Why murdered Simpsons star's fans want him honored at ALCATRAZ amid Trump's plan to reopen island hellhole

Daily Mail​

11-05-2025

Fans of murdered Simpsons and SNL icon Phil Hartman are calling for the star to be honored at Alcatraz amid Trump's wild plan to reopen the island jail.
The star, famed as the voices of characters Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz among others, was murdered on May 28, 1998 aged 49 by drug-addled wife Brynn.
Brynn, 40, who was drunk and high on cocaine, shot him while he slept before turning the gun on herself.
Her despicable act left their two young children orphaned and a nation mourning Hartman's entertainment legacy.
Now, with the announcement that President Trump plans to reopen the infamous jail which closed in 1963, fans have had a strong reaction after Hartman's iconic turn as an Alcatraz tour guide in 1993 blockbuster, So I Married an Axe Murderer.
Hartman went down in movie history when Mike Myers' character Charlie MacKenzie went on a tour of Alcatraz with his policeman friend Tony Giardino (played by Anthony LaPaglia).
Hartman's hilarious and stoic former guard Ranger John Johnson quips 'everyone here calls me Vicky' - before launching into grisly tales from his time at the jail.
The movie was filmed in the jail's A block which is unchanged from 1912 and is not open to the public - with the scene serving as a cultural touchstone for moviegoers.
Fans took to social media in the wake of the Alcatraz announcement and call for the late star to be honored days before the 27th anniversary of the murder.
One fan wrote: 'If they reopen Alcatraz it should be renamed in honor of Phil Hartman for his iconic role in So I Married An Axe Murderer.
Others wrote: 'All I can think about this is Phil Hartman as 'Vicky,' the Alcatraz tour guide from 'So I Married an Axe Murderer,' lol.
'Maybe, but *definitely* watch the Phil Hartman Alcatraz scene from So I Married an Axe Murderer.'
'Too bad my favorite Alcatraz guard was murdered by his loser wife. RIP Phil 'Vicky' Hartman
'There will never be an Alcatraz scene as magnificent as the one from 'So I Married An Axe Murderer,' in which Phil Hartman played a former guard who now runs tours. American cinema at its finest. phil hartman alcatraz scene
Others lambasted Trump's proposed plan, saying: 'How dare he soil the memory of the great Phil Hartman!
'They shouldn't be able to turn Alcatraz into a prison again because it ruins Phil Hartman's delightful scene from So I Married an Axe Murderer. '
Fans took to social media in the wake of the Alcatraz announcement and call for the late star to be honored days before the 27th anniversary of the murder
Others lambasted Trump's proposed plan on social media
'All this Alcatraz talk has me thinking about Phil Hartman, and the greatest cameo of all time.
Trump has directed the Bureau of Prisons to work alongside the Department of Justice, FBI and Homeland Security to 'reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt' Alcatraz.
He said the notorious San Francisco facility, which once held famed gangster Al Capone, will 'house America's most ruthless and violent Offenders.'
He noted the tourist draw of the island, and local officials say the museum on national park land brings in $60 million each year, drawing 1.6 million visitors.
'Nobody's ever escaped from Alcatraz and just represented something strong having to do with law and order. We need law and order in this country, and so we're going to look at it. Some of the people up here are going to be working very hard on that, and we had a little conversation. I think it's going to be very interesting. We'll see if we can bring it back in large form,' Trump said.
'It's a big hulk that's sitting there rusting and rotting very you look at it ... But it sort of represents something that's both horrible and beautiful, strong and miserable, weak. It's got a lot of it's got a lot of qualities that are interesting.'
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for the National Park Service for comment.
Hartman's heartless murder sparked shockwaves across the world in 1998.
Hartman was killed by his third wife Brynn in their home in 1998 in a chilling murder-suicide.
Hartman and Brynn began dating not long after his second divorce from Lisa Strain which ended in 1985.
Strain told The Courant in 1998 that Hartman was always a calming influence. They divorced in 1985 because 'we were both unable to do the work necessary to make a good thing better,' but remained friends, she said. 'He was a quiet man and a sensitive and gentle person.'
At the time of his first meeting with Brynn, the comic-actor was a rising star, having worked with The Groundlings and on shows like Captain Carl and The Pee Wee Herman Show. In 1986, he got his break with SNL which he joined as a writer and producer.
Also known as 'The Glue' because of his talent for holding a show together and supporting his cast members, Hartman won an Emmy in 1989 for his work on SNL.
As well as this, he appeared in films such as Jingle All the Way, Small Soldiers and Houseguest,
Brynn, whose real name was Vicki Jo, had moved to Los Angeles after growing up in a small town in Minnesota.
She was tall, blonde and had aspirations of becoming an actress or model but unlike her husband's glittering career - her ambitions fell flat and frictions began to arise between the pair.
Brynn developed a crippling cocaine habit and, despite cracks appearing early in their intense relationship, the pair got married in 1987.
Despite their problems, they welcomed two children; Sean and Birgen who were nine and six when their parents died.
At the time of his death Hartman was at the peak of his career. He had just finished filming the fourth season of the critically acclaimed NBC sitcom NewsRadio, in which he starred as news anchor Bill McNeal, and was plugging away at The Simpsons.
But behind the scenes, Hartman's life was not quite so rosy.
Friends of the couple said their confrontations in their sometimes-troubled marriage were fuelled by Brynn's temper and her problems with drugs and alcohol.
A pattern emerged in which Hartman would withdraw into himself when Brynn worked herself into a rage, often going to bed and leaving her to cool down alone.
That could be the scenario that took place the night Hartman was shot. His body was found in the couple's bed after Brynn pumped several shots into her husband's head.
Brynn's final hours saw her visit Italian bistro Buca di Beppo with television producer Christine Zander. Zander later told People that Brynn had two drinks and 'didn't talk about any problems. We made plans to see each other the following weekend.'
Brynn then drove to a former lover's house, where she complained about her husband and drank beer. The lover, Ron Douglas, later told police that she left his home at 12.45am.
Brynn returned home to their $1.4 million Encino, California mansion and got into a 'heated' argument with Hartman while drunk, high on cocaine and with the antidepressant Zoloft in her system
His attorney Steven Small saying the actor had 'made it very clear that if she started using drugs again, that would end the relationship.'
Three hours later, she reappeared at Douglas' door, claiming to have 'killed Phil'. He did not believe her, he said, until he saw a gun fall out of her purse. Douglas said he then drove with her, in separate cars, back to the home. He had taken the gun from her and put it in his trunk and did not think that she had anymore.
When he got to the house he found Phil in their bedroom lying on the bed. He had been shot three times including once on the forehead.
Sean, the eldest of the kids, told police he heard sounds described as 'the slamming of a door' when Hartman was shot, a family source told People.
The police were called at around 6am and while Douglas and the two children were escorted out of the home, Brynn locked herself in the bedroom and committed suicide just before 7am by shooting herself in the mouth as she lay beside her dead husband.
According to CNN, the death was as a result of 'domestic discord' because Brynn allegedly 'had trouble controlling her anger' and 'she got attention by losing her temper.'
Other incidents that could have contributed to the death include Brynn taking the antidepressant Zoloft and Hartman's former NewsRadio co-star Andy Dick re-introducing her to cocaine, which resulted in a nervous breakdown.
Tom Hanks' actress wife Rita Wilson, who starred alongside Hartman in 1996 film, Jingle All The Way, said: 'This is just a tragedy beyond description. Now two children are left without the two most important people in their lives, and with a lifetime of confusion.'
Her brother Greg Omdahl later sued Pfizer, which made the antidepressant, claiming it cast her out of her right mind.
'I did file a lawsuit against Pfizer… alleging that the use of Zoloft caused my sister to not to know what she was doing, and she shot her husband'.
'And when she came out of that, she shot herself,' he said.
Pfizer settled the lawsuit for $100,000. It is still on the market as a prescription anti-depressant.
The couple's children, who are now both adults, were removed from the home. They went to live in the Midwest with Brynn's sister Cathy.
Both Sean and Birgen have stayed out of the spotlight - in 2019 it was revealed Sean was working as an artist while Birgen had started a business and married in 2018.
Birgen has paid tribute to Hartman on social media, for Father's Day 2016, she wrote: 'This dapper dude will always have my heart.'
On Hartman's 74th birthday in September 2022, she took to X to write: 'My dad's 74th birthday today! Thanks for the personality disorder!'
She lauded her father's legacy in a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter for the 25th anniversary of The Simpsons episode Mr Plow in 2017 - in which Hartman voiced McClure,
She said: 'It's great that people still love and remember my dad's characters on The Simpsons. Even after 20-plus years, I still see people quoting Lionel Hutz or sharing Troy McClure memes.
'The fact that those characters have carried themselves into the modern day and have remained relevant is just so cool to see, and I think my dad would have been proud of that.
In 2023, his former SNL co-stars paid tribute to him on what would have been his 75th birthday - as they lamented how far his talent could have taken him.
Kevin Nealon said: 'Yes, I always wonder about the career Phil would've had too if he went on. I mean, certainly Tom Cruise wouldn't be where he is right now, that's for sure.
'He could have been a good Walter White from Breaking Bad' as Sweeney said: 'He would have worked and worked and worked and worked and worked. He would've been nonstop.'
Carvey added: 'The amount of work he would've gotten if he wanted to take it…because of his range, you could have put him in any of these shows. If he chose to…he could be in The Crown
'[With]...streaming he could've done like 10 shows at once with his range'
So I Married an Axe Murderer star Myers said: 'I saw him as a hero and a mentor, and a very good friend and…he raised the bar for everybody… of what was possible. And…I would've loved to see what he'd be working on now.'