Theater Pays Tribute to the Comic Actor Who Coined Homer Simpson’s ‘D’oh!’

Homer Simpson was famously named after Matt Groening’s own father, but another real-life figure helped to inspire the iconic character — and no, we’re not talking about that corporate merger between a Japanese fishing company and a light-bulb manufacturer.

It’s hard to imagine Homer without his iconic catchphrase: “D’Oh!” But that go-to exclamation wasn’t originally part of the conception of the character. An early script simply called for voice actor Dan Castellaneta to deliver an “annoyed grunt.” Unsure of what to do, Castellaneta asked Groening for guidance, and was told to do whatever he wanted. 

So Castellaneta decided to imitate Scottish actor James Finlayson, who he remembered seeing in old Laurel and Hardy movies as a kid. Finlayson, who acted as a foil to the legendary comedy duo, would routinely shout “D— ooohhh” out of frustration.

As Castellaneta told the Television Academy in 2010, he later learned that this was Finlayson’s substitute for saying the far less-acceptable “damn,” lest audiences be scandalized.

Finlayson’s contribution to pop culture was a big one. D’oh (or “Doh”) is even included in the Oxford English Dictionary, defined as “expressing frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned, or that one has just said or done something foolish.” Also Finlayson starred in a total of 33 Laurel and Hardy movies, and before that, he was one of the “Keystone Cops” in early days of silent film. Finlayson also had roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Foreign Correspondent and the classic Jack Benny World War II comedy To Be or Not to Be.

Now, Finlayson and his big honking fake mustache have just been honored with a portrait that will hang in a theater in his hometown. According to the BBC, Dobbie Hall in Larbert, Stirling recently unveiled the painting of Finlayson, who racked up credits in “more than 100 films.” The ceremony also included a screening of a Laurel and Hardy film, and some fans even decided to cosplay as Finlayson.

It should be noted that Finlayson’s “D’oh” was different than the cartoon atchphrase we know and love today. His original version was more elongated, while Homer’s is much quicker, because it was modified to “suit the timing of animation.” As Groening once recalled, the first example of Homer Simpson employing the trademark phrase came during a Simpsons short in The Tracey Ullman Show. It happens during the end of the segment as Homer reacts to Bart’s antics in “The Krusty the Clown Show.”

Or possibly, he was full of regret over the actions of his secret alter-ego.