Actor |
Comedian
Born Phillip Edward Hartman on
Sept. 24,
1948
in
Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Actor and writer Phil Hartman became famous in the 1980s when he joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live.” He was known as “The Glue” on the cast because of his extreme versatility in performing characters, and that utility-player status helped him into the '90s, when he gained further fame through a multitude of character roles and voices on “The Simpsons.”
Hartman was born in Canada, but his family moved to the U.S. when he was 10 years old. He eventually ended up in Los Angeles, where he briefly attended Santa Monica City College and Cal State Northridge before opening his own graphic design business. He designed logos and album covers for bands such as Poco, America and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He joined the L.A.-based comedy group the Groundlings in 1975, where he became friends with future “SNL” cast member Jon Lovitz and Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman, among others.
Hartman spent 11 years with the Groundlings and gained a reputation as a screenwriter — he co-wrote “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” with Reubens. When he was cast on “Saturday Night Live” in 1986, he was 37 and several years older than most other cast members, who were mainly in their 20s.
"I wanted to do 'SNL' because I wanted to get the exposure that would give me box-office credibility so I can write movies for myself,” Hartman told The Times in 1986.
Hartman played dozens of memorable characters on the show, including presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer and Frankenstein’s monster, though none that had breakout appeal and their own feature films like Mike Myers’ “Wayne’s World” or “The Coneheads.” Still, Hartman’s work was respected and he received an Emmy nomination for his work on the show in 1994. He shared in an Emmy win for the show’s writing in 1989.
While still on “SNL,” Hartman continued doing voice work on animated series, including “The Jetsons,” “DuckTales” and “Tiny Toon Adventures.” But his highest-profile voice work was on “The Simpsons,” where he appeared in 52 episodes and provided the voices for such characters as Troy McClure and shady lawyer Lionel Hutz.
Hartman left “SNL” in 1994 and joined the ensemble sitcom “NewsRadio,” which debuted in 1995. He played the role of egocentric news anchor Bill McNeal.
Off-screen, Hartman was married three times, the third time in 1987 to aspiring actress Brynn Omdahl. Together the couple had two children, Sean and Birgen Hartman.
But despite their relatively long marriage, Hartman’s relationship with his wife was tempestuous, often fueled by her temper and drugs and alcohol, The Times reported in 1998. On the night of May 27, 1998, Hartman and his wife got into a fight. After the actor went to bed, Brynn, who was intoxicated and had recently used cocaine, shot him three times, killing him. After going to a friend’s house and confessing her crime, Brynn returned to the family home, where she locked herself in the bedroom with Hartman’s body and killed herself.
Both of the Hartman children were unharmed.
Hartman was posthumously nominated for an Emmy for his role on “NewsRadio” and his longtime friend, Lovitz, replaced him on the show for its final season.
— Patrick Kevin Day for the Los Angeles Times Sept. 2, 2014
