Julie Kavner at 74: From 'Rhoda's' TV Sister to Bart Simpson's Cartooned Mom and Beyond

Photo bylistal.com

Today marks the 74th birthday of actress Julie Kavner, who initially found fame as television sibling Brenda Morgenstern, the younger sister to Valerie Harper on TV's Rhoda (CBS, 1974-1978). Today, she is best known for giving gravelly-voice appeal to the animated antics of Marge Simpson, mother to Bart and wife to Homer, on The Simpsons, which premiered in 1989 and remains in production.

A Closer Look

Julie Kavner was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, on September 7, 1950, the second daughter of Rose, a family counselor, and David Kavner, a furniture manufacturer.

She attended Beverly Hills High School, where she unsuccessfully auditioned for various stage productions.

After graduation, she attended San Diego State University (SDSU), where she majored in Drama, and was cast in many productions such Marat/Sade. She became known for her improvisation skills and both comedic and dramatic abilities.

In 1971, after graduating from SDSU she was hired as a typist at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.

Then Came Rhoda

Julie Kavner soon began auditioning for TV series, including a potential guest spot on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The producers were impressed but felt she wasn't right for the part at hand.

Then came Rhoda, the spin-off series starring Valerie Harper, who played Moore's best TV friend forever.

The producers knew for certain that Kavner would now be perfect to play Brenda Morgenstern, Rhoda's younger sister; a part that was indeed written with Kavner in mind.

After winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and finishing Rhoda, Kavner guest-starred on the sitcom, Taxi.

Her career was relatively low-profiled until 1986 when Woody Allen cast Kavner in her first big-screen role in Hannah and Her Sisters.

Kavner went on to star in several additional Allen productions including Radio Days, and other movies.

Then Came The Simpsons

Then, in 1987, she was hired by Mary Tyler Moore Show /Rhoda co-creator James L. Brooks to join the TV ensemble cast of The Tracey Ullman Show, broadcast on Fox.

The show featured introduced The Simpsons in early, brief segments, which turned into the mammoth pop-culture phenomenon it continues to be today.

On the cutting-edge animated series, Kavner voices Marge Simpson, and her sisters Patty and Selma Bouvier.

Apart from her well-decorated television and film career, Julie Kavner made the news when she featured in the 2011 Broadway production Relatively Speaking, which was directed by John Turturro.

A Private Matter and Marriage?

Julie Kavner, who is Jewish, has lived a very private life in Manhattan since the early 1990s. She was in a relationship with producer David Davis from 1976 until his demise in 2022. Neither of them confirmed any marital union between the two, though reports referred to her as his spouse when he died.