![]() For the sake of his budding comedic career, he legally changed his surname to "Prinze". This is also verified by census records as well as Prützel/Pruetzel family accounts. Prinze's son, Freddie Prinze Jr., has stated that his father was half German/half Puerto Rican many times. Although his mother was in fact Puerto Rican, his father was a German immigrant with no Hungarian ancestry. Prinze worked at several comedy clubs in New York City, including The Improv and Catch a Rising Star, where he introduced himself to audiences as a "Hunga-rican" (part Hungarian, part Puerto Rican). ![]() Prinze (right) with Jack Albertson on Chico and the Man, 1976 He dropped out of school in his senior year to become a stand-up comedian. Without telling his parents, Prinze successfully auditioned for the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, where he was introduced to drama and continued ballet-and where he discovered his gift for comedy while entertaining crowds in the boys' restroom. When Prinze was a small child, his mother enrolled him in ballet classes to deal with a weight problem. Prinze was raised in a mixed neighborhood in Washington Heights, New York City. His mother was a Puerto Rican Catholic and his father was a German Lutheran immigrant who had arrived in the U.S. Prinze was born Frederick Karl Pruetzel (German spelling: Prützel) at Saint Clare's Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Edward Karl Pruetzel and Maria de Gracia Pruetzel (née Graniela y Ramirez). Prinze was the father of actor Freddie Prinze Jr. Prinze was the star of the NBC-TV sitcom Chico and the Man from 1974 until his death in 1977. (born Frederick Karl Pruetzel J– January 29, 1977) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. The couple had two children.Francisco "Chico" Rodriguez – Chico and the Manįrederick James Prinze Sr. ![]() According to news reports, Brynn, Hartman’s third wife (two previous marriages ended in divorce) had a history of drug and alcohol problems. The murder-suicide, which shocked fans and friends alike, occurred early on the morning of May 28, 1998, at the couple’s home in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino. Off-screen, Hartman was popular among his Hollywood colleagues and known for being completely different from some of the more unlikable characters he had portrayed. Hartman also notably provided the voices for a number of characters, including the has-been actor Troy McClure and the incompetent lawyer Lionel Hutz, on the acclaimed animated series The Simpsons.In addition to his TV work as an actor and pitchman (for MCI, McDonald’s and Cheetos, among others), Hartman appeared on the big screen in Blind Date (1987), Jingle All the Way (1996) and Small Soldiers, released after his death. The ensemble cast also included Dave Foley, Maura Tierney and Andy Dick. He played the egotistical anchorman of an AM radio news station in New York City through four seasons of the show’s five-year run. Hartman joined the cast of the TV sitcom NewsRadio in 1995. He went on to set a record for the most appearances (153) as one of the show’s regulars. In 1989, Hartman shared an Emmy Award for his writing contributions to Saturday Night Live. He also made frequent guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In his eight years on the show, Hartman became known for his spot-on impersonations of a variety of celebrities, notably President Bill Clinton. In 1986, Hartman earned a spot on the long-running NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. On May 28, 1998, the comedian and actor Phil Hartman, famous for his work on Saturday Night Live and NewsRadio, is shot to death by his wife, Brynn, in a murder-suicide.
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