Philip Edward Hartmann was born on 24 September 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and was an actor, comedian, graphic artist, and screenwriter, best known for being part of “Saturday Night Live”. He also appeared in several films, including “Houseguest”, “Jingle All the Way” and “Small Soldiers”. All of his efforts helped put his net worth to where it was prior to his passing in 1998.
So just how rich was Phil Hartman? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that was at $2 million, mostly earned through success on television and in films. He won several awards as part of “Saturday Night Live”, and also made numerous guest appearances. All of these ensured the position of his wealth before his untimely death.
Phil Hartman Net Worth $2 million
When he was young, the family moved to the United States and would later earn their citizenship. He attended Westchester High School, and after matriculating went to Santa Monica City College to study art. He dropped out to become a rock band roadie, but returned to school in 1972, this time at California State University, Northridge. After graduating, he would go on and create his own graphic art business, becoming responsible for numerous album covers. He then made his first television appearance in “The Dating Game”. His net worth was established.
In 1975, Phil felt that he needed a more social lifestyle, and decided to attend evening comedy classes held by the group called The Groundlings; he would subsequently train with the group for several years before joining them officially in 1979. He would befriend Paul Reubens and the two would be responsible for creating “The Pee-Wee Herman Show”, in which he played Captain Carl, and would reprise his role in “Pee-wee’s Playhouse”. Eventually, his partnership with Reubens ended, and he decided to pursue voice-over roles, which included “The Smurfs”, “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo” and “Dennis the Menace”. His net worth was growing steadily.
After appearing in several films, he successfully auditioned for “Saturday Night Live”, becoming part of the cast and the writing crew; he would join the show for a total of eight seasons and portray over 70 different characters, with some of his most popular impressions including Frank Sinatra, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan. He would win a Primetime Emmy Award for his writing in “SNL”, and would later win an Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program award. Eventually, after most of his friends left the show, he decided to leave in 1994, taking with him a very healthy net worth.
The following year, he became part of the sitcom “NewsRadio”, as the radio news anchor Bill McNeal. He made around $50,000 per episode of the show, and it significantly boosted his net worth. It was critically acclaimed, however, they had difficulties hitting the ratings, but Phil stayed with the show for four more seasons before his untimely death. He was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series posthumously. Aside from “NewsRadio”, Phil was also well known for being part of “The Simpsons” cast, being part of that show for a total of 52 episodes.
For his personal life, Phil was married to Gretchen Lewis(1970-82), then to real estate agent Lisa Strain(1982-85). His third marriage would be to Brynn Omdahl in 1987, and they would have two children together. Brynn was reportedly frustrated by the success of Phil and would eventually become addicted to drugs. During the night of 27 May 1998, the couple had a heated argument and Hartman threatened to leave Omdahl if she used drugs again. While he was sleeping, he was shot twice in the head by Brynn, who then confessed to a friend about killing her husband. She then locked herself in the bedroom and shot herself in the mouth. Hartman’s career and life would be celebrated for many weeks after his death.
