Phil Hartman
Acting • Born 1948-09-24 – Died 1998-05-28
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.
Filmography
106 credits
Blind Date
Movie • 1987
Ted Davis
Comedy Club Shoot-out: Vol. 1
Movie • 2006
Self
So I Married an Axe Murderer
Movie • 1993
Ranger John "Vicky" Johnson
Jumpin' Jack Flash
Movie • 1986
Fred
Ruthless People
Movie • 1986
Newsreader (voice) (uncredited)
Small Soldiers
Movie • 1998
Phil Fimple
¡Three Amigos!
Movie • 1986
Sam
Sgt. Bilko
Movie • 1996
MAJ Colin Thorn
Greedy
Movie • 1994
Frank
Jingle All the Way
Movie • 1996
Ted Maltin
Coneheads
Movie • 1993
Marlax
How I Got Into College
Movie • 1989
Bennedict, SAT Coach
One Special Victory
Movie • 1991
Mike Rutten
Going, Going, Almost Gone! Animals in Danger
Movie • 1995
Fletch Lives
Movie • 1989
Bly Manager
The Pagemaster
Movie • 1994
Tom Morgan (voice)
CB4
Movie • 1993
Virgil Robinson
Houseguest
Movie • 1995
Gary Young
The Brave Little Toaster
Movie • 1987
Air Conditioner / Hanging Lamp (voice)
Pandemonium
Movie • 1982
Reporter
The Crazysitter
Movie • 1994
The Salesman
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Special Edition
Movie • 1994
Self - Host
Stuart Saves His Family
Movie • 1995
Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Last Resort
Movie • 1986
Jean-Michel
Weekend Pass
Movie • 1984
Joe Chicago
Quick Change
Movie • 1990
Hal Edison
The Second Civil War
Movie • 1997
The President
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dana Carvey
Movie • 1999
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror
Movie • 2003
Bill Clinton (voice)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley
Movie • 2003
Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman
Movie • 1998
Self / Various Characters
The Facts
Movie • 1982
The Gong Show Movie
Movie • 1980
Man at Airport with Gun
Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
Movie • 1980
Chick Hazard Private Eye (Groundling)
The Pee-wee Herman Show
Movie • 1981
Kap'n Karl
Spaceballs
Movie • 1987
Dink (voice) (uncredited)
Skateboard Madness
Movie • 1980
Narrator (voice)
Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night
Movie • 1998
Chauncey (voice)
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Movie • 1993
Hollyberry
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
Movie • 1989
Self
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
Movie • 1993
Comic Cop
The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show
Movie • 1995
Various
Stunt Rock
Movie • 1978
Monique's Assistant
The Women of SNL
Movie • 2010
Various (archive footage)
Saturday Night Live: A Tribute to Chris Farley
Movie • 1998
Self
The Simpsons: Too Hot For TV
Movie • 1999
Cheeseball Presents
Movie • 1984
Various Characters
The Last Days of Phil Hartman
Movie • 2019
Self (archive footage)
Daybreak
Movie • 1993
Man in Abstinence Commercial
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Movie • 1985
Reporter
Amazon Women on the Moon
Movie • 1987
Baseball Announcer (segment "Murray in Videoland")
The Continental: Anticipation
Movie • 2001
The Continental Announcer (voice)
The Border
Movie • 1982
Charlie Smith (voice) (uncredited)
101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment
Movie • 2003
Self (archive footage)
Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost and Found
Movie • 2005
Self
Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation
Movie • 2007
Self
Magnum, P.I.
TV • 1980
News Reader (voice)
The Ren & Stimpy Show
TV • 1991
Sid (voice)
Challenge of the GoBots
TV • 1984
DuckTales
TV • 1987
Captain Frye (voice)
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Various Characters
The Critic
TV • 1994
Adolph Hitmaker / Bernie Wasserman / Professor Blowhard (voice)
Darkwing Duck
TV • 1991
NewsRadio
TV • 1995
Bill McNeal
Dennis the Menace
TV • 1985
George Wilson
Tom & Jerry Kids Show
TV • 1990
Calaboose Cal (voice)
Pee-wee's Playhouse
TV • 1986
Captain Carl
The Six O'Clock Follies
TV • 1980
Our Time
TV • 1985
Seinfeld
TV • 1989
Man on Phone (voice) (uncredited)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures
TV • 1990
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Lionel Hutz (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Troy McClure (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Tom / Nelson's Dad / Football Commentator / Announcer (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Troy McClure / Joey / Godfather / Lionel Hutz (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Troy McClure / Jimmy Apollo (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Stockbroker / Horst (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Lionel Hutz / Troy McClure (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Lyle Lanley (voice)
Night Stand with Dick Dietrick
TV • 1995
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Troy McClure / Lionel Hutz (voice)
The Larry Sanders Show
TV • 1992
Phil Hartman
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Host
Bobby's World
TV • 1990
Eek! The Cat
TV • 1992
Psycho Bunny (voice)
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
TV • 1995
Game Show Host (voice)
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
TV • 1996
Self
The Jetsons
TV • 1962
School Patrol Robots / Executive Vice President (voice)
TaleSpin
TV • 1990
Ace London (voice)
Animaniacs
TV • 1993
Dan Anchorman (voice)
Tiny Toon Adventures
TV • 1990
Octavius (voice)
The John Larroquette Show
TV • 1993
Otto Friedling
3rd Rock from the Sun
TV • 1996
Phillip
3rd Rock from the Sun
TV • 1996
Randy
Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales
TV • 2015
Self (archive footage)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Charlton Heston (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Evan Conover (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Troy McClure / Fat Tony (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Lionel Hutz / Hospital Chairman (voice)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Troy McClure / Additional Voices (voice)
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self / Various (archive footage)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV • 1962
Gravedale High
TV • 1990
Billy Headstone (voice)
The Ren & Stimpy Show
TV • 1991
Russian Newsreel Narrator / Pig (voice)
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Pilgrim (uncredited)
Late Night with David Letterman
TV • 1982
Self - Guest