After working in the corporate world of advertising and graphic design, I know how hard the average person works, because I've been there.
As an actor, I felt I couldn't compete. I wasn't as cute as the leading man; I wasn't as brilliant as Robin Williams.
Even at Westchester High in West LA, I was class clown.
I could do John Wayne, Jack Benny, Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and entertain my friends. But I never seriously considered it as a career choice.
I found the writing arena to be much less competitive.
I haven't really been slammed, like some of my buddies. I can't imagine that I'm going to avoid that in my career.
I was 36, and I had decided to quit acting because it was so disappointing.
I've succeeded beyond my wildest dreams - financially and the amount of fun I have in my life.
One of the remarkable things about my career is that it has been marked by steady, incremental progress. No sudden spikes up, and no sudden downfalls, either.
Pee-wee's Big Adventure was relatively successful, and if you can be associated with a hit, a lot of doors open.
The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and weird characters, and there was really no call for that, except on Saturday Night Live.
The rejection and backstabbing could be painful, but the hardest thing was competing against your friends for airtime.
Phil attended Redondo Union High School in Los Angeles.
Phil helped to created the character of Pee Wee Herman and was asked to co-write "Pee Wee's Big Adventure," which he did.
The character of Phillip J. Fry in "Futurama" was named for him.
His comedic idol was Jonathan Winters.
He died in the same month as Frank Sinatra, whom he had impersonated many times on "Saturday Night Live."
Phil was born in Canada, but became a U.S. citizen in the early 1990s.
He majored in graphic design at Cal State.
Phil Hartman did credited voices in 54 episodes of the Simpsons.
Height: 5' 11" (1.80 m)
He was shot three times: in the forearm, neck, and head.
Was one of seven actors to portray the late former U.S. President Ronald Reagan on "Saturday Night Live."
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