In fact, Dick was so close to Hartman, who had taken the already troubled actor under his wing, that his death hit him harder than most, causing him to tailspin out of control.A heavy drug user, Dick had already suffered enormous losses in the years preceding Hartman's death. The final year of "NewsRadio" was understandably difficult for the entire cast, Dick among them. Tragically, just days after the show was renewed, its star and emotional center, former "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975-) star Phil Hartman, was murdered by his wife, Brynn, who then promptly killed herself. Although "NewsRadio" was not a standout success during its run - it was nearly cancelled before being renewed for a fifth season - it provided Dick with his defining and scene-stealing role. As the slow-witted but lovable Matthew, he caused constant chaos on the set of the fictional radio station and was the butt of many of the other characters' jokes. Alongside "The Ben Stiller Show," "NewsRadio" was Dick's most important role to date. After that show was cancelled in 1993, Dick appeared in a few productions, most notably in small roles in Pauly Shore's "In the Army Now" (1994) and the Ben Stiller-directed "Reality Bites," before finding his way to the hit sitcom "NewsRadio" (NBC, 1995-99). Although the indignities were manifold - he lived in his car for a time - Dick also made important contacts, foremost among them was Ben Stiller, with whom he would work a number of times in the future.In 1992, Dick was one of the four stars on Stiller's short-lived but highly influential MTV show "The Ben Stiller Show." In addition to Dick and Stiller (who created the show with Judd Apatow), the program also starred Janeane Garofalo and Bob Odenkirk. Dick!" Dick dropped out of both Illinois Wesleyan University and Columbia College in Chicago and set his sights on a career in comedy, becoming a member of the famed Second City Chicago troupe and beginning a low-paying career in stand-up comedy. Although he would later become known for his outsider personality, Dick was actually voted Homecoming King in high school, perhaps thanks to his campaign slogan, "Don't vote for a jock, vote for A. Dick graduated from Joliet High School in Joliet, IL, but spent parts of his youth in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and, for a time, Yugoslavia. Born Andrew Thomlinson in Charleston, SC, he was adopted as a newborn by Allen and Sue Dick, a Navy couple who moved frequently.
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