Professor Frink

Professor Frink
The Simpsons character
First appearance	"Old Money" March 28, 1991
Created by	Jay Kogen Wallace Wolodarsky Matt Groening
Based on	Jerry Lewis as Julius Kelp
Designed by	Matt Groening
Voiced by	Hank Azaria
In-universe information
Full name	John I.Q. Nerdelbaum Frink Jr.
Gender	Male
Occupation	Scientist, inventor, professor
Family	John Frink Sr. (father)[1]
Children	John Frink III (son)[2]

Professor John I.Q. Nerdelbaum Frink Jr.^[1] is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money". Frink is Springfield's nerdy scientist and professor and is extremely intelligent, though somewhat mad and socially inept. Frink often tries to use his bizarre inventions to aid the town in its crises but they usually only make things worse. His manner of speech, including the impulsive shouting of nonsensical words, has become his trademark.

Frink was originally depicted as an evil scientist in "Old Money", since he was trying to secure funding for a death ray. When Azaria ad-libbed a voice for the character, he did an impression of Jerry Lewis's Julius Kelp character from The Nutty Professor. The staff liked the voice and therefore changed Frink to be more like Julius Kelp, both in appearance and personality – he became more nerdy, and went from evil to just mad. Lewis later guest-starred on the show as Frink's father in the 2003 episode "Treehouse of Horror XIV".

The professor has received acclaim from critics, particularly for his bizarre inventions such as the hamburger earmuffs, and he has appeared on many reviewers' listings of their favorite supporting characters from The Simpsons. Frink has been featured in other media relating to the show, such as comics, video games, and The Simpsons Ride, a simulator ride at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood. The character's popularity has led to him giving the name to the computer programming language Frink.^[3]