Phil Hartman
Acting
- Born:
- 1948-09-24
- Died:
- 1998-05-28
- Place of birth:
- Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Biography
Philip Edward Hartman (né Hartmann; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-born American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, 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 until 1994. 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. He also starred as Bill McNeal in the sitcom NewsRadio, voiced Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure on The Simpsons, and appeared in supporting roles in the films Houseguest, Sgt. Bilko, Jingle All the Way, and Small Soldiers. After two divorces, Hartman married Brynn Omdahl in 1987, with whom he had two children. However, their marriage was troubled due to his busy work schedule and her drug and alcohol abuse. In 1998, while Hartman was sleeping in his bed, Omdahl shot and killed him, and later killed herself. In the weeks following his murder, Hartman was celebrated in a wave of tributes. Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Hartman was "the last person you'd expect to read about in lurid headlines in your morning paper... a decidedly regular guy, beloved by everyone he worked with". He was posthumously inducted into the Canada and Hollywood Walks of Fame in 2012 and 2014.
Known For
Filmography
An SNL Thanksgiving
The Last Days of Phil Hartman
Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales
The Women of SNL
Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation
Comedy Club Shoot-out: Vol. 1
Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost and Found
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley
101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment
The Continental: Anticipation
Saturday Night Live: Christmas
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dana Carvey
Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special
The Simpsons: Too Hot For TV
Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night
Small Soldiers
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman
Saturday Night Live: A Tribute to Chris Farley
The Second Civil War
Jingle All the Way
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Sgt. Bilko
3rd Rock from the Sun
Night Stand with Dick Dietrick
The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show
Stuart Saves His Family
Going, Going, Almost Gone! Animals in Danger
NewsRadio
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Houseguest
The Crazysitter
The Pagemaster
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition
Greedy
The Critic
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Animaniacs
The John Larroquette Show
So I Married an Axe Murderer
Coneheads
Daybreak
CB4
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
Eek! The Cat
The Larry Sanders Show
Fish Police
One Special Victory
Darkwing Duck
The Ren & Stimpy Show
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures
TaleSpin
Tom & Jerry Kids Show
Bobby's World
Gravedale High
Quick Change
The Simpsons
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
Seinfeld
How I Got Into College
Fletch Lives
Amazon Women on the Moon
DuckTales
The Brave Little Toaster
Spaceballs
Blind Date
¡Three Amigos!
Jumpin' Jack Flash
Pee-wee's Playhouse
Ruthless People
Last Resort
Dennis the Menace
Our Time
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Challenge of the GoBots
Cheeseball Presents
Weekend Pass
The Facts
Pandemonium
Late Night with David Letterman
The Border
The Pee-wee Herman Show
Magnum, P.I.
Skateboard Madness
Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
The Gong Show Movie
The Six O'Clock Follies
Stunt Rock
Saturday Night Live
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Jetsons