Phil Hartman

Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian and American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, and his family moved to the United States when he was ten years old. After graduating from California State University, Northridge, with a degree in graphic arts, he designed album covers for bands including Poco and America. In 1975, Hartman joined the comedy group the Groundlings, where he helped Paul Reubens develop his character Pee-wee Herman. Hartman co-wrote the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and made recurring appearances as Captain Carl on Reubens' show Pee-wee's Playhouse.

In 1986, Hartman joined the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a cast member and stayed for eight seasons. Nicknamed "Glue" for his ability to hold the show together and help other cast members, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his SNL work in 1989. After leaving SNL in 1994, Hartman starred as Bill McNeal in the sitcom NewsRadio. He also voiced Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure on The Simpsons, and appeared in the films Houseguest (1995), Sgt. Bilko (1996), Jingle All the Way (1996), and Small Soldiers (1998).

After two divorces, Hartman married Brynn Omdahl in 1987, with whom he had two children. Their marriage was troubled due to his busy work schedule and her substance abuse and domestic violence. In 1998, while Phil was sleeping, Brynn shot and killed him, and later killed herself. He was posthumously inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2012 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014.

Early life

Phil Hartman was born Philip Edward Hartmann He was the fourth of eight children of Doris Marguerite (née Wardell) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann, who sold building materials. The family was Catholic. They first lived in Lewiston, Maine, then Meriden, Connecticut, and then on the West Coast, where he attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles and frequently acted as the class clown. After several years of training, paying his way by redesigning the group's logo and merchandise, Hartman formally joined The Groundlings and by 1979 was one of the show's stars. Hartman co-wrote the script of the 1985 feature film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and had a cameo role as a reporter. After a creative disagreement with Reubens, he left the Pee-Wee Herman project to pursue other roles.

Saturday Night Live (1986–1994) After appearances in the 1986 films Jumpin' Jack Flash and Three Amigos, and Laraine Newman, as well as Jumpin' Jack Flash director Penny Marshall. He told the Los Angeles Times, "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." At SNL, Hartman's nickname of "Glue" was coined by Adam Sandler according to Jay Mohr's book Gasping for Airtime. However, according to You Might Remember Me: The Life and Times of Phil Hartman by Mike Thomas, author and staff writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, the nickname was created by SNL cast member and Hartman's frequent on-screen collaborator Jan Hooks. Hartman was very helpful to other cast members. For example, he aided Hooks in overcoming her stage fright. Jay Leno offered him the role of his sidekick on The Tonight Show but Hartman opted to stay on SNL. NBC persuaded him to stay on SNL by promising him his own comedy–variety show The Phil Show. Before production began, however, the network decided that variety shows were not popular enough, and canceled the series. In a 1996 interview, Hartman noted he was glad, as he "would've been sweatin' blood each week trying to make it work". In 1998, he admitted he missed working on SNL, but had enjoyed the move from New York City to Southern California. Hartman had publicly lambasted NBC's decision to repeatedly move NewsRadio into different timeslots, but later regretted his comments, saying, "this is a sitcom, for crying out loud, not brain surgery". Hartman was posthumously nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1998 for his work on NewsRadio. David Hyde Pierce won the award for his performance on Frasier.

The Simpsons (1991–1998)

Hartman provided the voices for numerous characters on the Fox animated series The Simpsons, appearing in 52 episodes. His favorite part was that of McClure, He added "It's the one thing that I do in my life that's almost an avocation. I do it for the pure love of it."

Hartman was popular among the staff of The Simpsons. Showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein said they enjoyed his work, and used him as much as possible when working on the show. To give Hartman a larger role, they developed the episode "A Fish Called Selma", which focuses on Troy McClure and expands the character's backstory. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening said that he "took [Hartman] for granted because he nailed the joke every time", Hartman said he was "looking forward to [McClure's] live-action movie, publicizing his Betty Ford appearances", Other films include Greedy, Coneheads, Sgt. Bilko, So I Married an Axe Murderer, CB4, Jingle All the Way, the English Disney/GKIDS dub of Kiki's Delivery Service, and Small Soldiers, the latter of which is his final theatrically released film. At the same time, he preferred working on television. as well as British advertisements for Golden Wonder's Pot Noodle, including Computer Graphic.

Hartman wrote a number of screenplays that were never produced. Another film idea involving Hartman's Groundlings character Chick Hazard, Private Eye was also canceled.

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In contrast to his real-life personality, which was described as "a regular guy and, by all accounts, one of show business's most low-key, decent people", Hartman often played seedy, vain, or unpleasant characters as well as comedic villains. He described his standard character repertoire as the "jerky guy" and "the weasel parade",

Writer and acting coach Paul Ryan noted Hartman's work ethic with his impressions. He assembled a collection of video footage of the figure he was preparing to impersonate and watched this continually until he "completely embodied the person". Ryan concluded that "what made [Hartman's impressions] so funny and spot on was Phil's ability to add that perfect touch that only comes from trial and error and practicing in front of audiences and fellow actors." Hartman described this process as "technical".

Ken Tucker summarized Hartman's comedic style: "He could momentarily fool audiences into thinking he was the straight man, but then he'd cock an eyebrow and give his voice an ironic lilt that delivered a punchline like a fast slider—you barely saw it coming until you started laughing." He married real estate agent Lisa Strain in 1982, and they divorced in 1985. Strain later told People magazine that Hartman was reclusive off screen and "would disappear emotionally ... he'd be in his own world. That passivity made you crazy." He considered retiring to save the marriage.

NewsRadio co-star Stephen Root said few people knew "the real Phil Hartman", as he was "one of those people who never seemed to come out of character", but he nevertheless gave the impression of a family man who cared deeply for his children. Hartman befriended Joe Rogan during his time on NewsRadio, and confided his marital problems to him. Rogan said that he encouraged Hartman to divorce Brynn five times, but "[Hartman] loved his kids and didn't want to leave".

Hartman stated in 1997 that, though a non-practicing Catholic, he displayed a sense of religiousness. In his spare time, he enjoyed driving, flying, sailing, marksmanship, and playing the guitar.

Death On May 27, 1998, Brynn Hartman visited a restaurant and had drinks with producer and writer Christine Zander, who said she was "in a good frame of mind". After she returned home, she and Phil had a "heated" argument, after which he went to bed.

Brynn then drove to the home of her friend Ron Douglas and confessed to the killing, but he did not initially believe her. After finding and removing a gun from her purse, Douglas followed Brynn back to the house in his own car. On the way, she called another friend and confessed again. Upon seeing Hartman's body, Douglas called 9-1-1 at The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) arrived and escorted Douglas and the Hartmans' two children – 6 and 9 years old – from the premises, by which time Brynn had locked herself in the bedroom. Shortly afterward, she shot herself with another handgun, dying at the age of 40.

The LAPD stated Hartman's death was caused by "domestic discord" between the couple. A neighbor of the Hartmans told a CNN reporter that the couple had marital problems. Conversely, actor Steve Guttenberg said they had been "a very happy couple and they always had the appearance of being well-balanced". Pfizer later settled the lawsuit without an admission of any wrongdoing. Hartman's friend and former SNL colleague Jon Lovitz accused NewsRadio co-star Andy Dick of reintroducing Brynn to cocaine, causing her to relapse and suffer a nervous breakdown. Dick claimed to have known nothing of her condition.

Brynn's sister Katharine Omdahl and brother-in-law Mike Wright raised the two Hartman children.

Response and legacy NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer stated that Hartman "was blessed with a tremendous gift for creating characters who made people laugh. Everyone who had the pleasure of working with Phil knows that he was a man of tremendous warmth, a true professional and a loyal friend." and Maxim named him the top Saturday Night Live performer of all time.

On the day of Hartman's death, rehearsals for The Simpsons and that night's performance by The Groundlings were canceled. Rather than substituting another voice actor, the writers of The Simpsons retired Hartman's characters. His final appearance in the tenth season episode "Bart the Mother" is dedicated to him. Small Soldiers was dedicated to Hartman, being his final film to be released in movie theatres.

Hartman was preparing to voice Zapp Brannigan, a character written specifically for him on Groening's second animated series Futurama, at the time of his death. After Hartman's death, Billy West took over the role. West later said that he purposely tweaked Zapp's voice to better match Hartman's intended portrayal. Hartman was planning to appear with Lovitz in the indie film The Day of Swine and Roses, scheduled to begin production in August 1998. Flat TV was optioned for an animated adaptation by Michael "Ffish" Hemschoot's animation company Worker Studio in 2013. The deal came about after Michael T. Scott, a partner in the company, posted online a handwritten letter he had received from Hartman in 1997, leading to a correspondence between Scott and Paul Hartmann.

A campaign was started on Facebook by Alex Stevens in 2007, and endorsed by Hartman's brother Paul, to have Phil inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame. Among the campaign's numerous publicity events, Ben Miner of the Sirius XM Radio channel Laugh Attack dedicated the month of April 2012 to Hartman. The campaign ended in success and Hartman was inducted on September 22, 2012, to the Walk of Fame, with Paul accepting the award on his late brother's behalf. Hartman was also awarded the Cineplex Legends Award. In June 2013, it was announced that Hartman would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was unveiled on August 26, 2014. Additionally, a special prize at the Canadian Comedy Awards was named for Hartman. Beginning with the 13th Canadian Comedy Awards in 2012, the Phil Hartman Award was awarded to "an individual who helps to better the Canadian comedy community". In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Hartman as one of the ten greatest Saturday Night Live cast members throughout the show's forty-year history, coming in seventh on its list of all 141 members.

Filmography Film +Film work by Phil Hartman Year Title Role Notes 1978 Stunt Rock Monique's Assistant 1980 The Gong Show Movie Man at airport with gun Credited as Phil Hartmann Cheech & Chong's Next Movie Actor being filmed in the background 1982 Pandemonium Reporter Credited as Phil Hartmann 1984 Weekend Pass Joe Chicago 1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure Reporter / Rodeo announcer Also co-writer 1986 Last Resort Jean-Michel Jumpin' Jack Flash Fred Credited as Phil E. Hartmann Three Amigos! Sam 1987 Blind Date Ted Davis The Brave Little Toaster Hanging lamp (credited), Air conditioner (uncredited) Voice Amazon Women on the Moon Unnamed role 1981 The Pee-wee Herman Show Captain Carl / Monsieur LeCroc Television special; also writer The Smurfs Additional voices 1982 The Little Rascals 1983 The Pop 'N Rocker Game Announcer The Dukes Various voices 7 episodes 1984Challenge of the GoBots The New Scooby Doo MysteriesPink Panther and Sons Magnum, P.I. Newsreader Episode: "The Legacy of Garwood Huddle" 1985 Sara Drake Episode: "27 Candles" The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo Additional voices Episode: "It's a Wonderful Scoob" The Jetsons School Patrol robots / Executive Vice-president Voice, episode: "Boy George" 1986 Dennis the Menace Henry Mitchell / George Wilson / Various voices Pee-wee's Playhouse Captain Carl 6 episodes 1986–1994 Saturday Night Live Ace London Voice, episode: "Mach One for the Gipper" The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho PandaAdditional voices Gravedale High Billy Headstone Voice, episode: "Cleo's Pen Pal" Tiny Toon Adventures Tim Cornell Episode: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" Darkwing Duck Himself Episode: "The Stalker" 1994 How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition Host TV Short The Critic Various characters Television special The John Larroquette Show Man on phone Episode: "The Package"; uncredited Saturday Night Live Himself (host) / various roles 2 episodes 1996, 1998 3rd Rock from the Sun Phillip / Randy 1997 The Second Civil War President of the United States Television film 1999 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Game show host Voice, episode: "The Empress's Nightingale"; Posthumously aired (final appearance)

Video games +Video game work by Phil Hartman Year Title Voice roles 1997 Virtual Springfield Troy McClure Lionel Hutz 1998 Blasto Captain Blasto

Theater +Theater work by Phil Hartman Year Title Role 1981 The Pee-wee Herman Show Captain Carl / Monsieur LeCroq

Discography The following is a list of albums for which Hartman designed the covers.

Year Artist Album 1974 Poco Seven 1975 America Hearts History: America's Greatest Hits 1976 Silver Silver 1977 America Harbor Poco Legend 1979 America Silent Letter 1980 Firesign Theatre Fighting Clowns