Gil Gunderson
Gil Gunderson
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Character Information
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Gilbert "Gil" Gunderson, sometimes known as Old Gil, is voiced by Dan Castellaneta.
Personality and traits
Gil is based on Jack Lemmon's portrayal of Shelley Levene in the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross: a nervous, middle-aged man with the inability to hold a steady job due to strings of misfortunes that tend to hit him at the worst times.
Gil made his debut in the episode "Realty Bites", where he played a hapless real estate agent much like Lemmon did in the film. Lemmon himself played a similar part in "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson".
Gil frequently refers to himself in the third person ("C'mon, help ol' Gil out here!") At one point, at least, Gil has been married; in the episode "Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"", he mentions that his wife will leave him if he doesn't start "bringing in the green". Later in the same episode, he telephones his wife and overhears her carousing with his friend Fred, and it seems to be implied that she is having an affair which Gil is too weak to put a stop to. In the episode "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2" Gil reveals that he is indeed now divorced from his wife.
The episode "Tis The Fifteenth Season" includes a brief scene showing Gil attempting suicide by hanging himself with Christmas lights. He appears later in the same episode ice skating at Homer's house with the Christmas lights around his neck.
He found some brief success as a lawyer, assisting Marge with her anti-sugar campaign in "Sweets and Sour Marge". He returned to the legal profession in "The Frying Game", but he was less successful, as Homer and Marge went to prison.
Jobs
Gil has been seen holding a number of different jobs, first as a real estate agent in the episode "Realty Bites". The Lionel Hutz line, "Welcome to the big league, Marge. There's over fifty years of experience right in this room! And forty two of those years are Gil's!" seems to imply that before he ran into Marge, Gil actually kept professions. Since the retirement of Lionel Hutz from the series (due to voice actor Phil Hartman's death), Gil has filled the role of Springfield's cheap(est) lawyer.
Excluding these, the other jobs Gil has had are as follows:
- "The Last Temptation of Krust", "Goody Two Shoes" shoe salesman.
- "Natural Born Kissers", used car salesman.
- "Lisa Gets an 'A'", computer salesman.
- "Mayored to the Mob", bodyguard.
- "Marge Simpson in: 'Screaming Yellow Honkers'", "O.K. Car-Ral" car salesman.
- "Maximum Homerdrive", "Señor Ding-Dong's Doorbell Fiesta" doorbell salesman.
- "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?", "Springfield Shopper" telemarketer.
- "Eight Misbehavin'", Kwik-E-Mart cleanup.
- "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses", Amway salesman.
- "Pray Anything", team mascot.
- "Bart Mangled Banner", driving instructor.
- "The Heartbroke Kid", vending services salesman.
- "G.I. D'oh", Army Person
- "Treehouse of Horror XIII, Farmer
- "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2", Mall Santa.
- "Saddlesore Galactica", Super Anti-Evil-Elastigoggles salesman.
- "The Simpsons Hit & Run", car salesman
In the third act of "Kill Gil: Vols 1 & 2", Gil returned to his first known job as a real estate agent, and actually became one of the most successful realtors in Scottsdale, Arizona, only to lose his job thanks to Marge.
Homes
In "Old Yeller Belly", Gil apparently lived at the Springfield Men's Mission (a hostel for down-and-outs), although he was forceably ejected from the premises because he had overstayed the "six month occupancy limit." A defiant Gil walked straight into a shady organ donation clinic to sell his eyes for cash.
In "Natural Born Kissers", it is implied that Gil lives in a hot-air balloon, which is stolen by Homer and Marge. Gil's lone possession in the balloon is a hot plate (on which he still had two more payments to make). Gil has also been seen living in a storage locker, as seen by "Day of the Jackanapes".
