On Saturday Night Live, one great characterization can shoot an actor into public consciousness: Witness Dana Carvey's Church Lady or Mike Myers' Wayne. But when a performance goes one step further-when you can't even recognize the man behind the mask-chances are that Phil Hartman is at work. ''I benefit from the Mr. Potato Head syndrome,'' says the 42-year-old writer-performer, whose remarkable, subdued versatility has anchored SNL's cast since he joined up in 1986. ''Put a wig and a nose and glasses on me, and I disappear.'' Indeed, all that remains visible is Hartman's brutally observant talent: He plays Ed McMahon as an obsequious automaton (''You are CORRECT, sir!''); Phil Donahue as an addled blowhard who wanders out of the studio during a stream-of- consciousness tirade; and Frank Sinatra, bullying Billy Idol with last season's most memorable line: ''You wanna take me on, blondie? I got chunks of guys like you in my stool!'' Hartman admits that he's ''felt most comfortable burying myself,'' but recognition is beginning to overtake him. This year, Jay Leno courted him to become The Tonight Show's new sidekick. But playing McMahon is one thing; being him is another. Instead, Hartman will make occasional appearances in character, mining a repertoire that includes Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Saddam Hussein. He also won a deal to create his own NBC series after his SNL contract ends in 1994. But don't hold your breath. ''I'm not sure I can ever leave,'' says Hartman. ''Years ago, I thought I'd use the show as a stepping-stone. But I know a good gig when I see it.'' And fortunately, Saturday Night Live knows a star when it's got one.
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