'Best job in the world'.

Byline: Roz Laws

HANK Azaria is full of amusing lines, but he isn't joking when he says: "I have the best job in the world." He is literally laughing all the way to the bank, as he's paid a whopping pounds 50,000 AN HOUR to have fun.

He earns close to half a million dollars for each episode of The Simpsons, but he only has to spend about six hours on it. And it's not exactly hard work either, as his job description could be classed as 'putting on silly voices'.

Hank, who provides the voices of more than 15 characters including Chief Wiggum, Apu and bartender Moe, admits: "I spend an embarrassingly small amount of time working on The Simpsons.

The writers and animators work very hard, but I do an hour on Thursdays when we read through the script, then four hours on Monday when we record it, and I'll pop in again once or twice.

"You do have to be able to do all the voices, which is what we keep reminding them, but it is the best job in the world.

"We're all having a good time still so I hope it keeps going. We're in the middle of our 21st year, we'll definitely record season 22 and we're contracted to do one more after that.

"We're now paid so much money, to put it bluntly, that I don't have to do anything else, which is fantastic. The Simpsons gives me the power to pick and choose my other roles." Mimicked Hank's latest film is Night At The Museum 2, which opens on Wednesday. He almost steals the show away from Ben Stiller with his comedy turn as Kahmunrah, a nasty Egyptian pharaoh brought to life after 3,000 years.

He admits he based the villain's voice on Boris Karloff in The Mummy, with an added lisp.

"I've had this voice ready from childhood," says Hank, who looks tanned and handsome as he relaxes in a London hotel room.

"I tried four or five different voices for Kahmunrah, then at the last minute, almost as a joke, I said 'How about Boris Karloff?' and it made Ben laugh.

"To be honest, I've used all my voices up on The Simpsons. Every possible noise I can make has been used.

"My favourite is Professor Frink, who I base on Jerry Lewis. I rip off all the wonderful stars of yesteryear! In each take I put more stupid sounds in and they have to stop me or it gets ridiculous." Hank, who's expecting his first baby with girlfriend Katie Wright, recalls how he started imitating people as a boy to entertain himself.

"I mimicked everything, from TV shows to family and friends, but especially teachers. If you don't like someone, you can do a better impression of them. Dislike is a tremendous fuel for parody and a genuine feeling of wanting to mock really helps! "I was the class clown, due to pure boredom. I wanted things to be more interesting and funny than they were, and if teachers couldn't do it, I would take matters into my own hands and try to make everyone laugh. If I was captivated by a teacher, I wouldn't bother.

"Some voices and accents come easier than others. I find British accents hard to do, as it's close to American. It's easier to do something farther away. Plus, I think British culture has already been traumatised enough by Dick Van Dyke! "I'd try out accents when I was working as a bus boy. I'd get bored and try saying 'Are you finished with this?' in a kind of Eastern European accent.

"Perhaps that's why I was fired from every job I've ever had besides acting." Hank has certainly made a success of that, with a string of TV and film roles. He notably played Simon Pegg's buff love rival in Run Fatboy Run, screened on Sky Movies Comedy tonight, and showed off his body again as a French scuba diving instructor in the romcom Along Came Polly.

That was one of four films in which he's now co-starred with Ben Stiller.

"Ben is highly aware of every good actor, writer and producer, he knows their talents and how best to use them. It's one of his main gifts, it's like he runs a ministudio.

"He thinks of me when others don't and has used me to my best ability.

"I was actually trying to make Ben laugh during takes on Night At The Museum, because I knew if I could get through to him, I was doing pretty well."

file NAME: Hank Azaria AGE: 45 CV: An early role was a policeman in Pretty Woman, while other films include The Birdcage, Quiz Show and America's Sweethearts. On TV, he played Phoebe's scientist boyfriend David in Friends.

FANCY THAT: Hank is a huge fan of Monty Python, Peter Sellers and Elvis Costello. He is best friends with actor Oliver Platt.

fact

CAPTION(S):

MONEY: Hank Azaria works out with Simon Pegg and (below) is the voice of Chief Wiggum in the Simpsons.