Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the American animated sitcom "The Simpsons". He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in "The Tracey Ullman Show" short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Homer was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip "Life in Hell" but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He named the character after his father, Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on "The Tracey Ullman Show", the Simpson family got their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989.