Remembering Tom Petty’s Acting Gigs On ‘King Of The Hill’ And ‘It’s Garry Shandling’s Show’


Tom Petty died late last night at the age of 66, and though he is best known as a singer with 40 years of experience with his band the Heartbreakers, he also did the occasional movie and television role, and his choices were decidedly offbeat and memorable.

Through his friendship with Garry Shandling, Petty started making cameos first on It’s Garry Shandling Show and then The Larry Sanders Show. This led to Tom Petty’s acting gigs on King of the Hill, where he played the often down-on-his-luck character Lucky.

There was a great deal of confusion yesterday around the health status of Tom Petty, who passed away just before midnight East Coast time. Petty’s daughter, AnnaKim Violette Petty, kept in touch with fans via Instagram, expressing her displeasure with media outlets like Rolling Stone who prematurely reported Tom Petty’s death earlier in the day.

“@rollingstone my dad is not dead yet but your f***ing magazine is your slime???? has been pieces of tabloid dog s**t. You put the worst artists on your covers do zero research. How dare you report that my father has died just to get press because your articles and photos are so dated. I will f***ing s**t down your throat and your family’s. Try not being a trump vibe. This is my father, not a celebrity. An artist and human being.”

But while Tom Petty’s acting gigs are not what put him on the map, they are memorable, and he is one of the few entertainers who has been captured in cartoon form twice. Even if you weren’t looking at the television screen while watching King of the Hill, it was easy to recognize the voice of Tom Petty as Elroy “Lucky” Kleinschmidt.

But one of Tom Petty’s acting gigs is less known but epic, and that is the role of the mayor of Bridge City in the movie The Postman starring Kevin Costner. Petty’s part in The Postman was tongue-in-cheek and more than a bit ironic when Costner’s character says, “I know you; you’re famous.” Petty’s character takes a moment and replies slyly.

“I was once — sort of.”

But Tom Petty’s longest-running acting job was certainly with King of the Hill, and his role of Lucky is pure Petty. When Mike Judge, the creator of King of the Hill, was writing a “Tom Petty-like” character for the show and was trying to cast it, he finally decided to ask the singer to voice Lucky.

“John Altschuler, who ran the show for the last seven/eight years, had written this character named ‘Lucky’ and described him as looking like ‘Tom Petty without the success. Then the idea occurred to them: why not ask Tom Petty himself? He said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’ And he was great, just killed at the table read. Then he said, ‘Anytime you want me to do it, I’ll do it.’ Turns out he really meant it.”

But another one of Tom Petty’s acting gigs in cartoon form, which is lesser known, is his appearance on The Simpsons as himself. In the episode where Homer goes to rock and roll fantasy camp, Tom Petty lent his voice along with Elvis Costello, Lenny Kravitz, Mick Jagger, and Brian Setzer as expert instructors. Tom Petty leads a lyrics workshop around a campfire, but he continues to be interrupted by Homer when he shares tips.

“Lyrics are the hardest part of songwriting, but when you come up with something meaningful and heartfelt…”

Homer then yells “boring!”


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Mike Scully, the producer of The Simpsons, calls Tom Petty one of the great rebels of the music business.

Have you seen Tom Petty in any of his acting gigs? Which Tom Petty part is your favorite?

[Featured Image by David McNew/Getty Images]

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