David Mamet to lend his voice to ‘The Simpsons’

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America’s most dysfunctional family, meet America’s most profane playwright.

The website for Entertainment Weekly has reported that theater scribe David Mamet will guest star in an episode of ‘The Simpsons’ titled ‘Homer the Father’ that is scheduled to air Jan. 23. The site said that Mamet will play a version of himself who once worked as a writer on a hokey TV series called ‘Thicker Than Waters.’

At least one scene with Mamet will feature bleeped obscenities in a reference to the playwright’s tendency toward aggressive profanity in his dialogue, EW reported.

Mamet, whose plays include ‘Glengarry Glen Ross,’ ‘Speed-the-Plow’ and ‘American Buffalo,’ isn’t the first theatrical lion to lend his voice to ‘The Simpsons.’ Stephen Sondheim guest-starred in a 2007 episode, playing himself as a songwriter who works with Krusty the Clown.

There’s no word yet on whether the Jan. 23 episode will feature a scene between Mamet and actor Joe Mantegna, who is a regular guest on ‘The Simpsons’ in the role of Fat Tony, Springfield’s cigar-chomping mob boss. Mantegna has been a frequent Mamet collaborator in such films as ‘Things Change,’ ‘Homicide’ and ‘House of Games,’ and on Broadway in ‘Speed-the-Plow’ and ‘Glengarry Glen Ross.’

-- David Ng

Photo (top): ‘The Simpsons.’ Credit: Fox

Photo (bottom): David Mamet. Credit: Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images

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