If you followed comedy during the 80s or 90s, you certainly knew the work of comedian Phil Hartman. From his wide array of characters portrayed on “Saturday Night Live” – Ed McMahon, The Anal-Retentive Chef, Brian’s Dad, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton – to his voice work on “The Simpsons” and his many other roles in TV and film, Hartman was perhaps the most versatile and ubiquitous comedian in the decades leading up to the new millennium.
Known for his smarmy pitchman voice, his unflappable winning smile, and expert comedic timing, Hartman’s fame showed no signs of dissipating as the 1990s drew to a close. That all changed in an instant, however, on the night of May 28, 1998, when Hartman’s third wife, Brynn Omdahl Hartman, shot and killed him in his sleep before eventually taking her own life.
.png)
.png)
