Phil Hartman

Personal

Passions

Vocation

Family

Canadian-American actor with a comedy background as a regular on a TV variety show in 1985 which was followed by "Saturday Night Live" in 1986. He also has done commercials on TV for such companies as McDonald's fast food. A comic most noted for creating characters, he hit the big time with the hit TV series Talk Radio, 1996, playing the obnoxious, full-of-himself radio announcer Bill McNeal. Hartman was raised in Connecticut, then in Southern California. He was the class clown in school and after graduating, worked as a graphic artist designer. Drawn to standup comedy, he did his apprenticeship by developing impersonations of some 70 famous people. He and Brynn met in 1986 on a blind date. He was taken with the gorgeous swimsuit model and they married the following year. With their two kids, Birgin, six, and Sean, nine, they appeared a devoted family Deeper investigation revealed that the Hartman's had bitter arguments and he had been preparing to leave the marriage, his third divorce. Emotionally, he and Brynn were opposites. Where she was volatile and insecure, he was outwardly genial but inwardly aloof, often withdrawn in private. He once remarked, "I go into my cave and she throws grenades to get me out." During arguments, Brynn would explode and Phil withdraw, going to bed and sleep. In the morning everything would have blown over. On May 28, 1998, Brynn shot Phil to death as he slept at 2:00 to 2:30 AM. She then drove to a friend's house, incoherent and frantic. Her friend calmed her down and they returned to her million dollar mansion in Encino. When Brynn locked herself in the bedroom with her husband's body, her friend called 911 emergency and the police were removing the two kids from the house when they heard another shot. It was Brynn who killed herself with a single shot to the head. Link to Wikipedia biography