<P> Philip Edward Hartmann (September 24, 1948--May 28, 1998), better known as Phil Hartman, was a Canadian - American actor, voice 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 Steely Dan, Poco and America . 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 as Captain Carl on Reubens' show Pee - wee's Playhouse . </P> <P> Hartman garnered fame in 1986 when he joined the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live . He won fame for his impressions, particularly of President Bill Clinton, and he stayed on the show for eight seasons . Given the moniker "The Glue" for his ability to hold the show together and help other cast members, Hartman won a Primetime Emmy Award for his SNL work in 1989 . In 1995, after scrapping plans for his own variety show, he starred as Bill McNeal in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio . He had voice roles on The Simpsons, from seasons 2--10 as Lionel Hutz, Troy McClure, and others, and appeared in the films Houseguest, Sgt . Bilko, Jingle All the Way, Small Soldiers and the English dub of Kiki's Delivery Service . </P> <P> Hartman had been divorced twice before he married Brynn Omdahl in 1987; the couple had two children together . However, their marriage was fractured, due in part to her drug use . On May 28, 1998, Brynn Hartman shot and killed Hartman while he slept in their Encino, Los Angeles home, then killed herself several hours later . In the weeks following his death, Hartman was celebrated in a wave of tributes . Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly opined that Hartman was "the last person you'd expect to read about in lurid headlines in your morning paper (...) a decidedly regular guy, beloved by everyone he worked with ." Hartman was posthumously inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2012 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014 . </P> <P> Phil Hartman was born Philip Edward Hartmann (later dropping one "n") on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada . He was the fourth of eight children of Doris Marguerite (Wardell) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann, a salesman specializing in building materials . His parents were Catholic and raised their children in that faith . As a child Hartman found affection hard to earn and stated: "I suppose I didn't get what I wanted out of my family life, so I started seeking love and attention elsewhere ." </P>

Who was the comedian that was killed by his wife