Mr. Burns

Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns
Born	Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber Burns Springfield (fictional)
Other names	Mr. Burns, C. Montgomery Burns, Monty Burns
Occupation	Proprietor of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
Years active	1989–present (as character in The Simpsons)
Known for	Principal antagonist in The Simpsons, owner of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
Notable work	The Simpsons (TV series)

Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, commonly referred to as Mr. Burns or C. Montgomery Burns, is a prominent recurring figure and principal antagonist in the Fox animated series The Simpsons. Originally voiced by Christopher Collins, the role has been performed by Harry Shearer since 1990. He is depicted as the affluent and merciless proprietor of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, where Homer Simpson is employed. His devoted assistant and confidant, Waylon Smithers, harbors a secret admiration for him. The exact age of Mr. Burns remains unclear, with references placing it anywhere from 81 to 120 years.

Initially portrayed as a simplistic villain, Mr. Burns's character gained popularity, resulting in frequent appearances throughout the series. He personifies corporate avarice and authority, often demonstrating indifference toward the well-being and safety of his workforce. His humor is marked by antiquated references to the Jazz Age, and he regularly employs outdated technology in his business endeavors. Writer Conan O'Brien has identified Mr. Burns as his favorite character, citing his immense wealth and arbitrary advanced age.

His signature expression is "Excellent...", spoken slowly while steepling his fingers. A common command he issues to Smithers is to "release the hounds," used as a means of intimidation or aggression against opponents. As Springfield’s wealthiest individual, his fortune has been estimated at $1.3 billion by Forbes, though this figure fluctuates across episodes. He wields his financial power and influence with disregard for legal or ethical constraints. Acclaimed as one of television’s foremost villains, Wizard magazine ranked him 45th among all-time great antagonists, TV Guide placed him second on their 2013 list of nastiest villains, and Rolling Stone honored him as number eight on their "40 Greatest TV Villains" list in 2016.

Role in The Simpsons

Mr. Burns manages the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant primarily through surveillance cameras, epitomizing the archetype of a cold-hearted, wealthy industrial magnate. He is the youngest offspring in a prosperous family and inherited the entire estate following the suspicious deaths of his siblings. Early in life, he was raised under the care of a ruthless billionaire relative who owned an "atom mill." He pursued higher education at Yale University, focusing on science and business studies, became a member of Skull and Bones, and graduated in 1914. During his 25th reunion, he fathered Larry Burns, who was adopted but later briefly reconnected with him. Mr. Burns has been engaged multiple times, including once to Jacqueline Bouvier, Marge Simpson's mother.

His military service includes time in the U.S. Army during World War II as part of the Flying Hellfish unit led by Abraham Simpson, engaging in combat across Europe and the Pacific theaters. Notably, President Truman entrusted him with transporting a trillion-dollar bill intended for the Marshall Plan; however, he absconded with it and subsequently lost it to Fidel Castro. His mother remains alive at age 122 but maintains a distant relationship.

Residing in an expansive estate known as Burns Manor, secured by electric fences and guard dogs, Mr. Burns exerts considerable control over Springfield through tactics such as blackmail and bribery. His influence extends to attempts at preventing plant shutdowns and an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign. In one instance, he blocked out sunlight to increase demand for electricity generated by his plant.

His advanced age is a recurring motif; various accounts place him anywhere from 81 to over 150 years old. His ancestry includes a slave-owning plantation proprietor linked to American Civil War history. Mr. Burns frequently exhibits outdated manners and refers to historical figures as if they were contemporaries.

Despite signs of cognitive decline and social awkwardness, Mr. Burns remains a cunning entrepreneur who has repeatedly lost and regained his wealth—for example, rebuilding his fortune by establishing a recycling facility after losing control of the nuclear plant.

Physically frail and gaunt, he suffers from multiple ailments that counterbalance each other, resulting in a precarious health condition dubbed "Three Stooges syndrome." While often struggling with basic physical activities, he occasionally demonstrates unexpected vitality, such as proficient dancing.

Among his personal belongings is "Bobo," a teddy bear from his childhood that was lost but eventually recovered by Maggie Simpson. Some episodes suggest a controversial history involving Nazi associations and art thefts, highlighting his ethically ambiguous nature.

Creation

The character traits, visual design, and behavior of Mr. Burns are influenced by a variety of sources. Matt Groening, the creator, primarily based him on his high school instructor Mr. Bailey, while also incorporating elements inspired by oil magnates John D. Rockefeller and his grandson David Rockefeller, making Mr. Burns a symbol of ruthless corporate avarice. Animator David Silverman crafted his facial features drawing from Barry Diller and shaped his physique to resemble a praying mantis. The idea of Mr. Burns reading employee names from index cards in the episode "There's No Disgrace Like Home" was inspired by a story about Ronald Reagan. Comparisons have been made between Mr. Burns and powerful figures such as Howard Hughes as well as the fictional character Charles Foster Kane from Citizen Kane. Writer George Meyer adapted Mr. Burns's iconic "Excellent!" hand gesture from his former colleague Jim Downey of Saturday Night Live. Additionally, some of his characteristics are reminiscent of the commedia dell'arte persona Pantalone.

Al Jean disclosed that Sam Simon named Mr. Burns after his own father's nickname, Monty. Groening derived Mr. Burns's middle name from a Montgomery Ward location in Portland, Oregon’s Northwest Industrial area, while his last name was taken from Burnside Street in Portland. The first name Charles is a nod to Charles Foster Kane. The names Plantagenet and Schicklgruber reference the House of Plantagenet and Alois Schicklgruber, Adolf Hitler’s father, respectively. In early drafts, the character was referred to as "Mr. Meanie." From the second season onward, the writers enjoyed delving into the relationship between Mr. Burns and Waylon Smithers, pitching numerous episodes centered on their interaction, although many were never produced.

Voice

Initially, Christopher Collins provided the voice for Mr. Burns in the early episodes; however, he was replaced by Harry Shearer due to creative disagreements. Shearer re-recorded all Burns lines for those initial episodes and has continued voicing the character ever since.

Shearer modeled Mr. Burns’s voice after Lionel Barrymore and Ronald Reagan. He also voices Waylon Smithers, often delivering conversations between both characters in a single recording session. Among all his roles, Shearer finds Mr. Burns to be the most vocally challenging and frequently soothes his throat with tea and honey before performing. He regards Burns as his favorite character, describing him as "pure evil" without any softening.

In 2014, Shearer received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his portrayal of Mr. Burns in the episode "Four Regrettings and a Funeral."

Reception

In 2006, Wizard placed Mr. Burns as the 45th most notable villain ever, also referring to Smithers and Burns as "television’s most functionally dysfunctional pair."EW selected "Last Exit to Springfield" as the top episode of The Simpsons in 2003, while other episodes featuring Burns such as "Rosebud" (ranked second) and "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" (ranked 25th) were also recognized. Vanity Fair ranked "Rosebud" as the number one episode in their top 25 list.

In 2008, Forbes valued Mr. Burns's fictional fortune at $1.3 billion, placing him 12th on the Forbes Fictional 15. He has been a regular on this list since 1989, reaching his highest positions at fifth place in 2005, second in 2006, and sixth in 2007 with an estimated wealth of $16.8 billion. His depiction as a ruthless employer has made him a widely cited example of poor management on television; in 2006, the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas included him among the eight worst bosses depicted on TV. The News & Observer ranked him third among the worst bosses, describing him as "merciless, avaricious, and remarkably unattractive."

Prior to New York City's mayoral election in 2009, campaign posters bearing Mr. Burns with the phrase "No Third Terms, Vote for Burns" circulated, alluding to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempt for a third term. The city's Board of Elections recorded that Mr. Burns received 27 write-in votes out of a total of 299 cast. As leader of the "Springfield Republican Party," Mr. Burns publicly supported Mitt Romney during the 2012 United States presidential race. Furthermore, the IG Group, a financial services firm based in London’s financial district, employs a sound clip of Burns’s signature line "Excellent" as a notification when trades are completed.

Trivia

German CDU politician and chancellor Friedrich Merz, due to his physical likeness and wealth along with his former association with Blackrock, is frequently mockingly referred to as Mr. Burns on social media platforms.

References

Bibliography

External links

• Mr. Burns at IMDb