The gruesome murder of comedy legend Phil Hartman on May 28, 1998, shocked the entire entertainment industry. For close friends, family, and colleagues, Phil Hartman was generally a friendly and happy soul. The multi-talented performer who was murdered died at age 49, four months before he turned 50.
The multi-faceted comedian was an actor, screenwriter, and graphic designer. Phil Hartman was murdered in his home and on his bed by his wife, Brynn Omdahl, whom he was married to for 11 years. This is the tragic story of Phil Hartman’s murder, one of the most shocking deaths in the late 90s.
Who Was Phil Hartman?
At the peak of his career and life, Phil Hartman was arguably one of the funniest comedians in America. Hartman was famous for his work on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) and The Simpsons. Phil Hartman was a Canadian-born American, born Philip Edward Hartmann in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, on September 24, 1948. Having been born as the fourth child of Doris Marguerite (née Wardell) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann, Phil Hartman was raised in a large family with seven siblings.
Despite being born and raised in a large family, Hartman admitted he didn’t get the love and attention he desired. His family moved to the United States when Hartman was 10. In High School, Phil Hartman often loved to act as the class clown. An early interest in the performing arts saw him study art at Santa Monica City College. Although he dropped out, he returned to school three years later, in 1972, to study graphic arts at California State University, Northridge.
Having designed the logo and cover albums of several famous bands like Poco and America, Hartman took an interest in improvisational comedy. By 1979, Hartman’s improv talents made him one of the California-based The Groundlings top stars. Hartman befriended the late Paul Reubens, with whom he created and starred in The Pee-wee Herman Show. Five years later, in 1986, Phil Hartman successfully auditioned and joined SNL in season 12. His Bill Clinton impression was regarded as the most famous among his many impressions. After leaving SNL in 1994, he was known for NBC’s sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1998). He also voiced numerous characters, including Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure, in The Simpsons (1991–1998).
Phil Hartman’s Marriages
Phil Hartman was married three times. His first marriage was to Gretchen Lewis, whom he married on March 12, 1970. The couple divorced after two years on September 19, 1972. A decade later, Phil Hartman married his second wife, Lisa Jarvis. The couple married on December 18, 1982, and stayed married for three years before their divorce on May 7, 1985. Neither of his first two marriages produced any children.
Two years later, Phil Hartman married his third wife, former model and aspiring actress Brynn Omdahl. Hartman’s marriage to Omdahl produced two children, Sean Hartman and Birgen Hartman. However, their marriage soon began to have cracks and problems. This was because Brynn Omdahl began feeling intimidated about Hartman’s success. As an upcoming actress, Brynn felt frustrated with her career. Their disagreements often ended with Brynn verbally (and sometimes physically) abusing Hartman. Hartman’s close friends and colleagues said the comedian-actor considered retiring to save his marriage.
Although Phil Hartman never retired, he did his best to help push his wife’s acting career. However, with her addiction to drugs and alcohol, Brynn spent a lot of time in rehab. Despite several pleas from Hartman’s friends to divorce Brynn, Hartman reportedly stayed in the marriage for the sake of his children. Although Phil Hartman tried to downplay the seriousness and frequency of the abuse, close friends and colleagues felt concerned because of Brynn’s addiction and dependence on antidepressants.
Phil Hartman’s Murder
Phil Hartman’s neighbors revealed the couple had a heated argument on the night of May 27, 1998. This, in itself, wasn’t strange, as the couple were known to have regular fights. Hartman presumably went to bed after the arguments. Brynn Omdahl entered Hartman’s bedroom on Thursday, May 28, 1998, around 3:00 AM PDT. Holding a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson Model 15 revolver, Brynn Omdahl fatally shot a sleeping Phil Hartman between his eyes, his throat, and upper chest, unprovoked.
Following the murder, Brynn drove to Ron Douglas’ home and confessed the murder to him. Ron Douglas, a close friend, did not believe it but accompanied Brynn to the Hartmans’ home in separate cars. While driving home, Brynn reportedly called another friend to confess the crime. After arriving at the Hartmans’ home and witnessing Hartman’s gruesome murder, in shock, Ron Douglas called 9-1-1 at 6:20 AM.
The events of that Thursday morning worsened after Brynn Omdahl locked herself in the same bedroom where Hartman lay dead. Brynn Omdahl committed suicide by shooting herself with a .38-caliber Charter Arms Undercover revolver. Her autopsy report revealed Brynn had alcohol and cocaine in her system and was also on Zoloft, an antidepressant. On their arrival, the police led Ron Douglas and Hartman’s two children away from the premises. Following the murder-suicide of their parents, Phil Hartman’s children were raised by Brynn Omdahl’s sister and husband, Katharine Omdahl and Mike Wright. Like Phil Hartman’s murder, domestic crimes, like the North Carolina mother who killed and dismembered two of her children, have been on the rise in past decades.
Follow Us
