 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 middle 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."
