Editing Hank Azaria (section)

==Acting style and vocal range==
Azaria's friends refer to him as "the freakish mimic" due to his ability to copy almost anyone's voice, instantly after he has heard it. As a child, he believed that everyone could do this, but later realized that it was not a common talent.<ref name=freshair/> Azaria has said, "I can remember every voice I hear, famous or otherwise&nbsp;... they kind of remain in the memory banks, so I'm ready to trot them out."<ref name=avclub/> Azaria was glad to have found the "ultimate outlet" for this skill, in ''The Simpsons''.<ref name=freshair/> He "didn't realize it [when he joined the show], but it became like a lab for a character actor. [He] had to do so many voices."<ref name=msn/> In the early 2000s, Azaria felt he had reached the maximum number of voices he was capable of: "For the first 10 years of ''The Simpsons'', I would develop a bunch of voices. And then&nbsp;... I hit a point when I was tapped out. Every noise I can make, I have made. Even characters like Gargamel, I've done. Even if it was only two or three lines, at some point I've done something similar on ''The Simpsons'', at least somewhere along the line."<ref name=mw/><ref name=metro11>{{cite news |url=http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/852199--still-trying-to-catch-those-pesky-smurfin-smurfs |title=Still trying to catch those pesky, smurfin' Smurfs |work=Metro |publisher=[[Metro International]] |location=New York |author=Patalano, Heidi |date=May 5, 2011 |access-date=July 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724083251/http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/852199--still-trying-to-catch-those-pesky-smurfin-smurfs |archive-date=July 24, 2011 }}</ref>

For many of Azaria's characters, much of their humor is derived from a "funny voice", such as ''The Birdcage'' and ''Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian''. He stated that "being funny with a funny voice is more my comfort zone, a broader character that I try to humanize, a kind of silly or wacky persona that I try to fill in," although he finds it "much easier to be someone much closer to myself," as it requires "less energy&nbsp;... than playing characters that are so out there and high strung."<ref name=sunday/>

''The Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]] has stated that Azaria possesses the ability to turn unfunny lines into some of the best in an episode,<ref name=barber/> while former writer [[Jay Kogen]] stated: "Just when I think I know [Azaria's] bag of tricks, he's always got a new thing he does to surprise me."<ref name=msn/> Throughout the run of ''The Simpsons'', Azaria has had to sing in character several times, a task which he describes as easier than singing normally.<ref name=freshair/> ''The Smurfs'' writer [[David N. Weiss]] says Azaria "has a beautiful treasure trove of talent," and "became what you wished you were writing."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Entertainment/Article.aspx?id=227748 |title=Blue and white all over |author=Brown, Hannah |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=July 4, 2011 |access-date=July 5, 2011}}</ref> Playwright Jenelle Riley wrote in 2005 that Azaria was "by far" her favorite actor, praising his "versatility" and "tendency to take small roles that would normally fade into the background and to consistently create characters people care about," noting his roles in ''Shattered Glass'', ''Mystery, Alaska'' and especially ''[[DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story]]''.<ref name=msn />