Editing Phil Hartman (section)

==Style==
{{Quote box
| quote = Clean and unassuming, he had such a casual, no-nonsense way about him. It was that quality that we all find so hilarious, his delightful ability to poke fun at himself and at life with a tongue-in-cheek attitude comparable to, say, [[Tim Conway]] or [[Mel Brooks]] or [[Carol Burnett]].
| source = — [[Nancy Cartwright]].<ref>{{cite book|title=My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy|year=2000|publisher=[[Hyperion (publisher)|Hyperion]]|location=New York City|author=Cartwright, Nancy|title-link=My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy|page=[https://archive.org/details/mylifeastenyearo00nanc/page/71 71]|isbn=0-7868-8600-5|author-link=Nancy Cartwright}}</ref>
| width = 30em
| bgcolor = transparent
| align = right
| qalign = left
| salign = right
}}

In contrast to his real-life personality, which was described as "a regular guy and, by all accounts, one of show business's most low-key, decent people",<ref name=intel>{{cite news|title=His Intellect, Humanity Set Hartman Apart|date=May 29, 1998|work=[[The Sacramento Bee]]|author=Kushman, Rick|page=A18}}</ref> Hartman often played seedy, vain or unpleasant characters as well as comedic villains.<ref name="nice">{{cite news |author=Strickler |first=Jeff |date=1996-11-26 |title=Nice guy Phil Hartman loves playing weasels |page=01E |work=[[Star Tribune]]}}</ref> He described his standard character repertoire as the "jerky guy" and "the weasel parade",<ref name="jerk"/> citing Lionel Hutz, Bill McNeal, Troy McClure, and Ted Maltin from ''Jingle All the Way'' as examples.<ref name=nice/> Hartman enjoyed playing such roles because he "just want[ed] to be funny, and villains tend to be funny because their foibles are all there to see".<ref name=nice/>

He often played supporting roles, rather than the lead part. He said: "[T]hroughout my career, I've never been a huge star, but I've made steady progress and that's the way I like it"<ref name="cad"/> and "It's fun coming in as the second or third lead. If the movie or TV show bombs, you aren't to blame."<ref name="jerk"/> Hartman was considered a "utility player" on ''SNL'' with a "kind of Everyman quality" which enabled him to appear in the majority of sketches, often in very distinct roles.<ref name=van/> [[Jan Hooks]] stated of his work on ''SNL'': "Phil never had an ounce of competition. He was a team player. It was a privilege for him, I believe, to play support and do it very well. He was never insulted, no matter how small the role may have been."<ref name=hooks/> He was disciplined in his performances, studying the scripts beforehand. Hooks added: "Phil knew how to listen. And he knew how to look you in the eye, and he knew the power of being able to lay back and let somebody else be funny, and then do the reactions. I think Phil was more of an actor than a comedian."<ref name=hooks/> Film critic [[Pauline Kael]] declared that "Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks on ''Saturday Night Live'' are two of the best comic actors I've ever seen."<ref>{{cite book|page=137|title=Conversations with Pauline Kael|year=1996|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|editor=Brantley, Will|isbn=0-87805-899-0}}</ref>

Writer and acting coach Paul Ryan noted Hartman's work ethic with his impressions. He assembled a collection of video footage of the figure he was preparing to impersonate and watched this continually until he "completely embodied the person". Ryan concluded that "what made [Hartman's impressions] so funny and spot on was Phil's ability to add that perfect touch that only comes from trial and error and practicing in front of audiences and fellow actors."<ref>{{cite book|title=The Art of Comedy: Getting Serious About Being Funny|year=2007|publisher=Watson-Guptill|page=168|isbn=978-0-8230-8467-8|author=Ryan, Paul}}</ref> Hartman described this process as "technical".<ref name=van/> Journalist Lyle V. Harris said Hartman showed a "rare talent for morphing into... anybody he wanted to be".<ref>{{cite news|title=Whatever the role, he made it funny: Phil Hartman 1948–1998|author=Harris, Lyle V.|work=[[The Hamilton Spectator]]|date=May 30, 1998|page=W11}}</ref>

[[Ken Tucker]] summarized Hartman's comedic style: "He could momentarily fool audiences into thinking he was the straight man, but then he'd cock an eyebrow and give his voice an ironic lilt that delivered a punchline like a fast slider—you barely saw it coming until you started laughing."<ref name="kentucker"/> Hartman claimed that he borrowed his style from actor [[Bill Murray]]: "He's been a great influence on me – when he did that smarmy thing in ''[[Ghostbusters]]'', then the same sort of thing in ''[[Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day]]''. I tried to imitate it. I couldn't. I wasn't good enough. But I discovered an element of something else, so in a sick kind of way I made myself a career by doing a bad imitation of another comic."<ref name="jerk"/>