Phil Hartman was a man of many talents. actor, comedian, voice artist, screenwriter and expert graphic designer. Originally from Canada, his family moved to the United States when he was a child. He started out as a graphic designer before moving into comedy before moving into acting.
Hartman rose to prominence in the 1980s for his brilliant work on Saturday Night Live which won him a Primetime Emmy Award in 1989. The multi-talented star went on to portray iconic characters on several sitcoms including NewsRadio and The Simpsons
Sadly, Hartman’s life came to a tragic end in 1998, when he was barely 50 years old. The man who had brought so much joy and laughter to viewers had his own life cut short in the most macabre way.
Who was Phil Hartman?
He was born Philip Edward Hartmann on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He was the fourth of his parents’ eight children and was raised Roman Catholic. After moving to the United States with his family in 1958, he attended high school at Westchester High School in Los Angeles. For college, he attended California State University at Northridge where he studied graphic arts.
After graduation, Hartman built his own graphic art business, creating and designing album covers, advertising logos, and the like for several music groups. While there, he enrolled in acting classes run by The Groundlings in Los Angeles. After years of training, he joins the cast of The Groundlings and eventually becomes one of the stars of the show.
In 1977, Hartman collaborated with comedian Paul Reuben to create the character “Pee-wee Herman” and The Pee-wee Herman Show, a show based on the aforementioned character. Hartman portrayed the character Captain Carl in the series which eventually snowballed into a P -movie The Great Adventure of Ee-Wee (1985) and a Pee-Wee Playhouse TV show(1986-87), which he also featured in. Hartman eventually dropped the Pee-Wee Herman project after falling out with Paul Reuben over some creative aspects. Subsequently, he recorded several film roles as well as voice-over roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He particularly earned a reputation for providing voice-overs for commercials.
Phil Hartman had the most notable role of his showbiz career when he joined the cast and writers of NBC’s long-running variety show Saturday Night Live ( SNL ). His stint on SNL spanned 8 years during which he performed as many as 70 different characters. He became particularly known for his hilarious and epic impressions of Bill Clinton and his comedic skits. Hartman’s starring and writing roles on SNL earned him three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, in 1989, alongside his co-writers, the award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Entertainment Program. humor.
While working on Saturday Night Live, Hartman also held several other acting roles the most notable of which was on the hit animated sitcom The Simpsons (1991-98) beginning in its second season. He voiced different characters and appeared in 52 episodes. Hartman left SNL in 1994 and as a result, he moved from New York to Southern California. In 1995, he joined the cast of the NBC sitcom NewsRadio starring as radio news anchor Bill McNeal. He spent four seasons on the show before its fifth and final season.
Family life: wife and children
Phil Hartman has been married three times during his lifetime. For obvious reasons, the most important of her marital unions was with former model and up-and-coming actress Brynn Omdahl. The duo met on a blind date and after a year of dating, they married on November 25, 1987. They had 2 children together, Sean Edward, born in 1987 and Birgen Hartman, born in 1992.
Unlike her famous husband, Brynn was unable to make headway in her own showbiz career. She was reportedly intimidated by her husband’s profound success, and at one point Hartman considered quitting her own career just to save her marriage. Brynn’s predicament was further complicated by the fact that she had gradually fallen into addiction to alcohol and drugs, which made it even more difficult for her to play a role.
Hartman and his wife never divorced, however, the marriage ended 11 years after the tragic deaths of both parties. After their deaths, the two Hartman children were eventually raised in Eau Claire, Wis., by their mother’s sister, Katherine Omdahl, and her husband, Michael Wright.
Cause of death
Phil Hartman’s life ended on May 28, 1998, in Encino, California. As he slept in his bedroom that day, he was shot three times by his wife, Brynn, who was drunk at the time. After committing this heinous act, she drove to a friend’s house to whom she confessed the crime. Together they returned to the apartment where the friend eventually dialed 911.
Brynn Hartman also called another friend on the phone to whom she also confessed to the crime. Before the police arrived on the scene, she locked herself in the bedroom and committed suicide by shooting herself in the right eye.
Phil Hartman’s death has been ruled a homicide. His remains were cremated and his ashes were scattered at Emerald Bay, Santa Catalina Island, Los Angeles, per his wishes.