Gil Gunderson

Gilbert "Gil" Gunderson (usually referred to as Ol' Gil or Gil) is an unsuccessful businessman in The Simpsons.

Creation
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 Glengarry Glen Ross. Lemmon himself played a similar part in "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson".

After the character Lionel Hutz was retired following the 1998 death of voice actor Phil Hartman, Gil eventually took Hutz's place in the "incompetent guy" role on the show. Gil also sometimes serves as the Simpson family lawyer, as Hutz used to.

Character Traits
Gil frequently refers to himself in the third person ("C'mon, help ol' Gil out here!"). He also has a tendency to punch people in the arms rather violently while trying to tell a story. 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, 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 &amp; 2" Gil reveals that he is indeed now divorced from his wife. Gil has several health problems, including bronchitis and a bad back. He's also a strong moocher, and is adept at piano singalongs.

Realtor
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. In the third act of "Kill Gil: Vols 1 &amp; 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.


 * Reference:

Palm Beach Homes

Lawyer
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 (Although whether the court and his unsuccessful lawyer skills were legitimate or not is debatable, as it is revealed in the ending that the entire thing was a hoax for a reality show to boost ratings). He replaced Lionel Hutz as the incompetent lawyer.

Other
In Natural Born Kissers he was seen as a car salesman; in Eight Misbehavin' he was working at the Kwik-E-Mart; in Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner? he tried to sell newspaper subscriptions for The Springfield Shopper, but only if he danced for the customer on the phone; in Days of Wine and D'oh'ses he tried pitching a product for Amway - a multi-level marketing company - during an AA meeting after supposedly losing three jobs in two days; in I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings he was ready for his first day as a security guard and was later shot; and in Lisa Gets an A he was seen as a "Coleco" computer salesman. In The Simpsons: Hit and Run, he serves as a car salesman from whom the player can buy.

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", Gil says he's been living 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".

Actual Death
In I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Gil is gunned down by robbers on his first day as a bank security guard. He was later seen in Funeral for a Fiend as one of the jury, as well as being seen in No Loan Again Naturally.

Attempted Suicide
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.

Appearances
Gil Gunderson Gil Chesterson