Phil Hartmann is best known for his work in comedy, from the iconic Saturday Night Live Sketches for starring in a hit sitcom NewsRadioBut did you know that his first career was completely different? Hartmann had a hand in designing album covers for such famous bands as America, Poco and Steely Dunn.
How Phil Hartmann started working in graphic design
Born in Canada, Hartmann moved with his family to the United States when he was 10 years old. After graduating from high school, he entered Santa Monica City College, where he studied art. Hartmann ended up dropping out to become a road rock band in 1969.
Hartmann returned to school in 1972, attended California State University, Northridge, and studied graphic arts. This led to his first career as a graphic designer for album covers.
His work on album covers for bands like America, Steely Dunn, Crosby, Stills, and Nash
The comedian started his own business in graphic art, designing album covers for bands like Poco, America, and Steely Dan, to name a few. Hartmann ended up working on more than 40 different album covers, as well as designing a logo for Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
“I’ve done more than 40 album covers, including Boku’s White Album,” Hartmann said in an interview. jam! “This is the only piece I have in my desk. I also designed the Crosby, Stills, and Nash logo, but they didn’t give me credit for the CD retrospective.”
The white album Boko Hartmann referred to is the band’s 1978 album legendwhich was certified with gold; The band’s first album to reach this state. Hartmann also worked on Steely Dan’s 1977 album Ajawhich boasts songs like “Black Cow” and “Deacon Blues”.
Phil Hartmann’s Impressive Comedy Career
While Hartmann had a successful career creating album covers for popular bands, the comedian found the solo work of a single graphic designer. In 1975, he began attending comedy classes given by the Los Angeles comedy group The Groundlings.
After impulsively joining the group on stage during a performance, Hartmann decided to take comedy seriously. After training with The Groundlings—and redesigning the group’s logo—Hartmann became a member in 1979 and quickly became a star.
The comedian helped create and starred in the now iconic character of Pee-wee Herman Paul Wee Theater Like Captain Carl. He also had small roles in films like Cheech & Chong Next MovieAnd the Pee-Wee’s Big AdventureAnd the Three AmigoAnd the the SmurfsAnd the Dennis the danger.
In 1985, Hartmann was invited to audition Saturday Night Live He ended up joining the cast in 1986. He remained in the sketch show for eight seasons, delighting audiences with his impressions of Bill Clinton, Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, and Kelsey Grammer.
Hartmann left SNL In 1994, he went on to appear in the popular NBC sitcom NewsRadio. He appeared on the show until his death in 1998 and was posthumously nominated for a Primetime Award Emmy Award Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
The world lost the comedian very early on, but Hartmann lives on by his beloved comedic sketches, roles in soap operas and movies, and his work on popular album covers.
Related: Where are the children of ‘SNL’ cast member Phil Hartman killed now?
[ad_2]
