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CELEBRITY WIVES - BRYNN HARTMAN

Celebrity
Wives

Bonnie
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Brynn
Hartman

Nicole
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Brynn Hartman

1958 - 1998 

Brynn Hartman had always hoped to become a Hollywood star. But she had mixed feelings about her real life casting as comedian Phil Hartman's wife and mother of his children.

Brynn Hartman, born Vicki Jo Omdahl on April 11, 1958, grew up in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. She moved to Los Angeles and began to build a career in acting and modeling. Along the way, she met actor and comedian Phil Hartman. They fell in love and were married in 1987.

"A very happy couple,
and they always had
the appearance of being well-balanced."
- Steve Guttenberg, actor

"They fought a lot.
I don't know what the problems were.
I have suspicions.
But at the moment,
they seemed to be doing fine.
(She was) a very troubled person
with a lot of problems.
(I) tried to talk Phil Hartman
out of marrying her in 1987.
She put a serious damper on our friendship.
I had a hard time continuing
to have a relationship with Phil.
I thought something bad
might happen one day
with their relationship.
But I would never have dreamt this
in a million, billion years."
- Cassandra Peterson,
"Elvira, Mistress of the Dark"

"I know that she wrestled
with some addictions.
It seems that she was doing okay with it.
She was struggling with this,
and I suspected that
she was winning the war,
and so I didn't want to talk about it
unless she wanted to talk about it."
- Andrea Diamond, neighbor

"I never thought it would go that far.
I can't imagine someone going that far."
- Lisa Jarvis, Phil's ex-wife

"She got attention by losing her temper.
Phil said he had to restrain her at times."
- Steve Small, Phil's divorce lawyer

Phil Hartman was born on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, but he grew up in Connecticut and Southern California. At California State University, Northridge, Phil studied graphic design. After college, he entered the advertising industry and became quite a success, designing many album covers for rock bands, including Crosby, Stills and Nash.

In 1975, Phil joined The Groundlings, a L.A. improvisational comedy troupe, and began his performing career. Eventually, inventive comedian and dead on mimic, Phil became a cast member on Saturday Night Live, which led to other successful movie and television roles. By 1998, Phil Hartman had achieved Hollywood stardom.

On the morning of May 28th, 1998, Phil and Brynn Hartman were found dead in their home.

Phil and Brynn lived at 5065 Encino Avenue in Encino, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Brynn, depressed about her career and stressed by worry that Phil would leave her, became addicted to alcohol, prescription drugs and cocaine.

The previous evening, Brynn had spent a pleasant evening at local restaurant Buca di Beppa, drinking with a friend.

"They seemed fine, normal."
- Fred Slater, Buca di Beppa restaurant manager

She returned home sometime between 2 to 3 a.m. in a state of inebriation. Phil was asleep in bed.

Brynn Hartman shot her husband 3 times.

After she killed him, she went to a friend's house.

"I shot Phil."
- Brynn Hartman

Her friend Ron Douglas didn't believe her. After she fell asleep, he searched her purse and found a Smith and Wesson revolver.

When Brynn woke up 3 hours later, she took Douglas back to the murder scene. After viewing Phil's dead body, he called 911.

"Yeah, hi…um…
I think there's been a shooting here.
She came to my house and she was drunk.
She said she had killed her husband
and I didn't believe her."
- Ron Douglas

When the police arrived at 6:20 a.m., Brynn locked herself in the bedroom. The police escorted the Hartman's two children from the premises. They tried to talk Brynn out of the bedroom, but she was in hysterics. They tried to distract her, but that didn't work. Brynn pulled out another gun, stuck it in her mouth, and squeezed the trigger.

The police broke down the door and found Phil and Brynn Hartman lying dead on the King-size bed together. Phil was lying on his right side, wearing a purple T-shirt and boxer shorts with cartoon Dachshunds on them. Brynn's head lay on a pillow, she was wearing a white cotton tee shirt with the number "9" on the chest and brown argyle socks. Both outfits were recent purchases from The GAP.

Brynn's autopsy revealed she had consumed alcohol, cocaine and an antidepressant, Zoloft.

The official verdict was murder/suicide.

Their bodies were cremated at Forest Lawn Glendale. There was a funeral service on June 4, 1998. Per Phil's will, their ashes were scattered off Catalina Island

Brynn's family sued the makers of Zoloft.

"She left me a really happy message yesterday.
Everything was fine.
We leave each other silly messages all the time."
- Susan Kaplow, neighbor

"Everyone at NBC mourns
the tragic passing of Phil Hartman.
Our thoughts and prayers are
with Phil's family and friends
at such a difficult time.
Phil was blessed with a tremendous gift
for creating characters
that made people laugh.
But more importantly,
everyone who had the pleasure
of working with Phil knows
that he was a man of tremendous warmth,
a true professional
and a loyal friend
who will be deeply missed."
- Don Ohlmeyer, NBC West Coast President

HISTORICAL: Celebrity Wives Depression Era European Executed Porno Stars Starlets Western