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Phil Hartman

Phil Hartman

Actor, also writer · Died May 28, 1998, aged 49 · Brantford, Ontario, Canada

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.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 24, 1948
Died
May 28, 1998 (aged 49)
From
Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Actor, also writer
Titles
52 on MovieCove · 78 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 23% in 30 days

What are Phil Hartman's films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
30%
Self
25%
Morality
13%
Society
13%
Power
8%
Ideas
6%
Survival
5%
Friendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 4 · Wry 4 · Earnest 12

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 17 · Serious 3 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 12 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 5

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 16

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 15 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 19 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

10 analyzed roles

Usually the Trickster: 3 of 10 analyzed roles.

Trickster
3 of 10
Herald
2 of 10
Shadow
2 of 10
Ally
2 of 10
Shapeshifter
1 of 10
Show the 10 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
18
Joyful
12
Warm
11
Manic
5
Tense
6
Other
12

How their films linger

Fun19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy14
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous4
  • Cyclical3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Phil Hartman's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 33 of their 52 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Phil Hartman's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

78 credits, 52 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Women of SNL (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Various (archive footage)

  • The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Bill Clinton (voice)

  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Various (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • The Continental: Anticipation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as The Continental Announcer (voice)

  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dana Carvey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Actor

  • The Simpsons: Too Hot For TV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Actor

  • Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night(1998)

    as Chauncey (voice)

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Small Soldiers(1998)

    In Memory Of · as Phil Fimple

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Writer · as Self / Various Characters

  • The Second Civil War(1997)

    as The President

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Jingle All the Way(1996)

    as Ted Maltin

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Sgt. Bilko(1996)

    as Major Thorn

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • 3rd Rock from the Sun(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Phillip · as Randy

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Night Stand with Dick Dietrick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Various

  • Stuart Saves His Family(1995)

    as Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Going, Going, Almost Gone! Animals in Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Actor

  • NewsRadio(1995)

    Show 75 episodes · as Bill McNeal

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Game Show Host (voice)

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Houseguest(1995)

    as Gary Young

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Crazysitter(1994)

    as The Salesman

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Pagemaster(1994)

    as Tom Morgan (voice)

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Greedy(1994)

    as Frank

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Critic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Adolph Hitmaker / Bernie Wasserman / Professor Blowhard (voice)

  • The Twelve Days of Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Hollyberry

  • Animaniacs(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Dan Anchorman (voice)

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • The John Larroquette Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Otto Friedling

  • So I Married an Axe Murderer(1993)

    as Ranger John "Vicky" Johnson

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Coneheads(1993)

    as Marlax

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Daybreak(1993)

    as Man in Abstinence Commercial

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • CB4(1993)

    as Virgil Robinson

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Loaded Weapon 1(1993)

    as Comic Cop

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Eek! The Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Psycho Bunny (voice)

  • The Larry Sanders Show(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Phil Hartman

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Fish Police (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Inspector C. Bass (voice)

  • One Special Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Mike Rutten

  • Darkwing Duck(1991)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • The Ren & Stimpy Show(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Russian Newsreel Narrator / Pig (voice) · as Sid (voice)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures(1990)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • Tiny Toon Adventures(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Octavius (voice)

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • TaleSpin(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Ace London (voice)

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Bobby's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Gravedale High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Billy Headstone (voice)

  • Tom & Jerry Kids Show(1990)

    Show 195 episodes · as Calaboose Cal (voice)

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • Quick Change(1990)

    as Hal Edison

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 16 episodes · as Charlton Heston (voice) · as Evan Conover (voice) · as Lionel Hutz (voice) · as Lionel Hutz / Hospital Chairman (voice) · as Lionel Hutz / Troy McClure (voice) · as Lyle Lanley (voice) · as Stockbroker / Horst (voice) · as Tom / Nelson's Dad / Football Commentator / Announcer (voice) · as Troy McClure (voice) · as Troy McClure / Additional Voices (voice) · as Troy McClure / Fat Tony (voice) · as Troy McClure / Jimmy Apollo (voice) · as Troy McClure / Joey / Godfather / Lionel Hutz (voice) · as Troy McClure / Lionel Hutz (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Seinfeld(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Man on Phone (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • How I Got Into College(1989)

    as Bennedict, SAT Coach

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Fletch Lives(1989)

    as Bly Manager

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Amazon Women on the Moon(1987)

    as Baseball Announcer (segment "Murray in Videoland")

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • DuckTales(1987)

    Show 1 episode · as Captain Frye (voice)

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • The Brave Little Toaster(1987)

    as Air Conditioner / Hanging Lamp (voice)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Spaceballs(1987)

    as Dink (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Blind Date(1987)

    as Ted Davis

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • ¡Three Amigos!(1986)

    as Sam

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Jumpin' Jack Flash(1986)

    as Fred

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Pee-wee's Playhouse(1986)

    Show 13 episodes · Writer · as Captain Carl

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Ruthless People(1986)

    as Newsreader (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Last Resort(1986)

    as Jean-Michel

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Dennis the Menace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 78 episodes · as George Wilson

  • Our Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 7 episodes · Actor

  • Pee-wee's Big Adventure(1985)

    Writer · as Reporter

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Challenge of the GoBots(1984)

    Show 5 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Cheeseball Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Various Characters

  • Weekend Pass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Joe Chicago

  • The Facts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Actor

  • Pandemonium(1982)

    as Reporter

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Border(1982)

    as Charlie Smith (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Pee-Wee Herman Show(1981)

    Writer · as Kap'n Karl

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Magnum, P.I.(1980)

    Show 1 episode · as News Reader (voice)

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Skateboard Madness(1980)

    Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Cheech and Chong's Next Movie(1980)

    as Chick Hazard Private Eye (Groundling)

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Gong Show Movie(1980)

    as Man at Airport with Gun

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Six O'Clock Follies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 6 episodes · Actor

  • Stunt Rock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Monique's Assistant

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 153 episodes · Writer · as Announcer (voice) (uncredited) · as Eych Announcer (voice) (uncredited) · as Pilgrim (uncredited) · as Self - Host · as Self - Various Characters · as Self / Various (archive footage) · as The Continental Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Jetsons(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as School Patrol Robots / Executive Vice President (voice)

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 78 titles from 1962 to 2010; peak year 1995.

Biggest box office

Jingle All the Way (1996)

$130M worldwide

Highest rated

The Pee-Wee Herman Show (1981)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Tom & Jerry Kids Show (1990)

Film career

19622010

Peak 1995 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting77 of 78: 73 only acting, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thWriting4 of 78: 1 only writing, 3 with another roleOther crew1 of 78: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

78 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and writing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1960s2 · acting1970s2 · 2 acting · 1 crew1980s29 · 29 acting · 2 crew1990s41 · 40 acting · 2 crew2000s3 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 6th · top billed in 0% of 22 roles
819196

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Phil Hartman's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 33; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 52 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th14
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

24 of their 52 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser24
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · actor, writer

Skateboard Madness (1980)

93rd percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Simpsons (1989)

Midcredits 96th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 39. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Phil Hartman's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles19–47 · median 33 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles17–51 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles20–54 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles3–39 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles19–59 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Phil Hartman work with?

People who share at least 2 of Phil Hartman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joe Dante shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles