Rainier Wolfcastle
From Simpsons Wiki
Rainier Luftwaffe Wolfcastle' (voiced by Harry Shearer) is An Austrian-accented, musclebound actor, Wolfcastle is an obvious parody of actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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Profile
His ex-wife, who appeared in one episode, is named Maria Shriver Kennedy Quimby (as in Schwarzenegger's wife Maria Shriver), and that he was seen at a gathering of members of the Quimby family, who are modeled after the Kennedys. In the episode Homerazzi he remarries Maria Shriver Kennedy Quimby. Like Schwarzenegger, Wolfcastle also drives a black Hummer, with abysmal fuel consumption ("One highway, zero city").
Wolfcastle is a veteran of many violent action movies, most notably "the McBain series which does not correspond to a 1991 action movie by the same name (which did not feature Schwarzenegger)." It is frequently suggested that his career is on the decline since a movie featuring a "magic ticket" similar to Last Action Hero. He seems to battle frequently with weight problems, though tries to pass it off as something he is doing for a role (referencing Robert DeNiro's acting method, as in Raging Bull, in which he packed on the pounds to play a boxer on the skids). His films seem to be critical failures, as Jay Sherman introduced Wolfcastle in an interview on his TV show as "star of the reprehensible McBain movies" (to be fair, Sherman tends to apply "It stinks!" to everything).
According to various Simpsons episodes, Wolfcastle began his acting career as a child in Austria, appearing on painfully long television commercials advertising bratwurst. At roughly the same time, he began experimenting with bodybuilding, and his physique earned him a starring role in several gay pornography films (another reference to Schwarzenegger), shelves of which were seen by Homer during one of Wolfcastle's debt-induced garage sales. He was also at one point the primary actor on advertisements for "PowerSauce Bars"; bars claiming to boost muscle growth, but which were in fact a mash of apple cores and Chinese newspapers.
Character History
The character was originally referred to both within the show and by the production team as McBain, taken from the fictional franchise of action films the character appeared in of the same name. However, for a short time The Simpsons could not use the McBain name because a movie of the same name (unrelated to The Simpsons character) was released in 1991. During this time, the movie's producers refused to give Twentieth Century Fox and Matt Groening's production company clearance to use the "McBain" name, so the name of Rainier Wolfcastle was used to sidestep this. Later, the use of "McBain" as both Wolfcastle's alter-ego and continuing series of films returned to the show.
Wolfcastle himself can be briefly seen in the angry crowd in The Simpsons Movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger also appears in the movie as president, drawn almost exactly like Wolfcastle and voiced by Harry Shearer using the Wolfcastle voice.
The name "Wolfcastle" "Rainier" is a spelling variant of Rainer, a common German given name. Also, "Rainier" is a common reference to Mt. Rainier, a large volcano approximately halfway between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Most Simpsons character names come from streets and landmarks near Portland, the hometown of Simpsons creator Matt Groening.[1]
Jobs
Rainier Wolfcastle has, in different Simpsons episodes, been a presenter at the Academy Awards, a spokesperson for the Powersauce energy bar, a celebrity judge in radio station KBBL's contest "How Low Will You Go" (along with Krusty the Klown and Madeleine Albright), hosted a short-lived talk show, and appeared on Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton (in which he kills Lipton after getting into character as McBain). He was married to Maria Quimby in the past (a reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger's marriage to Maria Shriver, a Kennedy), and his daughter Greta dated Bart in the episode, The Bart Wants What It Wants. As mentioned before, he began his acting career as a child in a commercial for Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen-brand bratwurst in Austria. He also was co-owner of a Planet Hollywood spoof, along with "Chuck Norris, Johnny Carson's third wife, and the Russian mafia".
Apart from the McBain series, Wolfcastle also played Radioactive Man in an ill-fated live-action movie version of that comic book series. This episode aired years before Schwarzenegger himself starred in Batman & Robin, a critical and commercial failure. McBain has also apparently ventured into comedic roles; in one episode he carries Homer in an oversized Snugli for babies, remarking, "I used it to carry Rob Schneider in the movie My Baby is an Ugly Man."
Politics
Although Rainier Wolfcastle appears to have political ambitions, as noted by his candidacy for mayor in the recall election of Mayor Diamond Joe Quimby, he has not yet attempted to run for the governor's seat currently held by 15-season incumbent Mary Bailey. He is a member of the inner circle of the Springfield Republican Party which meets at Burns' creepy mansion and includes Burns, Krusty, Dr. Hibbert, Dracula and Bob Dole.
Anti-Semitism/Prejudices
There was also a hint that he may have some anti-semitic or Neo-Nazi views, when Krusty the Clown said "I thought I was a self-hating Jew, but it turns out that I'm just an anti-semite" and nearby Wolfcastle enthusiastically responds "we have so much to discuss". His lead-in announcer on "Up Late with McBain" dressed in a full SS uniform, complete with Nazi armband. In the episode See Homer Run, in a stump speech he refers to himself as being, among other things a "...son of a Nazi...". Despite his aforementioned involvement in the gay porn industry, Rainier himself may also be homophobic, as evidenced by his accusing an entire audience of being homosexuals after they booed him for describing someone's outfit as making them "look like a homosexual". Wolfcastle has twice been seen campaigning for Mayor or campaigning for Sideshow Bob for Mayor.
In the episode, Homerazzi, it is revealed that his middle name is Luftwaffe.