Baldwin. He plays an uncouth boozehound to go against his public perception. This was, perhaps, the first instance of Howard being cast to play against his image, something he has now done, oh, one thousand times.

They give out Oscars for songs (but not to Diane Warren), and John has two of them. He won for “The Lion King,” of course, but also for “Rocketman,” the biopic of, hey, Elton John! He also appeared on “The Simpsons” as himself in “I’m With Cupid,” a Valentine’s Day episode.

Interestingly, Robbins has as many director nominations as actor nominations, which is one. However, he won the Oscar despite being nominated for “Mystic Winner,” a questionable win. In 1999, Robbins appeared on “The Simpsons” in the Christmas episode “The Grift of the Magi.” He played Jim Hope, the president of a toy company who takes control of Springfield Elementary.

Newman basically did no television. In the 1950s, when television was new and he was not yet a star, he did the occasional television appearance. Then, essentially nothing. However, the Oscar winner for “The Color of Money” did appear on “The Simpsons.” He played himself. And he had one line. Like we said, basically no television.

Witherspoon was more involved than Newman when she appeared on “The Simpsons.” She voiced Greta Wolfcastle, Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter. It’s a sizable role, and she does a good job. Notably, Witherspoon had already been on “Friends” and “King of the Hill.” She actually did two episodes of both shows, but only one of “The Simpsons.”

However did “The Simpsons” nab an appearance by Brooks? Joking aside, you likely know Brooks basically brought “The Simpsons” to television and has served as an executive producer from the beginning. Yes, he is richer than you could ever possibly imagine. Brooks also once had an acclaimed directing career, though. He won Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for “Terms of Endearment.”

People defending Tomei’s Oscar win for “My Cousin Vinny” is now such well-trod territory it is no longer interesting to mount that argument. She’s good in the movie, she won, cool. Tomei’s appearance on “The Simpsons” came during the 14th season, after the time when “The Simpsons” was in the zeitgeist. She played Sara Sloane, a movie star who falls for Ned. The episode is fine, and she is fine in it. Somebody argue against that!

Moore is a documentarian, though he tends to appear in his work. His documentary “Bowling for Columbine” won him an Oscar. Moore popped onto “The Simpsons” as himself, back when he was still in the cultural zeitgeist and not releasing free movies on the internet and such.

It took five tries, but Sarandon finally won her Oscar, doing so for “Dead Man Walking.” The same year “Dead Man Walking” came out, 1995, Sarandon also voiced Bart’s ballet teacher in “Homer vs. Patty and Selma.” Yes, that was Sarandon in that role.

McDormand has not one, not two, but three Oscars. She’s as well-venerated by the Academy as anybody. Since becoming a successful film actor, McDormand has largely not done television, and when she has, she’s been doing voiceover work. Of course, that’s something you can do and appear on “The Simpsons.” She appeared in the 2006 episode “Girls Just Want to Have Sums.”

Sondheim won a whopping eight Tonys and eight Grammys, but he won a single Oscar. Also, no Emmys, so no EGOT. The Oscar, wildly, came for an original song in “Dick Tracy.” Sondheim was not an actor, but he was a beloved figure in the world of music, so sometimes he got to cameo as himself. That included popping by “The Simpsons,” of course.

Simmons is no stranger to television or to guest spots. When he won an Oscar for “Whiplash,” it was the culmination of a career as a character actor that featured as many appearances on the small screen as the big one. He’s appeared in five episodes of “The Simpsons,” including two instances when he’s provided multiple voices in the same season. Hey, when you have Simmons in the booth, why not have him knock out a couple of roles?

Foster has two Best Actress awards to her name, and had them long before she popped onto “The Simpsons.” She wasn’t there to parody “The Silence of the Lambs” or what have you. In “Four Great Women and a Manicure,” Foster voiced Maggie Simpson. Yes, Maggie. This is a non-canonical episode with different stories within it. There are four because, for a brief time, the show got stuck with an extra commercial break to deal with.

In-universe, Flight of the Conchords would definitely not win an Oscar. Frankly, in our world, the comedy duo wouldn’t, either. McKenzie is more than half of Flight of the Conchords with Jemaine Clement, though. He won the Best Original Song Oscar for his work on “The Muppets.” McKenzie also appeared with Clement in a music-centric episode of “The Simpsons.”

It’s easy to forget that Weisz won an Oscar for “The Constant Gardener,” mostly because that movie has been totally forgotten. Weisz appeared in the 2010 episode “How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?”, in which she plays Bart’s therapist. That makes two Oscar-winning actresses who have played therapists for the Simpson family on the show.

Berry is an Oscar winner, a Razzie winner, and has been on “The Simpsons.” She is one of a handful of people who appear as themselves in the showbiz satire “Angry Dad: The Movie.” Of course, Berry is an actor by trade. Another Oscar winner from that episode, on the other hand…

Park appears alongside Berry in “Angry Dad: The Movie.” The other people appearing in cameos are not Oscar winners, but they managed to pull two for the show. Park is a guy you're either a fan of or haven’t heard of. Well, if you’re American, at least. The British animator is the guy behind the “Wallace & Gromit” movies. Park has won four Oscars, three for animated short and one for animated feature.

Irons has the honor of being an Oscar winner in one of the dumber “Simpsons” episodes in one of the dumber roles a celebrity has had. The actor voiced Moe’s bar rag. No, really. Irons voices a bar rag, and we see the adventures of that bar rag through history. The actor also got shouted out in “Lisa’s Rival,” at least.

Gaga’s career as a musician has been immensely successful, as she has long reigned as a proper pop star. While she was nominated for Best Actress for “A Star is Born,” her Oscar win came for the song “Shallow” from that movie. Gaga is one of those celebrities who has had an entire “Simpsons” episode handed over to them. She was front and center in “Lisa Goes Gaga.”

Portman has been acting for a long time, and she’s been on a few of the shows celebrities pop up on. The “Black Swan” Oscar winner has been on “Sesame Street,” “Saturday Night Live,” and, yes, “The Simpsons.” Unfortunately for Portman, her “Simpsons” episode, “Little Big Girl,” is one of the worst. Hopefully her “Bluey” episode is better!

Fonda is a two-time Oscar winner and a seven-time nominee. While her personal life and political activism have gotten plenty of attention, Fonda is one of the most-successful actors ever in terms of stardom and acclaim. Fittingly, when she showed up on “The Simpsons” in 2014, Fonda played a political and environmental activist. Said activist then develops a love-hate relationship with Mr. Burns.

Friedkin directed “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist,” winning Best Director for the former, making him one of the seminal directors of the 1970s. His career took a dip eventually, though, and Friedkin even found himself directing two episodes of “CSI.” The director stopped by “The Simpsons” as well. Surprisingly, he didn’t play himself. Unsurprisingly, he was in a “Treehouse of Horror” episode.

Del Toro seems like a guy who would love “The Simpsons.” The Mexican director won Best Director for “The Shape of Water,” and it is also fair to give him credit for his version of “Pinocchio” winning Best Animated Feature. After all, it’s technically titled “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.” He did play himself in “The Simpsons” and in “Futurama” as well.

Like Fonda, Blanchett has two Oscar winners, but she’s one-upped Fonda in that she has eight nominations. Not that she only does prestige stuff, as Blanchett popped into the MCU and cameoed in an Edgar Wright movie. Plus, Blanchett stopped by “The Simpsons.” She appeared in the 2020 episode “The Way of the Dog,” notably several years after lending her voice to “Family Guy.”

There was some surprise when Colman won her Oscar for “The Favourite,” but it happened, and that makes her eligible for this list. As a British actor, Colman has never been afraid to work and has done plenty of television. On “The Simpsons,” she played Lily, an Englishwoman who moves to Springfield and falls for Homer.

Jackson has done more than direct “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.” He’s never really acted, but he has appeared as himself a few times. In 2023, he appeared in both a Muppets TV show and on “The Simpsons.” Now that’s some cultural cache!

While being a massive movie star, Hanks has always shown himself to be down to have some fun as well. After all, he’s hosted “Saturday Night Live” many times, and his list of TV cameos is long. Hanks, of course, won Best Actor in back-to-back years. He did a bit of voice work in “The Simpsons Movie,” but then he also showed up as himself in the season 36 premiere “Bart’s Birthday.”

We have an EGOT winner! Sure, like other actors, her Grammy came from narrating an audiobook, but her Oscar is for acting, and she is a great actor. Davis has been doing some voiceover work of late as well. In addition to reprising her role as Amanda Waller in “Creature Commandos,” Davis narrated one of the segments in the 2025 edition of “Treehouse of Horror.”

It wasn’t promoted as the 800th episode of “The Simpsons,” but the actual 800th episode was “Guess Who’s Coming to Skinner.” In said episode, Skinner takes care of a boy, Hub, he finds living in the school library. Hub was played by Culkin, who recently won Best Supporting Actor for “A Real Pain.”

Inarritu has won Best Director twice, for “Birdman” and “The Revenant.” Generally speaking, the Mexican director makes bleak, even miserable films. As such, it’s a little surprising that he showed up on “The Simpsons.” He played himself in an episode wherein Homer becomes Bumblebee Man’s stunt double. Inarritu is also good in the episode. Maybe he does have a bit of a sense of humor.

“Severance” is an acclaimed TV show that has won several Emmys, and “The Simpsons” decided to spoof it in the episode “Separance.” To play the mysterious head of the corporation, the show pulled in a heavy hitter. Moore, who won something of a career Oscar for “Still Alice,” lent her voice to the role.

For “Irrational Treasure,” a trip to Philadelphia of an episode, the show plucked several Philadelphians to do guest appearances. That includes Questlove, the drummer for The Roots. You might think, as an acclaimed musician, Questlove’s Oscar would be for a song. However, he won for Best Documentary Feature for his movie “Summer of Soul.”

Close was cast as Mona Simpson, Homer’s mother, many years ago, and she has appeared on the show a few times as Mona. However, not a single one of those appearances has been with Close as an Oscar winner. We include Close because she has been nominated for a whopping eight Oscars. She is tied with Peter O’Toole for the most acting nominations without a win. So, Close will either be officially included on this list eventually, or she will be the “Simpsons” guest star with the most nominations without a win.