Marge Simpson Voice Dub Actress Reportedly Dies in Her Sleep: Béatrice Picard Was 96

One of The Simpsons’ voice dub actresses has died.

Béatrice Picard, who provided the voice for Marge in the Quebec French version of the adult animated series, passed away in her sleep on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 7jours reported. She was 96 years old.

Théâtre Duceppe in Montréal confirmed Picard’s passing, writing on Facebook, “Throughout her life, Béatrice was able to combine her family life with her passion for the performing arts and the causes that were dear to her. So it seemed natural to us to share this news with her friends, her colleagues in the artistic world, and, especially, with her audience, for whom she was thinking until the very end.”

Born on July 3, 1929, in Montréal, Picard graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada and made her acting debut in the TV series Gabriel Le Berger in 1956. She’s done over 200 stage productions and over 60 TV dramas throughout her career, including Rosa, Grand-Papa, Cargo, Sous un ciel variable, My Super Season 8, My Aunt Aline, Les Jeunes Loups, District 31, and Claire et les vieux. She also appeared in the Oscar-nominated short film Marguerite.

Picard also did a handful of voiceover work, dubbing for projects in French Canadian, such as Mamá Coco in Coco and various voices in Mulan II. She is best known for the voice dub of Marge Simpson in The Simpsons and The Simpsons Movie, ultimately stepping down from the role in 2023 after 33 seasons. “It was time for me to leave the role before the role left me, she told La Presse at the time. “I’m going to be 94 years old. I think I’m getting a little old to play Marge.” Picard had done the dub for Marge since the show started in 1989.

She also admitted that since COVID, she had lost some of her enjoyment in her dubbing job, which was once “very pleasant.” She continued, “It’s become a bit more complicated. Before, we worked as a team, which I really liked, whereas now we’re all alone in the studio saying our lines.” Chantal Baril has since taken over as Marge for the French Canadian version.

Picard’s death came just weeks after she told fans that she was going to announce a new project, and that she was considering adopting a small dog. Along with acting, she also served as an officer for the National Order of Quebec and a member of the Order of Canada. She published an autobiography in 2018 titled, With Age, We Can Say Everything.