Phil Hartman would've turned 60 years old today. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1994. Hartman was also a graphic artist who designed several popular album covers, a member of The Groundlings comedy troupe, and voiced characters on The Simpsons (and News Radio! How could I forget that? Thanks for reminding me!). He was shot and killed by his wife in 1998.
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Quite a few Simpsons characters... Troy McClure & Lionel Hutz most prominently
He was truly an artist. I was always amazed at how successfully he could transform himself into any character and make it believable. One of the best.
Don't forget NewsRadio. He may not have been the star, but that was a classic sitcom that was hilarious thanks to him. Truly brilliant.
I recently watched most of the newsradio episodes on hulu: http://www.hulu.com/newsradio
kbk, I was thinking the same thing. News Radio was awesome and Hartman played the best character. Lovitz couldn't quite fill Hartman's shoes when he took over, but who could?
He was an awesome talent and is missed...
Phil did the BEST clinton. And lionel hutz from the simpsons was simply hilarious.
I might remember him from such films as "Gladys, The Groovy Mule" and "Calling All Quakers" with Dolores Montenegro.
The guy was a talent, renowned from North Haverbrook to Brockway.
I'm stunned that it has been ten years. He is so fresh and vivid in my memory.
May God rest his soul.
I've never laughed as hard as when Saturday Night Live did a parody of Full Metal Jacket. The actor who played private "Joker" in the movie was the guest host and Phil Hartman played the abusive drill sergeant, dressing him down with incredibly silly nicknames. The guy playing Joker couldn't keep a straight face, but Hartman just got more and more intense, never cracking a smile as his insults got funnier and funnier.
The guy was talented.
He's in my top 6 SNL players.
Damn, I miss Phil Harman, can't believe he's been gone for 10 years. He was the underrated workhorse of SNL, bringing hilarity and believability to every sketch he was in, at a time when one-joke, catchphrase characters were the norm. I still get a little misty when I hear his voice in old Simpsons reruns.