Simpsons sophisticate Sideshow Bob speaks with a distinctive, articulate sibilance, which, if you didn’t already know, was based on Kelsey Grammer’s former employer, theater director Ellis Rabb. As Grammer explained on The Graham Norton Show, The Simpsons had already created Bob, but he hadn’t said anything yet, and they decided they needed someone who could sing Cole Porter. Enter Kelsey Grammer, who figures that if Sideshow Bob is going to be so erudite, he’ll speak with the very overexaggerated voice of Rabb. Though no one ever mentions whether Rabb had a weakness for walking into rakes.
Kelsey Grammer Explains the History of the Sideshow Bob Voice
