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Phil Hartman (September 24, 1948 - May 28, 1998) became one of the most adaptable performers in Saturday Night Live history. He played many characters throughout his time on the show between 1986 and 1994. People called him "The Glue" because he brought stability to every sketch.
He created original characters like "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer" and the "Anal Retentive Chef" and also played well-known public figures. His portrayals of Bill Clinton, Frank Sinatra, and Ronald Reagan stood out as some of his most recognizable performances.
His Clinton impression gained attention for the way he captured the former president's mannerisms and speech patterns. The McDonald's town hall sketch became one of his most well-known moments. He also worked outside SNL as a voice actor on The Simpsons, where he played Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure. He later starred as Bill McNeal on NewsRadio.
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Phil Hartman's work on Saturday Night Live remained influential after he left, as later cast members often referenced his sketches.
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Phil Hartman played both lead and supporting parts in SNL sketches
Phil Hartman's performances covered a broad spectrum, from political figures to eccentric fictional characters, each leaving a lasting impression on the show's legacy.
1) Unfrozen caveman lawyer
One of Phil Hartman's most well-known characters, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, was introduced in a sketch written by Jack Handey. The premise revolved around a caveman who was frozen in ice, thawed out by scientists, and then became a successful lawyer.
The humor stems from the character's ability to manipulate the courtroom by feigning confusion about modern technology. As Slashfilm noted in an article dated January 23, 2023, Lorne Michaels was initially unsure about the sketch's success, later admitting:
“You know, I heard people actually liked that!”
Despite its seemingly absurd concept, the character resonated with audiences and became a recurring favorite.
2) President Bill Clinton
Phil Hartman's portrayal of Bill Clinton became one of SNL's most defining political impressions of the early '90s. His portrayal exuded charm while incorporating a comedic exaggeration of the president's folksy mannerisms.
One of his most memorable sketches featured Clinton stopping at a McDonald's while jogging and casually taking food from patrons' trays as he engaged in conversation. According to an article by Cracked.com dated September 21, 2023, former SNL cast member Al Franken highlighted how the sketch captured "the most confident Clinton there is," making it one of Phil Hartman's strongest political performances.
3) Frank Sinatra
Hartman's portrayal of Frank Sinatra on SNL was a departure from Joe Piscopo's earlier impression, as he presented Sinatra as a brash, no-nonsense figure who often insulted other celebrities. His most notable appearance came in The Sinatra Group, a parody of The McLaughlin Group, where Sinatra moderated a roundtable discussion with contemporary musicians.
As per Cracked.com, Robert Smigel, who helped write the sketch, recalled:
“Phil was just a runaway freight train in that scene.”
4) Ed McMahon
As the longtime sidekick to Dana Carvey's Johnny Carson, Hartman's Ed McMahon was defined by exaggerated catchphrases like "You are correct, sir!" and "Hi-yo!" The impression leaned into McMahon's enthusiastic yet secondary presence on The Tonight Show, making it a staple of SNL's late '80s sketches. As per the Cracked.com article, Carvey later recalled in Live from New York that:
“when you play Carson, when I was in the moment with Phil, what really comes through you is sort of just charm, just incredible likability and charm.”
5) Charlton Heston
Phil Hartman's notable sketches involved Charlton Heston recording an audiobook of Madonna's S*x book, struggling through its explicit content with a stern and authoritative delivery. His deep voice and dramatic pauses made the sketch particularly effective, turning an otherwise simple concept into a memorable performance.
6) Ronald Reagan
Hartman's Ronald Reagan was a political impression that challenged the typical portrayals of the former president. While many depicted Reagan as an absent-minded figure, Hartman's version added a behind-the-scenes twist. In one sketch, Reagan appeared genial in public but was secretly an aggressive mastermind orchestrating complex geopolitical strategies. According to Cracked.com, Robert Smigel, who co-wrote the sketch, said:
“I was fed up with Reagan being portrayed as a doddering fool… I had the idea of what if he’s behind the scenes just pulling all the strings? It was a perfect use of Phil.”
7) The Anal-Retentive Chef
Hartman's Eugene, the Anal-Retentive Chef, was a recurring character whose obsession with organization and cleanliness took priority over cooking. The sketches often involved him discarding perfectly good ingredients because they weren't wrapped correctly.
His compulsive tidiness extended beyond cooking, eventually leading to spinoff sketches featuring the character in other professions. Yardbarker.com, in an article published on July 04, 2024, described this character as "one of Hartman's earliest and best recurring SNL characters."
8) Jimmy Swaggart
In the late '80s, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart became embroiled in a scandal, and SNL wasted no time in satirizing the situation. Hartman's Swaggart appeared on Church Chat alongside Dana Carvey's Church Lady, his face already streaked with tears as he overdramatized his public apology. The sketch captured both the absurdity and performative nature of the real-life incident.
9) Captain Carl
Phil Hartman co-created The Pee-wee Herman Show and played Captain Carl, a grizzled sea captain who interacted with Pee-wee Herman. He carried this role into Pee-wee's Playhouse before leaving to join SNL.
10) Phil Donahue
Hartman's Donahue impression exaggerated the talk show host's dramatic questioning style and over-the-top delivery. He played the character in multiple SNL sketches, always leaning into Donahue's habit of pacing around the stage and gesturing emphatically. His impression was so convincing that it was widely recognized as a notable parody of the real-life talk show host.
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