Main page appearance Hello This is a note to let the main editors of this article know that it will be appearing as the main page featured article on June 8 2011 You can view the TFA blurb at Wikipedia Today s featured article June 8 2011 If you think it is necessary to change the main date you can request it with the featured article directors or his delegate or at Wikipedia talk Today s featured article requests If the previous blurb needs tweaking you might change it following the instructions of the suggested formatting If this article needs any attention or maintenance it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn t look bad D Thanks Phil Hartman 1948 1998 was a Canadian born American actor comedian screenwriter and graphic artist Born in Brantford Ontario Hartman and his family immigrated to the United States when he was ten After graduating from California State University Northridge with a degree in graphic arts he designed album covers for bands such as 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 on Reubens show Pee wee s Playhouse Hartman became well known in the late 1980s when he joined the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live He won fame for his impressions particularly of President Bill Clinton and stayed on the show for eight seasons In 1995 after scrapping plans for his own variety show he starred as Bill McNeal in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio On May 28 1998 Hartman was shot and killed by his wife while he slept in their California home 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 more