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104-605: Shortly after Robert Smigel moved from New York to Chicago in 1983 to start his career in comedy, he made his first visit to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs play. He noticed a prevalence of large men who wore walrus mustaches and aviator sunglasses, a look similar to Mike Ditka , who had been hired to coach the city's NFL team, the Chicago Bears , the year before. "There was just a swagger among these very virile-looking men", he recalled. "All sports fans kind of have it." In

208-417: 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

312-654: A hurricane —in this particular debate, the Superfans believed that Ditka could defeat the hurricane, until it was revealed that the name of the hurricane was Hurricane Ditka, at which point Todd O'Connor had a heart attack out of confusion; who would win in a competition for World Domination—"Da Bearss" or "Da Bullss"; Ditka winning the Indianapolis 500 driving the Bears' team bus; or how many points Jordan could score if he played an entire game by himself while lounging in

416-579: A recliner . One episode asked the outcome of the Bulls/Pistons game where Todd said the Bulls would win 402–0—but Jordan would be held to under 200 points. Todd usually predicted shutouts. During the first episode, he predicted that the Bears would defeat the Giants 79–0, claiming that "the Bears' defense is like a wall. You can't go t'rough it." (The Giants won the actual game, 31–3.) Pat once predicted

520-445: A "heated" argument with Hartman, after which he went to bed. She entered his bedroom some time before 3:00 a.m. PDT on May 28, 1998, and, as he slept, she fatally shot him once between the eyes, once in the throat and once in the upper chest with a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson Model 15 revolver. Hartman was 49 years old. Brynn was taking Zoloft , had been drinking alcohol, and had recently used cocaine . Brynn then drove to

624-455: A .38-caliber Charter Arms Undercover revolver. The police stated Hartman's death was caused by "domestic discord" between the couple. A neighbor of the Hartmans told a CNN reporter that the couple had marital problems. Yet actor Steve Guttenberg said they had been "a very happy couple and they always had the appearance of being well-balanced". Brynn's brother, Gregory Omdahl, filed

728-491: A Car ". Although he was originally brought in for a one-time appearance, Hartman enjoyed working on The Simpsons and the staff wrote additional parts for him. He voiced the recurring characters Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure , as well as several background characters. His favorite part was that of McClure, and he often used this voice to entertain the audience between takes while taping episodes of NewsRadio . He remarked, "My favorite fans are Troy McClure fans." He added "It's

832-407: A Variety or Music Program . By 1993, almost every cast member who was there during Hartman's first year on SNL had left the show, including Jon Lovitz, Jan Hooks and Dana Carvey . Hartman said he felt "like an athlete who's watched all his World Series teammates get traded off into other directions ... It was hard to watch them leave because I sort of felt we were all part of the team that saved

936-481: A blind date the previous year. They had two children, Sean and Birgen Hartman. The marriage had difficulties; she was reportedly intimidated by his success and was frustrated that she could not find any on her own, although neither party wanted a divorce. She was reported to have been jealous and often verbally or physically abusive, even sending a letter to his ex-wife, threatening to "rip [Strain's] eyes out" if she spoke to him again. Hartman considered retiring to save

1040-571: A casual, no-nonsense way about him. It was that quality that we all find so hilarious, his delightful ability to poke fun at himself and at life with a tongue-in-cheek attitude comparable to, say, Tim Conway or Mel Brooks or Carol Burnett . — Nancy Cartwright . In contrast to his real-life personality, which was described as "a regular guy and, by all accounts, one of show business's most low-key, decent people", Hartman often played seedy, vain or unpleasant characters as well as comedic villains. He described his standard character repertoire as

1144-648: A creative disagreement with Reubens, he left the Pee-Wee Herman project to pursue other roles. Hartman took more small roles in 1986 films such as Jumpin' Jack Flash and Three Amigos . He also worked as a voice actor in animated television programs, including The Smurfs , Challenge of the GoBots , The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo , and in Dennis the Menace as Henry Mitchell and George Wilson and most of

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1248-429: A cult hit and has screened live at "The Other Network", a festival of un-aired TV pilots produced by Un-Cabaret , featuring live and taped intros by Smigel. Smigel later became the first head writer at Late Night with Conan O'Brien , where he created numerous successful comedy bits, including one where Smigel performed only the lips of public figures which were superimposed on photos of the actual people. (This technique

1352-615: 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

1456-523: A degree in political science. Smigel began developing his comedic talent at The Players Workshop in Chicago, where he studied improvisation with Josephine Forsberg . Bob Odenkirk was a fellow student there. Smigel was also a member of the Chicago comedy troupe "All You Can Eat" in the early 1980s. Smigel first established himself as a writer on Saturday Night Live by joining the writing staff when Lorne Michaels returned as executive producer for

1560-439: A few apologies", adding later that he "sometimes [felt] a twinge of guilt about [his Clinton impression]". Clinton showed good humor and sent Hartman a signed photo with the text: " You're not the president, but you play one on TV . And you're OK, mostly." Hartman copied the president's "post-nasal drip" and the "slight scratchiness" in his voice, as well as his open, "less intimidating" hand gestures. Hartman opted against wearing

1664-455: A film titled Mr. Fix-It , and completed the final draft in 1991. Robert Zemeckis was signed to produce the film, with Gil Bettman hired to direct. Hartman called it "a sort of a merger of horror and comedy, like Beetlejuice and Throw Momma From the Train ", adding, "It's an American nightmare about a family torn asunder. They live next to a toxic dump site, their water supply is poisoned,

1768-674: A gay mailman in the Adam Sandler film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Yari the Mechanic in the "Mister Softee" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm . He voiced Ray and the Star Wars character, Emperor Palpatine , in the first episode of Robot Chicken: Star Wars , as well as the monster 100 in the episode of the same name of Aqua Teen Hunger Force . Currently living in New York, he co-wrote and co-executive produced

1872-499: A headstone with wife Brynn in Thief River Falls, Minnesota , where Brynn was born. NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer stated that Hartman "was blessed with a tremendous gift for creating characters who made people laugh. Everyone who had the pleasure of working with Phil knows that he was a man of tremendous warmth, a true professional and a loyal friend." Guttenberg expressed shock at Hartman's death and Steve Martin said he

1976-559: A heart attack, while the other characters reminisce about his life. Lovitz joined the show in his place beginning with the next episode. An episode that ended a season of 3rd Rock from the Sun , where Hartman played a flamboyant recurring character who ends up kidnapping Harry was scrapped due it being a cliffhanger which would have been resolved in the subsequent season premiere, as well as to show respect for Phil's death. A special episode of Saturday Night Live commemorating Hartman's work on

2080-438: A huge star, but I've made steady progress and that's the way I like it" and "It's fun coming in as the second or third lead. If the movie or TV show bombs, you aren't to blame." Hartman was considered a "utility player" on SNL with a "kind of Everyman quality" which enabled him to appear in the majority of sketches, often in very distinct roles. Jan Hooks stated of his work on SNL : "Phil never had an ounce of competition. He

2184-492: A larger prosthetic nose when portraying Clinton, as he thought it would be distracting. He instead wore a wig, dyed his eyebrows brighter, and used makeup to highlight his nose. In one of Hartman's sketches as Clinton, the president-elect visits a McDonald's restaurant and explains his economic policies and support for military intervention in Somalia by the metaphor of eating other customers' food. The writers told him that he

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2288-598: A life." Smigel rarely appeared on screen, though he was credited as a featured player in the early 1990s and played a recurring character in the Bill Swerski's Superfans sketches. While on a writers' strike from Saturday Night Live following the 1987–88 season, Smigel wrote for an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow SNL writers Bob Odenkirk and Conan O'Brien called Happy Happy Good Show . Smigel co-wrote Lookwell with Conan O'Brien for NBC. The pilot never went to series, but it has become

2392-581: A more social outlet for his talents, he began attending evening comedy classes by the California-based improvisational comedy group The Groundlings . While watching one of their performances, he impulsively decided to climb on stage and join the cast. His first onscreen appearance was in 1978's Stunt Rock , an Australian film directed in Los Angeles by Brian Trenchard-Smith . After several years of training, paying his way by redesigning

2496-600: A nervous breakdown. Dick claimed to have known nothing of her condition. Lovitz later said he no longer blamed Dick for Hartman's murder but in 2006, Lovitz claimed Dick had approached him at a restaurant and said, "I put the Phil Hartman hex on you. You're the next one to die." Lovitz then had him ejected from the restaurant. The following year at the Laugh Factory comedy club in Los Angeles, Lovitz and Dick had another argument with Lovitz slamming Dick's head into

2600-521: A non-practicing Catholic, he displayed a sense of religiousness. In his spare time, he enjoyed driving, flying, sailing, marksmanship, and playing the guitar. On May 27, 1998, Hartman's wife, Brynn, visited the Italian restaurant Buca di Beppo in Encino, California , with producer and writer Christine Zander , who said she was "in a good frame of mind"; they had drinks. After returning home, Brynn had

2704-496: A partner in the company, posted online a handwritten letter he had received from Hartman in 1997, leading to a correspondence between Scott and Paul Hartmann. A campaign was started on Facebook by Alex Stevens in 2007, and endorsed by Hartman's brother Paul, to have Phil inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame . Among the campaign's numerous publicity events, Ben Miner of the Sirius XM Radio channel Laugh Attack dedicated

2808-430: A selection of comedy sketches recorded by Hartman in the 1970s, which had been kept in storage. John Hartmann commented: "I'm putting this out there because I'm dedicating my life to fulfilling his dreams. This [album] is my brother doing what he loved." Flat TV was optioned for an animated adaptation by Michael "Ffish" Hemschoot 's animation company Worker Studio in 2013. The deal came about after Michael T. Scott ,

2912-637: A sick kind of way I made myself a career by doing a bad imitation of another comic." Hartman married Gretchen Lewis in 1970 and they divorced in September 1972. He married real estate agent Lisa Strain in 1982, and their marriage lasted three years. Strain told People magazine that Hartman was reclusive off screen and "would disappear emotionally ... he'd be in his own world. That passivity made you crazy." In 1987, Hartman married former model and aspiring actress Brynn Omdahl (born Vicki Jo Omdahl, April 11, 1958 – May 28, 1998), having met her on

3016-653: A special prize at the Canadian Comedy Awards was named for Hartman. Beginning with the 13th Canadian Comedy Awards in 2012, the Phil Hartman Award was awarded to "an individual who helps to better the Canadian comedy community". In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Hartman as one of the ten greatest Saturday Night Live cast members throughout the show's forty-year history, coming in seventh on its list of all 141 members. The following

3120-500: A statement saying that “Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed," and that "After leaving the members’ offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police.” Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson accused Smigel of " insurrection " and that it

3224-464: A table and discussing Chicago sports. Odenkirk imagined what the show would be like if its panelists were average fans rather than sportswriters. "The key was that table", said Sports Writers producer John Roach. "Men gathered at a table talking about the shit in an unscripted way that lets you eavesdrop on it." The name "Bill Swerski" was a play on the name of Chuck Swirsky , a Chicago sportscaster. The sketch premiered on January 12, 1991, hours before

Bill Swerski's Superfans - Misplaced Pages Continue

3328-534: A taped segment narrated by Bill Kurtis , ostensibly a TV documentary piece) featuring the original Superfans was on October 25, 1997, in an episode hosted by Farley. This featured the second appearance by Ditka (he had appeared on an episode of SNL after his firing by the Bears), though he was at the time coaching the New Orleans Saints , which resulted in a schism among the Superfans (Carl had taken up with

3432-584: A writing Emmy for the 2012 broadcast of Night of Too Many Stars . Phil Hartman 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

3536-444: A wrongful death lawsuit in 1999 against both Pfizer , the manufacturer of Zoloft, and his sister’s psychiatrist , Arthur Sorosky, who had provided samples of the antidepressant to Brynn. Pfizer later settled the lawsuit without an admission of any wrongdoing. Hartman's friend and former SNL colleague Jon Lovitz has accused Hartman's NewsRadio co-star Andy Dick of reintroducing Brynn to cocaine, causing her to relapse and suffer

3640-459: The President of the United States . He made a considerable amount of money from television advertising, earning $ 300,000 for a series of four commercials for the soft drink Slice . He also appeared in advertisements for McDonald's (as Hugh McAttack) and 1-800-Collect (as Max Jerome). Hartman wrote a number of screenplays that were never produced. In 1986, he began writing a screenplay for

3744-455: The "jerky guy" and "the weasel parade", citing Lionel Hutz, Bill McNeal, Troy McClure, and Ted Maltin from Jingle All the Way as examples. Hartman enjoyed playing such roles because he "just want[ed] to be funny, and villains tend to be funny because their foibles are all there to see". He often played supporting roles, rather than the lead part. He said: "[T]hroughout my career, I've never been

3848-431: The 1985–1986 season. Smigel was hired after then- SNL producers Al Franken and Tom Davis saw Smigel in a Chicago sketch show. Smigel was among the few writers who survived a purge of writers and cast at the conclusion of the "disappointing" 1985–1986 season. This is when Smigel began to write more memorable sketches, including one where host William Shatner urged worshipful attendees at a Star Trek convention to "get

3952-449: The 87th greatest television icon of all time, and Maxim named him the top Saturday Night Live performer of all time. On the day of Hartman's death, rehearsals for The Simpsons and that night's performance by The Groundlings were canceled. The season five premiere episode of NewsRadio , "Bill Moves On" (aired September 23, the day before what would have been his 50th birthday) finds Hartman's character, Bill McNeal, has died of

4056-577: The Anal Retentive Chef and Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer . His impressions include Frank Sinatra , Ronald Reagan , Ed McMahon , Barbara Bush , Charlton Heston , Kelsey Grammer , Michael Caine , Oliver Stone , Phil Donahue , Telly Savalas , Barry Humphries , Kirk Douglas and Bill Clinton —the latter considered his best-known impression. Hartman first performed his Clinton impression on an episode of The Tonight Show . When he met Clinton in 1993, Hartman remarked, "I guess I owe you

4160-588: The Bears were to play the New York Giants in a divisional playoff game at Giants Stadium , a few miles from NBC's Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center . Mantegna starred as Bill Swerski, along with Chris Farley as Todd O'Connor, Mike Myers as Pat Arnold, and Robert Smigel as Carl Wollarski, a part that the writer had intended for Phil Hartman but was assigned by the show's head writer, James Downey , because Downey believed Smigel's accent

4264-501: The Bears would handily win another Super Bowl. The sketch drew considerable laughter, but when it came time to stage the show in Los Angeles , Smigel cut it, believing audiences there would not understand it. "I'd never thought of it as something that could work on national television," he said, "because it just felt so regional." In January 1991, Chicago native Joe Mantegna hosted SNL . Odenkirk suggested to Smigel that they pitch

Bill Swerski's Superfans - Misplaced Pages Continue

4368-780: The Bears would lead the Detroit Lions 96–14 at the half. John Goodman played Pat Arnold upon Myers's departure from SNL; the change in Pat Arnold's appearance was attributed to "massive weight gain." Mantegna's absence was invariably explained away by Wendt, saying his "brudder Bill" had just "had anudder heart attack ." One sketch briefly had Todd's wife wearing a frumpy dress (also played by Chris Farley). The characters were typically shown in Mike Ditka 's sports bar , drinking large amounts of beer, smoking, and gorging themselves on ribs, Polish sausage , and similar foods. All

4472-480: The Bears would win their game by a score of 31 to -7. When asked how a team could end up with negative points, Todd replied, "Ditka'll find a way." One episode featured a Jeopardy! -like game show preempting the Bearless, and therefore unimportant, Super Bowl , starring Bob Swerski as host and the other Superfans as contestants. All the questions dealt with the Bears, Chicago, or Ditka. The Final Jeopardy! question

4576-472: The Chicago team, using an exaggerated Chicago accent—a variety of Inland Northern American English —normally culminating in a uniform toast to " Da Bearss " and " Da Bullss ", although " Da Cubss " was heard on at least one occasion, although they seldom talked about ice hockey, or "Da Blackhawks" or made mention of "Da White Sox". Their predictions were likewise exaggerated and their topics of conversation often ludicrous. Typical debates involved Mike Ditka versus

4680-427: The Giants. Subsequent sketches starred George Wendt as Bill's brother Bob, with occasional appearances by Beth Cahill as Bob's daughter Denise. Macaulay Culkin appeared as Tommy Arnold, Pat's young nephew, who played a Pilgrim in a short school program about Thanksgiving, saying that the first Thanksgiving had Indians giving gifts of Polish sausage, in which an Indian (played by Culkin's brother Kieran ) predicted

4784-539: The Saints, Bob had moved to Jackson, Tennessee —halfway between Chicago and New Orleans—and Todd believed it was 1986, and had a heart attack if told otherwise). Farley's death two months later seemed to preclude the possibility of any future Superfan sketches. Robert Smigel Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer , known for his Saturday Night Live " TV Funhouse " cartoon shorts and as

4888-564: The Temple of Dooom that he joined, later a comedy writer Michelle, and three children. Michelle and Robert serve on the board of NEXT for AUTISM , formerly New York Collaborates for Autism, a non-profit organization founded in 2003 to address the needs of autistic individuals and their families, as their eldest child has autism . Smigel created the Night of Too Many Stars , a biannual celebrity fundraiser to benefit autism education. He won

4992-463: The Way , and Small Soldiers . After two divorces, Hartman married Brynn Omdahl, with whom he had two children, in 1987. Their marriage was troubled due to Phil's busy work schedule and Brynn's drug and alcohol abuse. In 1998, while Phil was sleeping in his bed, Brynn 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

5096-529: The Way , the English Disney / GKIDS dub of Kiki's Delivery Service , and Small Soldiers , the latter of which is his final theatrically released film. At the same time, he preferred working on television. His other television roles include appearances on episodes of The John Larroquette Show , The Dana Carvey Show , 3rd Rock from the Sun , and the HBO TV film The Second Civil War as

5200-466: The Zohan in which Smigel played Yosi, an Israeli electronics salesman. Smigel is also one of the executive producers of the film, which is a first for him despite his frequent collaborations with Sandler. It was reported in 2006 that Smigel and Adam Sandler were working on an animated sitcom for Fox called Animals . Fox has not made any official statement regarding the show. Additionally, Smigel played

5304-407: The adult male characters. After season 1, Hartman (who by this point had joined the cast of Saturday Night Live ) was replaced by Maurice LaMarche . He developed a strong persona providing voice-overs for advertisements. Hartman successfully auditioned to join NBC 's variety show Saturday Night Live ( SNL ) in its 12th season , which began on October 11, 1986. He had been recommended for

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5408-577: The bar. Dick asserted he was not at fault in relation to Hartman's death. Brynn's sister Katharine Omdahl and brother-in-law Mike Wright raised the two Hartman children. Hartman's will stipulated each child would inherit money over several years after turning 25. The total value of Hartman's estate was estimated at $ 1.23 million . In accordance with their wishes, both Hartman's and Brynn's bodies were cremated by Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, Glendale, California , and their ashes were scattered over Santa Catalina Island 's Emerald Bay. Hartman has

5512-415: The character's backstory. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening said that he "took [Hartman] for granted because he nailed the joke every time", and that his voice acting could produce "the maximum amount of humor" with any line he was given. Before his death, Hartman had expressed an interest in making a live action film about Troy McClure. Many of The Simpsons production staff expressed enthusiasm for

5616-506: The characters wore dark sunglasses and thick mustaches to resemble Ditka, the Superfans' idol. In addition to discussing Ditka and the Bears, another frequent topic of discussion was the Chicago Bulls and their star player, Michael Jordan , who were winning their first three NBA Championships at the time. Both Ditka and Jordan made appearances (playing themselves) in episodes of the sketch. SNL alumnus Dan Aykroyd also appeared on

5720-406: The class clown. After graduating, he studied art at Santa Monica City College , dropping out in 1969 to become a roadie with a rock band. He returned to school in 1972 to study graphic arts at California State University, Northridge . He developed and operated his own graphic art business, creating more than 40 album covers for bands including Poco and America , as well as advertising and

5824-465: The edge here, not sure we're going to be picked up or not", but added he was "99 percent sure" the series would be renewed for a fifth season. Hartman had publicly lambasted NBC's decision to repeatedly move NewsRadio into different timeslots, but later regretted his comments, saying, "this is a sitcom, for crying out loud, not brain surgery". He also stated that if the sitcom were cancelled "it just will open up other opportunities for me". Although

5928-471: The films Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), in which he voiced Marty, a fake version of Dracula , and Harry Three-Eye, respectively. In the fifth season of the FX show, Louie , Smigel received a story credit on the episode "Cop Story", as a similar incident as to what appears in the show actually happened to him, down to the cop crying in his apartment while Smigel went out, found

6032-664: The following February. In September 2020, after being brought on to develop the project in 2019, Fox announced that Smigel would executive produce Let's Be Real — a one-off adaptation of the French satirical series Les Guignols . On June 16, 2022, Smigel was arrested for unlawful entry of the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C, along with eight other individuals associated with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . CBS released

6136-712: The following summer and would begin airing them on Saturday Night Live under the TV Funhouse banner. Smigel would later claim "My whole career came out of the impulse to do cartoons on The Dana Carvey Show ." Smigel's most famous creation, however, would be the foul-mouthed puppet Triumph the Insult Comic Dog , who mercilessly mocks celebrities and others in the style of a Borscht Belt comedian. This character debuted on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in February 1997 and would continue to make appearances on

6240-611: The following years, that swagger was rewarded as the fortunes of the city's teams improved. The Cubs and the White Sox both made the playoffs for the first time in decades, the National Basketball Association 's Bulls drafted Michael Jordan and in 1985 the Bears capped a 15–1 regular season with victory in Super Bowl XX . Smigel began conceiving of characters based on that sort of fan, and

6344-401: The group's logo and merchandise, Hartman formally joined The Groundlings and by 1979 was one of the show's stars. There Hartman befriended Paul Reubens , with whom he often collaborated on comedic material. Together they created the character Pee-wee Herman and developed The Pee-wee Herman Show , a live stage show that subsequently aired on HBO in 1981. Hartman played Captain Carl in

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6448-457: The home of her friend Ron Douglas and confessed to the killing but he did not believe her. They drove back to the house in separate cars and she called another friend and confessed a second time. Upon seeing Hartman's body, Douglas called 9-1-1 at 6:20 a.m. Police arrived and escorted Douglas and the Hartmans' two children from the premises, by which time Brynn had locked herself in the bedroom. Shortly afterward, she shot and killed herself with

6552-467: The line "Da Bears!", but could not imagine a setting that would work. He told an improv classmate, Bob Odenkirk , a native of nearby Naperville , about his idea, and Odenkirk reminded him to include the slight hiss with which the word ends when pronounced with a strong enough Chicago accent , something only natives of the area would appreciate. Smigel and Odenkirk eventually joined the writing staff of Saturday Night Live (SNL) but did not write

6656-464: The logo for Crosby, Stills & Nash . In the late 1970s, he made his first television appearance on an episode of The Dating Game , where he won. Phil Hartman designed the logo for Crosby, Stills & Nash, along with more than 40 album covers for other popular bands including Poco, America, CSNY, FIRESIGN Theater and Seven. Working alone as a graphic artist, Hartman frequently amused himself with "flights of voice fantasies". In 1975, seeking

6760-758: The marriage. Hartman tried to get Brynn acting roles, but she became progressively reliant on alcohol and narcotics, entering rehab several times. On multiple occasions, he removed their children from the household to stay with friends or family because of her drug- and alcohol-fueled outbursts. Because of his close friendship with SNL associate Jan Hooks , Brynn "joked" on occasion Hooks and Hartman were married "on some other level". Brynn had written threatening letters addressed to Hooks, warning her to not get close to her husband, but they appeared to have never even been sent, being discovered in her belongings following her death. Stephen Root , Hartman's NewsRadio co-star, said few people knew "the real Phil Hartman", as he

6864-422: The memory of everyone who died.” The United States Capitol Police released a statement saying that “This is an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges after consultation with the U.S. Attorney .” On July 19, it was announced no charges would be filed. Smigel has a wife, who was a lighting technician for the theater in Chicago presenting the comedy troupe All You Can Eat and

6968-657: The missing gun and carried it home, terrified that anyone would notice. Michael Rapaport 's character wasn't based on the man Smigel knew, however, since all Smigel ever told Louis C.K. about was the gun itself. Smigel created, wrote, executive produced, and starred as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in The Jack and Triumph Show , alongside Jack McBrayer in 2015. It was announced in January 2016 that Smigel would be starring as Triumph in Triumph's Election Special 2016 on Hulu

7072-591: The month of April 2012 to Hartman. The campaign ended in success and Hartman was inducted on September 22, 2012, to the Walk of Fame, with Paul accepting the award on his late brother's behalf. Hartman was also awarded the Cineplex Legends Award. In June 2013, it was announced that Hartman would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , which was unveiled on August 26, 2014. Additionally,

7176-584: The mother and son go insane and try to murder each other, the father's face is torn off in a terrible disfiguring accident in the first act. It's heavy stuff, but it's got a good message and a positive, upbeat ending." Zemeckis could not secure studio backing, however, and the project collapsed. Another film idea involving Hartman's Groundlings character Chick Hazard, Private Eye was also canceled. Hartman appeared on David Letterman's Late Night and Late Show 13 times between 1989 and 1996, where he can be heard speaking German fluently. Clean and unassuming, he had such

7280-528: The network decided that variety shows were too unpopular and canceled the series. In a 1996 interview, Hartman noted he was glad, as he "would've been sweatin' blood each week trying to make it work". In 1998, he admitted he missed working on SNL , but had enjoyed the move from New York City to Southern California. Hartman became one of the stars of the NBC sitcom NewsRadio in 1995, portraying radio news anchor Bill McNeal. He signed up after being attracted by

7384-414: The nickname was created by SNL cast member and Hartman's frequent on-screen collaborator Jan Hooks . Hartman was very helpful to other cast members. For example, he aided Hooks in overcoming her stage fright . SNL creator Lorne Michaels explained the name: "He kind of held the show together. He gave to everybody and demanded very little. He was very low-maintenance." Michaels also added that Hartman

7488-415: The one thing that I do in my life that's almost an avocation. I do it for the pure love of it." Hartman was popular among the staff of The Simpsons . Showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein said they enjoyed his work, and used him as much as possible when working on the show. To give Hartman a larger role, they developed the episode " A Fish Called Selma ", which focuses on Troy McClure and expands

7592-490: The person". Ryan concluded that "what made [Hartman's impressions] so funny and spot on was Phil's ability to add that perfect touch that only comes from trial and error and practicing in front of audiences and fellow actors." Hartman described this process as "technical". Journalist Lyle V. Harris said Hartman showed a "rare talent for morphing into... anybody he wanted to be". Ken Tucker summarized Hartman's comedic style: "He could momentarily fool audiences into thinking he

7696-404: The premise to him. Mantegna liked it, and the writers finally came up with a setting, parodying The Sports Writers on TV , a long-running Chicago-area radio show that had been adapted for television by local UHF station WFLD-TV in 1985, featuring three veteran local sportswriters, including Bill Gleason, known for his thick Chicago accent, and Rick Telander , a relative newcomer, sitting around

7800-482: The project and offered to help. Hartman said he was "looking forward to [McClure's] live-action movie, publicizing his Betty Ford appearances", and "would love nothing more" than making a film and was prepared to buy the film rights himself in order to make it happen. Hartman's first starring film role came in 1995's Houseguest , alongside Sinbad . Other films include Greedy , Coneheads , Sgt. Bilko , So I Married an Axe Murderer , CB4 , Jingle All

7904-637: The puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog . He also co-wrote the first two Hotel Transylvania films , You Don't Mess with the Zohan , and Leo , all starring Adam Sandler . Smigel was born in New York City, to Lucia and Irwin Smigel , an aesthetic dentist, innovator and philanthropist. He is Jewish and frequently went to Jewish summer camp . He attended Cornell University , studying pre-dental, and graduated from New York University 's College of Arts and Science in 1983 with

8008-445: The reactions. I think Phil was more of an actor than a comedian." Film critic Pauline Kael declared that "Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks on Saturday Night Live are two of the best comic actors I've ever seen." Writer and acting coach Paul Ryan noted Hartman's work ethic with his impressions. He assembled a collection of video footage of the figure he was preparing to impersonate and watched this continually until he "completely embodied

8112-459: The role of his sidekick on The Tonight Show but Hartman opted to stay on SNL . NBC persuaded him to stay on SNL by promising him his own comedy–variety show The Phil Show . He planned to "reinvent the variety form" with "a hybrid, very fast-paced, high energy [show] with sketches, impersonations, pet acts, and performers showcasing their talents". Hartman was to be the show's executive producer and head writer. Before production began, however,

8216-453: The role. Though Cohen credits West with using his own take on the character, West later said that he purposely tweaked Zapp's voice to better match Hartman's intended portrayal. Hartman was planning to appear with Lovitz in the indie film The Day of Swine and Roses, scheduled to begin production in August 1998. In 2002, Laugh.com and Hartman's brother John published the album Flat TV ,

8320-508: The scripts for Little Nicky and The Wedding Singer . Smigel acted alongside fellow SNL writer Bob Odenkirk in Wayne's World 2 as a nerd backstage at an Aerosmith concert. His contributions were uncredited. In 2000, he voiced a sage bulldog named Mr. Beefy in Little Nicky . Smigel, along with Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow , wrote the script for the film You Don't Mess with

8424-516: The show aired on June 13, 1998, which ended with one of Hartman's performances showing a widow reflecting on her deceased husband played by Phil. Rather than substituting another voice actor, the writers of The Simpsons retired Hartman's characters. His final appearance in the tenth season episode " Bart the Mother " is dedicated to him. Small Soldiers was dedicated to Phil Hartman, being his final film to be released in movie theatres. Hartman

8528-566: The show by fellow Groundlings and SNL cast members Jon Lovitz and Laraine Newman , as well as Jumpin' Jack Flash director Penny Marshall . He told the Los Angeles Times , "I wanted to do [ SNL ] because I wanted to get the exposure that would give me box-office credibility so I can write movies for myself." In his eight seasons with the show Hartman became known for his impressions, and performed as over 70 different characters. Hartman's original SNL characters include Eugene,

8632-448: The show was renewed for a fifth season, Hartman was killed before production began. Ken Tucker praised Hartman's performance as McNeal: "A lesser performer ... would have played him as a variation on The Mary Tyler Moore Show ' s Ted Baxter , because that's what Bill was, on paper. But Hartman gave infinite variety to Bill's self-centeredness, turning him devious, cowardly, squeamish, and foolishly bold from week to week." Hartman

8736-447: The show's writing and use of an ensemble cast , and joked that he based McNeal on himself with "any ethics and character" removed. Hartman made roughly US$ 50,000 (equivalent to $ 99,978 in 2023) per episode of NewsRadio . Although the show was critically acclaimed, it was never a ratings hit and cancellation was a regular threat. After the completion of the fourth season, Hartman commented, "We seem to have limited appeal. We're on

8840-450: The show, and reprised the role for the children's TV show Pee-wee's Playhouse . Reubens and Hartman made cameos in the 1980 film Cheech and Chong's Next Movie . Hartman co-wrote the script of the 1985 feature film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and had a cameo role as a reporter. He had considered quitting acting at the age of 36 due to the challenges of finding work; but the success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure changed his mind. After

8944-567: The show, as well as others, for many years to come. Smigel continued to establish himself on Saturday Night Live by producing short animated segments under the title TV Funhouse , which usually satirizes public figures and popular culture. It spawned a TV show on Comedy Central featuring a mix of puppets, animation, and short sketches, although only eight episodes were aired (during the winter of 2000–2001). Smigel occasionally appears in films (usually alongside SNL veterans such as Adam Sandler ). According to interviews, Smigel helped punch up

9048-474: The show." This cast turnover contributed to his leaving the show in 1994. Hartman said he thought it was time to leave because the show was "getting less sophisticated" and his style of humor did not fit with the less intellectual comedy of newer cast members like Adam Sandler . Hartman had originally planned to leave the show in 1991, but Michaels persuaded him to stay to raise his profile; his portrayal of Clinton contributed to this goal. Jay Leno offered him

9152-555: The sketch and characters all but disappeared. They made a special appearance at the celebration of the Chicago Bulls' 1991–1993 " Three-peat " championship victory. NBC interrupted daytime television to broadcast the short speeches made by the Superfans. Bob Swerski and Carl Wollarski also made a special appearance during Jordan's original jersey retirement ceremony at the United Center in 1994. The final sketch (actually

9256-568: The sketch as Todd's cousin, Irwin Mainway , who originated in the " Consumer Probe" and "On the Spot" sketches. Early sketches had posters in the background with the call letters WBBM , the CBS corporate-owned and -operated TV, AM and FM stations in Chicago, though later sketches changed the call letters to WBCM. The group would discuss upcoming sporting events and inevitably predict a huge victory for

9360-418: The sketch until the 1988 writers' strike , when they returned to Chicago to stage the improvisational Happy Happy Good Show , as "Chicago Superfans". At that time, played by Smigel, Odenkirk and Dave Reynolds (with an occasional appearance by Conan O'Brien as one of the fan's sons), they were simply sitting on lawn chairs and drinking beer, but making the wild imaginative leaps by which they could assume

9464-533: Was Catholic . As a child, Hartman found affection hard to earn: "I suppose I didn't get what I wanted out of my family life, so I started seeking love and attention elsewhere." Hartman was 10 years old when his family moved to the United States. They first lived in Lewiston, Maine , then Meriden, Connecticut , and then on the West Coast , where he attended Westchester High School and frequently acted as

9568-517: Was "Bears vs. Bulls," which produced hilarious responses from the contestants. The correct answer was revealed to be that such a match-up would tear the fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the planet, meaning the United Nations would have to step in prior to the match to prevent the destruction. The characters appeared in nine episodes in two years. With Ditka's departure from the Bears in 1993 and significant cast changes on SNL,

9672-482: Was "a deeply funny and very happy person". Matt Groening called him "a master" and director Joe Dante said "He was one of those guys who was a dream to work with. I don't know anybody who didn't like him." Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly concluded that Hartman was "the last person you'd expect to read about in lurid headlines in your morning paper" and "a decidedly regular guy, beloved by everyone he worked with". In 2007, Entertainment Weekly ranked Hartman

9776-401: Was "exactly like what happened" in apparent reference to the 2021 United States Capitol attack . Stephen Colbert addressed the incident in his monologue, stating that Smigel had committed "First-Degree Puppetry " and that "Drawing any equivalence between rioters storming our Capitol to prevent the counting of electoral ballots and a cigar-chomping toy dog is a shameful and grotesque insult to

9880-427: Was "one of those people who never seemed to come out of character", but he nevertheless gave the impression of a family man who cared deeply for his children. Hartman befriended Joe Rogan during his time on NewsRadio and confided his marital problems to him. Rogan said that he encouraged Hartman to divorce Brynn five times, but "[Hartman] loved his kids and didn't want to leave". Hartman stated in 1997 that, though

9984-679: 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, respectively. Phil Hartman was born Philip Edward Hartmann (later dropping one "n") on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario . He was the fourth of eight children of Doris Marguerite ( née Wardell; July 17, 1919 – April 15, 2001) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann (November 8, 1914 – April 30, 1998), who sold building materials. The family

10088-564: Was "the least appreciated" cast member by commentators outside the show, and praised his ability "to do five or six parts in a show where you're playing support or you're doing remarkable character work". Hartman won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program for SNL in 1989, sharing the award with the show's other writers. He was nominated in the same category in 1987, and individually in 1994 for Outstanding Individual Performance in

10192-407: Was a team player. It was a privilege for him, I believe, to play support and do it very well. He was never insulted, no matter how small the role may have been." He was disciplined in his performances, studying the scripts beforehand. Hooks added: "Phil knew how to listen. And he knew how to look you in the eye, and he knew the power of being able to lay back and let somebody else be funny, and then do

10296-475: Was more authentic. Smigel said it was easy to play, as the sunglasses allowed him to read the cue cards without anyone noticing, and he could eat during the sketch, which helped him relax. Kevin Nealon also made a brief appearance as oddsmaker Danny Sheridan in the first sketch—he is promptly sent away by Bill after giving the Superfans an honest assessment of the prospect of Mike Ditka single-handedly defeating

10400-489: Was not eating enough during rehearsals for the sketch – by the end of the live performance, Hartman had eaten so much he could barely speak. At SNL , Hartman's nickname of "Glue" was coined by Adam Sandler according to Jay Mohr 's book Gasping for Airtime . However, according to You Might Remember Me: The Life and Times of Phil Hartman by Mike Thomas, author and staff writer for the Chicago Sun-Times ,

10504-496: Was pioneered on the Clutch Cargo cartoon series as a cost-saving measure, and was known as Syncro-Vox .) In 1996, Smigel wrote and performed on the short-lived Dana Carvey Show , a primetime sketch comedy program on ABC . Despite its premature end, the show provided Smigel the opportunity to debut his first cartoon The Ambiguously Gay Duo . Upon the show's cancellation, Smigel continued developing more cartoon ideas

10608-475: Was posthumously nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1998 for his work on NewsRadio . David Hyde Pierce won the award for his performance on Frasier . Hartman provided the voices for numerous characters on the Fox animated series The Simpsons , appearing in 52 episodes. He made his first appearance in the second season episode " Bart Gets Hit by

10712-485: Was preparing to voice Zapp Brannigan , a character written specifically for him on Groening's second animated series Futurama , at the time of his death. Even though the role was specifically made for him, Hartman still insisted on trying out for the role. About a week before his death, he auditioned for Groening and Futurama executive producer David X. Cohen . Groening wrote that Hartman "blew us away with his performances". After Hartman's death, Billy West took over

10816-623: Was the straight man, but then he'd cock an eyebrow and give his voice an ironic lilt that delivered a punchline like a fast slider—you barely saw it coming until you started laughing." Hartman claimed that he borrowed his style from actor Bill Murray : "He's been a great influence on me – when he did that smarmy thing in Ghostbusters , then the same sort of thing in Groundhog Day . I tried to imitate it. I couldn't. I wasn't good enough. But I discovered an element of something else, so in

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