[cont.] Hartman delved into his career. He spent 11 years at The Groundlings while working on the side. He played the role of Captain Carl on The Pee-Wee Herman Show, acting alongside fellow Groundling Paul Reubens. The two had a serious feud, too, but we’ll get to that later on…
Hartman’s big break came in the fall of 1986 when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live as both a writer and performer. He was so vital to the show that his nickname was “The Glue” since he was considered the guy that held the show together and was thus one of the network’s most important talents. He was lucky enough to be part of a cast that many fans say was one of the best, with Jon Lovitz, Dana Carvey, and Kevin Nealon.
During his time on the show, Hartman made everyone laugh with his impressions of Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan and even Jesus. Hartman’s most memorable impression on SNL was his take on Bill Clinton. “Phil was on the map with SNL like never before,” said Thomas.
One year after joining SNL, in 1987, Hartman married Brynn Omdahl. It would be his third and final marriage. They welcomed their first child, a boy they named Sean, in 1988.
After Sean was born, Hartman called his ex-wife Lisa Jarvis. “He calls me and says, ‘I just became a father,’” Jarvis recalled. “And so, I wrote a card. ‘Dear Phil and Brynn… much love from Aunt Lisa. You know, if you ever need a babysitter… I’m so thrilled for you,’” she said.
What Jarvis thought was a nice gesture proved to be a big mistake. She ended up receiving a letter from Omdahl, with “hair-curling, fury, rage and a death threat from Brynn.” The gist of the letter was, “Don’t ever f—ing get near me or my family or I will hurt you. I never want to hear from you…never, ever, ever come near us, or you will really be sorry.”
It’s unclear whether Hartman was aware of this letter, but it can be said that this was just one of many red flags that this woman was emotionally disturbed. Their marriage may have been unraveling, but Hartman’s career was soaring.
In 1989, he won an Emmy Award for being part of the writing staff on SNL. In 1991, while still a cast member, Hartman got another job that many can only dream of. He started working on The Simpsons, where he voiced two recurring and iconic characters: has-been actor Troy McClure and shady lawyer Lionel Hutz.
“Phil made the material funnier than we originally imagined, and I couldn’t imagine anybody else doing it,” said the show’s executive producer, Al Jean. As Hartman was on the top of his game, he and Omdahl had their second child, a daughter they named Birgen, in 1992. His friend Lynne Stewart, who played Miss Yvonne on Pee Wee’s Playhouse, said he called her when his daughter was born.
“He was very, very choked up… He said, ‘She’s the most beautiful baby in the world,’” Stewart recalled. Greg Omdahl vouched for the Hartmans’ love for their children, saying that when he watched the old home videos “of Brynn and Phil and their kids, it really brought home what loving parents they were…and what a great mother she was.”
