Phil Hartman was known as The Man of A Thousand Voices for his gifted impersonations and voiceover work. But Phil was a true Renaissance man – an amazing career as a graphic artist in rock and roll, designing over 40 album covers and logos for groups such as Poco, America and Crosby, Stills and Nash, and winning a Grammy Award for his cover of Poco 7.
Phil started performing at the Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles, working alongside peers such as Paul Reubens, where he helped Reubens formulate the Pee Wee Herman character, co-write the classic movie, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and go on to star as Capt. Carl in the Pee Wee Herman Show, as well as Pee Wee’s Playhouse.
He moved on to spend eight seasons on Saturday Night Live, where he won an Emmy for his writing and was nominated for two others. For nine seasons, he was the voice of both Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz on The Simpsons. His hit television show, Newsradio, brought us the pompous but loveable character Bill McNeal, and Phil also starred in countless movie roles, an endless list of commercial and animated voice roles during a lifetime tragically cut short in 1998 at the age of 49.
