The Top 5 Simpsons Characters Voiced By Phil Hartman

Can you believe it’s been 27 years since we lost the legendary Phil Hartman? It truly says something when almost three decades later, the comedy world still doesn’t quite feel the same. Even moreso, neither has The Simpsons.

Many consider the “golden era'“ of The Simpsons to end at season ten, so is it any surprise that this is also when we last heard Hartman’s iconic voice on the show? Phil brought a unique brand of humour to each of his characters, many of which are considered fan favourites, despite not appearing in over 25 years.

To pay tribute to the legacy of Phil, we thought we’d run through our Top 5 characters voiced by the man.

5. Evan Conover

As an Australian Simpsons podcast, we may be a little biased with this one, however there's no denying that this "Undersecretary for International Protocol: Brat and Punk Division" played a key role in ensuring 'Bart vs Australia' remains so iconic. He's a fast-talking businessman who will do what it takes to work his way to the top, and even though he essentially sold Bart out to the Aussie government, you can't help but love him.

4. Tom

The father-figure we all wanted growing up, Tom is the caring, intelligent (and handsome) "bigger brother" to Bart, and eventually Pepi, in 'Brother From The Same Planet'. On top of all that, he's a former F-14 pilot of the U.S. Navy, rides a motorcycle and is an animal lover. His battle with Homer at the aquarium is still an absolute all-timer.

3. Lyle Lanley

Much like Evan Conover, this smoother talker knows how to win over a room. It's hard to imagine 'Marge vs The Monorail' with Hartman being the voice of Lanley. Whether it's the catchphrases or the big song-and-dance number, Hartman brought his A-game, it's just a shame we never got to see Lanley return with a new scheme.

2. Lionel Hutz

This could have easily been #1, it was basically a flip of the coin. What is there to say about Lionel Hutz? Or should I say, Miguel Sanchez? What was meant to be a one-time appearance in 'Bart Gets Hit By A Car' back in season two, Lionel Hutz quickly became one of the most beloved and recurring side-characters of the Simpsons' golden era due to Hartman's hilarious spin on the character. He was always looking for a way to make ends meet (aren't we all?) which is probably what made him so unexpectedly relatable. He was last seen in the season nine episode 'Realty Bites', and oddly this also features the debut of Gil Gunderson, who went on to somewhat replace Hutz going forward.

1. Troy McClure

"Hi, I'm Troy McClure. You may remember me from..." is one of the most quotable lines in the history of The Simpsons. Much like Lionel Hutz, Hartman would do anything to make a buck, whether it be shilling dodgy products on infomercials, hosting self-help videos or marrying Selma, nothing was off limits for this once Hollywood star. Most of his appearances on the show were simple cameos, but thankfully we were blessed with 'A Fish Called Selma', a full-length McClure episode that gave us all a better insight into Troy the man, as well as proving that he's, to quote Lionel Hutz, "still got it" as he stars in "‘Stop The Planet Of The Apes, I Want To Get Off!’.

Notable Mentions:

Some other favourites of ours include The Cable Guy from ‘Lisa vs the 8th Amendment’, football announcer Jimmy Apollo, Horst the German, as well as Fat Tony, whom he voiced one time in ‘A Fish Called Selma’ when Dan was unavailable!

So there’s what we consider to be Hartman’s Top 5 characters on The Simpsons, let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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