Sam and Larry: the regulars at Moe's bar

CharacterSam and LarryMoe's Tavern

Thirty-five seasons at the bar, two lines in total — and a death that moved the world's press. Sam, cap and glasses, and Larry, orange jacket, have been drinking in silence at Moe's since the 1989 pilot. This profile tells the story of their rare words, Larry's death in "Cremains of the Day" (season 35, 2024) — the episode that reveals his full name, Larry Dalrymple, sends Homer and his friends off to scatter his ashes, and earned Hank Azaria an Emmy nomination — Sam's conspicuous absence from the funeral, and the producer's apology to the fans.

They have been sitting at the end of the bar since 1989, and you have probably never noticed them: Sam and Larry are the quietest customers in Moe's Tavern.

Until the day the death of one of them made headlines around the world. A profile.

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Who are Sam and Larry?

Sam and Larry are the two bar-stool fixtures of Moe's Tavern: Sam wears a cap and glasses, Larry an orange jacket and a receding hairline. Larry has been there since the show's pilot episode, in 1989.

Unlike Homer or Barney, they almost never take part in the action: they drink, in the background, while Moe bustles about. That is precisely their function — filling the bar, in silence.

🧥 Without ever saying a word, Larry stands out at the back of Moe's Tavern thanks to his orange jacket alone; on your shoulders, our Simpsons sweatshirts work as that same kind of signature, and you won't need to open your mouth either.

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Thirty-five seasons of silence

The figure is dizzying: in thirty-five seasons, Larry has spoken only two lines. The most famous words attributed to the duo in fact come from Sam who, thinking Homer has just bet his daughter on an American football game, exclaims in admiration at such a player.

Two men, hundreds of appearances, virtually no dialogue: The Simpsons turned that nothingness into a long-running gag.

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Larry's death

On 21 April 2024, "Cremains of the Day" (season 35) does the unthinkable: Larry dies, on his stool, without his neighbours at the bar noticing straight away. Along the way the episode reveals his full name — Larry Dalrymple — which nobody had heard in thirty-five years.

At the funeral, his mother devastates Homer, Moe and Lenny and Carl by showing them a drawing Larry made of all of them — men who did not even know his name. The quartet then set off to scatter his ashes, in an episode that earned Hank Azaria an Emmy nomination.

Producer Tim Long even issued a public apology to the moved fans, explaining that he wanted to show that even the quietest life matters to someone.

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Sam's absence

A detail that did not escape the fans: Sam is absent from the episode in which his inseparable companion dies. Showrunner Matt Selman has acknowledged that the team considered a line explaining his absence — before dropping it.

One of the tavern's two silences therefore remains intact, and nobody knows what Sam thinks of Larry's passing. True to form.

🧢 Without the line the team ended up dropping, Sam's silence keeps its mystery tucked under his cap; on your head, our Simpsons caps will say a little more than he ever did.

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An unexpected legacy

A final paradox: the death of an almost mute extra was covered by the press around the world — from the major American outlets to French websites. Before it aired, the production had even ramped up the pressure by announcing the death of a character, poll included.

The episode's original title is an elegant farewell all by itself: a pun on cremated ashes and the film "The Remains of the Day".

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Sam and Larry's voice actors

For his final episode, Larry is voiced by Harry Shearer. The duo's earlier voices — for the rare sounds they made over three decades — are not reliably documented.

On the French side, no actor is credited for either of them: two more silent characters on the roll of unknown dubbing.

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Summary table

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FAQ

• Who are Sam and Larry?
  The two background customers of Moe's Tavern, present since the show's beginnings and almost completely silent.
• Is Larry really dead?
  Yes, in "Cremains of the Day" (season 35, 2024), a regular episode — not a Halloween one. His death is permanent.
• What was his full name?
  Larry Dalrymple — revealed only at the moment of his death, after thirty-five seasons of anonymity.
• Why wasn't Sam at the funeral?
  His absence is not explained: the writers considered a line about it, then dropped the idea, as Matt Selman recounted.
• Who voices Sam and Larry?
  Harry Shearer voices Larry in his final episode. The rest is not documented, in English or in French.

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Conclusion

Two stools, two silhouettes and thirty-five years of silence: Sam and Larry proved that in Springfield, even the extras get a state funeral. Moe's bar will never be quite the same again.

🥤 Sam and Larry always drank on the spot, glued to their stools at Moe's bar; if you can never sit still, take your drink with you in our Simpsons insulated tumblers.

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