List of Recurring The Simpsons Characters - Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky

Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky

Hyman Krustofsky is the father of Krusty the Clown who first appeared in the third season episode "Like Father, Like Clown". In this episode, in season fifteen's "Today I Am a Clown", and season twenty-one's "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" he is voiced by comedian Jackie Mason (because in the three episodes, he was a major character, while in cameo speaking appearances, he is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. However, recent cameo speaking episodes have him again voiced by Jackie Mason).

In "Like Father, Like Clown", Rabbi Krustofsky had been estranged from his son for twenty-five years. He disowned Krusty when the young man chose to become a clown when Krustofsky had wanted him to follow the family tradition of becoming a rabbi. Years later, after much exchanging of Talmud passages between Bart Simpson and Rabbi Krustofsky, Bart read the Rabbi a quote from Sammy Davis, Jr. admiring the Jews, which finally convinced Rabbi Krustofsky to accept his son for his career in entertainment. He and Krusty reunited on the air of Krusty's show. The episode is a parody of the film The Jazz Singer. The parody was writer Jay Kogen's idea. He thought it would be a funny parallel—and a chance to do a lot of easy jokes—if it were a clown instead of a singer who gets rejected by his father. The character's casting was fitting in that the real-life Mason, like Krusty, also came from a family of rabbis but rejected his destiny in order to become a comedian.

Jackie Mason won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his performance as Krustofsky in "Like Father, Like Clown" in 1992. The Phoenix named Mason one of the show's 20 best guest stars.