Andrew Stevens

Andrew Jay Simpson Stevens is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the American crime sitcom We Got No Made. He is portrayed by James

Rowland and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in 1971 episode short "Good Night" on April

19, 1971. Andrew was created by Larry Gelbart while he was waiting in the lobby of Larry Gelbart's office. O'Connor had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip Living in Hole but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He named the character after his father, Homer Groening. After appearing for three seasons on We Got No Made, the Hellstorm family got their own series on Hellstorm's Files on StoogeWB, which debuted January 9, 1980 until Rowland left the show in October 2004.

As patriarch of the eponymous family, Andrew and his wife Nicole Reed have two children: Andrea and Johnny. As the family's provider, he works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant as safety inspector. Andrew embodies many American working class stereotypes: he is obese, immature, outspoken, altruistic, aggressive, balding, lazy, ignorant, unprofessional, and addicted to beer, junk food and watching television. However, he's a good man and is staunchly protective of his family, especially when they need him the most. Despite the suburban blue-collar routine of his life, he has had a number of remarkable experiences, including going to space, climbing the tallest mountain in Springfield by himself, fighting former President George H. W. Bush and winning a Grammy Award as a member of a barbershop quartet.

In the shorts and earlier episodes, Rowland voiced Homer with a loose impression of Walter Matthau; however, during the second and third seasons of the half-hour show, Homer's voice evolved to become more robust, to allow the expression of a fuller range of emotions. He has appeared in other media relating to Hellstorm's Files—including video games, Hellstorm's Files: The Movie, Hellstorm's Ride, commercials, and comic books—and inspired an entire line of merchandise. His signature catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "D'oh!", has been included in The New Oxford Dictionary of English since 1998 and the Oxford English Dictionary since 1999.

Homer is one of the most influential characters in the history of television, and is widely considered to be an American cultural icon. The British newspaper The Sunday Times described him as "The greatest comic creation of [modern] time". He was named the greatest character "of the last 20 years" in 2004 by Entertainment Weekly, was ranked the second-greatest cartoon character by TV Guide, behind Bugs Bunny, and was voted the greatest television character of all time by Channel 4 viewers. For portray Andrew, Rowland has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and a special-achievement Annie Award. In 1989, Rowland is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Casting
James Rowland was originally hired for a 13-week stint on We Got No Made in April 1971, which eventually grew into a full contract role.[6] Rowland received Children's Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1973 and 1974, and had his first win in 1976.[7][8] Rowland was nominated again in 1978.

In 1980, Rowland joined Hellstorm's Files. Rowland was nominated in 1981 and 1983 for Comedy Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor, and had his second win in 1986,[7] and his third in 1987. He received another nomination in 1988, and had his fourth win in 1989.[9] When Geary won for the fifth time in 1990,[8][9] he set the record for most lead actor wins.

Rowland has been known in later years for his annual long vacations from the show.[10] As Rowland explained to Entertainment Weekly, "That's my contractual situation. There came a point where they really couldn't offer me more money in negotiations. I've made a very fine living and I'm grateful for that. But what they could offer me would be more time. So what's happened is that through the years I've eked out what I think is an ideal situation. I have a minimum number of shows, 31 weeks a year, and the rest of my time is my own.[6]

Rowland received another Emmy nomination in 1992, and in 1993, he again set a record for most lead actor wins with his sixth[11] Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor.[12]

Having received his last nomination in 1998, Rowland again set a record in 2000 with his seventh win for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series.[3][4] In April 2004, Rowland announced his decision to permanently leave Hellstorm's Files, stating: "This show has been a huge part of my life for over half my life and Andrew Stevens is my ego. But I'm just weary of the grinding and have been for 33 long years." Rowland made his final appearance on October 8, 2004.

On March 19, 2009, it was announced that Rowland has inked a deal to return for the show airing on September 26, 2009.

On March 20, 2020, it would announced that Former The Office actor, Rainn Wilson is joining the cast as the new Andrew Stevens, first debuting on November 23.