Quotes by Phil Hartman

About Phil Hartman:

Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States in 1958. After graduating from California State University, Northridge, with a degree in graphic arts, he designed album covers for bands like Poco and America. Feeling the need for a more creative outlet, Hartman joined the comedy group The Groundlings in 1975 and there helped comedian Paul Reubens develop his character Pee-wee Herman. Hartman co-wrote the screenplay for the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and made recurring appearances on Reubens' show Pee-wee's Playhouse.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Even at Westchester High in West LA, I was class clown.

Phil Hartman

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.

Phil Hartman

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.

Phil Hartman

I was 36, and I had decided to quit acting because it was so disappointing.

Phil Hartman

I found the writing arena to be much less competitive.

Phil Hartman

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.

Phil Hartman

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.

Phil Hartman

My brothers and sisters and I spoke in a language called Egg Latin. In the early '50s in Canada, this became a fad way of talking among certain people. It's based on the concept that in every syllable before the vowel and after the preceding constant...

Phil Hartman

'Blasto' is a new game for Sony Playstation. It's an awesome three-dimensional game, and I play the character Blasto who's sort of a Flash Gordon barrel-chested superhero who goes to Uranus and shoots these little green alien Fascist guys. He rescues...

Phil Hartman

I benefit from the Mr. Potato Head syndrome. Put a wig and a nose and glasses on me, and I disappear.

Phil Hartman

It's fun coming in as the second or third lead. If the movie or TV show bombs, you aren't to blame.

Phil Hartman

I'm a really big fan of Bill Murray.

Phil Hartman

I've succeeded beyond my wildest dreams - financially and the amount of fun I have in my life.

Phil Hartman

I think my most famous was 'Poco's Legend.' It's a white album with a simple line drawing of a horse. It almost has a Picasso feel to it. I remember that Rusty Young, the lead singer of the band, said, 'I want you to draw a horse for the song 'Legend...

Phil Hartman

I think there's a notion in our society, and it may be valid, that people aren't as funny when they get older. It's a stigma still attached to the rebelliousness of youth.

Phil Hartman

Author Bio

  • NamePhil Hartman
  • DescriptionCanadian American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist
  • BornSeptember 24, 1948
  • DiedMay 28, 1998
  • CountryCanada
  • ProfessionActor; Screenwriter; Television Actor; Film Actor; Voice Actor; Graphic Designer
  • AwardsPrimetime Emmy Award