Martin Short facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Martin Short |
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Short in 2021
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| Birth name | Martin Hayter Short |
| Born | March 26, 1950 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
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| Alma mater | McMaster University (BA) |
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| Spouse |
Nancy Dolman
(m. 1980; died 2010) |
| Children | 3 |
Martin Hayter Short OC (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, and writer. He is famous for his energetic comedy and for creating memorable characters in sketch comedy shows. Martin Short has also starred in many movies and TV shows. He has won several important awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, two SAG Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019, he was honored as an Officer of the Order of Canada.
He became well-known for his work on TV shows like SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Short created popular characters such as Jiminy Glick and Ed Grimley. He also appeared in the sitcom Mulaney (2014–2015), the variety show Maya & Marty (2016), and the drama series The Morning Show (2019). Martin Short has also had a successful career on stage, starring in Broadway musicals like The Goodbye Girl (1993) and Little Me (1998–1999). He won a Tony Award for his role in Little Me.
In movies, Short has acted in comedies such as Three Amigos (1986), Innerspace (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), and Mars Attacks! (1996). He has also lent his voice to animated films like The Prince of Egypt (1998), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012). From 2010 to 2013, he voiced the Cat in the Hat for the PBS Kids TV series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!.
Since 2015, Short has toured with fellow comedian Steve Martin. Their 2018 Netflix special, An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life, received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Since 2021, he has starred in the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building with Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. For this role, he has received several nominations and won a SAG Award.
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Martin Short's Early Life and Education
Martin Short was born on March 26, 1950, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was the youngest of five children. His mother, Olive Grace, was a talented musician, and his father, Charles Patrick Short, was a business executive. Martin and his siblings were raised in a Catholic family. Sadly, his oldest brother, David, passed away in a car accident when Martin was 12 years old.
Martin's mother encouraged his early interest in creative activities. He attended Westdale Secondary School and later graduated from McMaster University in 1971 with a degree in Social Work. During his college years, his mother passed away from cancer in 1968, and his father died two years later. His brother, Michael, also became a comedy writer and won several Emmy Awards.
Martin Short's Career Journey
Starting Out: Theatre and Canadian TV (1972–1976)
After college, Martin Short decided to try acting. In March 1972, he got his first paid acting job in a TV commercial. Soon after, he was cast in the Broadway hit musical Godspell in Toronto. Other cast members included future stars like Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, and Andrea Martin. Martin Short and Gilda Radner dated during this time.
Short then worked on several Canadian TV shows and plays. He appeared on Right On, a live show for teens, and played Smokey the Hare on the kids' program Cucumber. In 1973, many of his Godspell friends joined the new Second City improv comedy group in Toronto. Martin was hesitant at first because he felt nervous about being funny on demand.
In 1974, Short worked as a writer for Everything Goes, a nightly variety show. This show was on the new Global Television Network but was canceled after less than six months.
Becoming a Star: SCTV and SNL (1977–1985)
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Martin Short's friends, Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas, encouraged him to pursue comedy. In March 1977, he joined the famous improvisation group the Second City.
In 1978, Short made his first movie appearance in the British romantic comedy Lost and Found. The movie was filmed in Canada but did not do very well. In 1979, he got a main role in the American sitcom The Associates, about young lawyers. In 1980, he joined the cast of I'm a Big Girl Now, another sitcom.
SCTV Short became widely known when the Second City group created their TV show, Second City Television (SCTV). Short was on SCTV from 1982 to 1983. On SCTV, he created many popular characters before moving to Saturday Night Live:
- Aged songwriter Irving Cohen.
- Defense attorney Nathan Thurm.
- Vegas singer Jackie Rogers Jr.
- The quirky man-child Ed Grimley. This character later appeared on SNL and had his own cartoon show, The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley.
Saturday Night Live Short joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the 1984–85 season. He helped make the show popular again with his many characters. His SNL characters included some from SCTV, especially Ed Grimley. On SNL, Ed Grimley was a geeky character who loved Wheel of Fortune and played the triangle. Short also did impressions of celebrities like Jerry Lewis and Katharine Hepburn.
He has returned to SNL many times, including for Christmas specials and the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special in 2015.
Film Roles and Broadway Debut (1986–1999)
After his sketch comedy success, Short starred in several films. These include Three Amigos (1986), Innerspace (1987), Captain Ron (1992), and Clifford (1994). He was also memorable as "Franck" in Father of the Bride (1991) and its sequel, Father of the Bride Part II.
Short also returned to theatre. In 1993, he played a main role in the musical The Goodbye Girl on Broadway, earning a Tony Award nomination. In 1999, he had the lead role in the Broadway revival of Little Me, for which he won a Tony Award.
In 1996, he appeared in Tim Burton's sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks!. In 1997, he starred in A Simple Wish as a male fairy godmother named Murray. He also appeared in Jungle 2 Jungle with Tim Allen. Short had three TV shows named The Martin Short Show, including a sitcom in 1994, a sketch comedy show in 1995, and a talk show from 1999 to 2000.
Primetime Glick and Other Roles (2000–2007)
Short starred as Jiminy Glick on Comedy Central's Primetime Glick (2001–2003). As Jiminy Glick, he interviewed famous people in a very funny and unpredictable way. In 2004, he wrote and starred in Jiminy Glick in Lalawood, a movie featuring the character. In 2003, Short performed on stage in Los Angeles in the musical The Producers, playing the role of Leo Bloom.
In 2006, he starred in another movie with Tim Allen, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. Short also made guest appearances on shows like Arrested Development (2005) and Weeds. He joined the drama series Damages in 2010 as a lawyer.
Martin Short has also voiced many animated characters. He was Stubbs in We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), Huy in The Prince of Egypt (1998), and Stefano the sea lion in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012). He was also the host of the O Canada! film at Walt Disney World's Epcot.
In 2006, Short performed his one-man show, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, on Broadway. In this show, he brought back his classic characters like Grimley, Cohen, and Glick. As Glick, he would interview a real audience member, often a celebrity. The show also featured funny impressions of many famous people.
Touring with Steve Martin (2010–2019)
From 2010 to 2013, Short voiced the Cat in the Hat in the animated TV series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!. He also voiced the character in TV specials in 2014 and 2016. In 2011, he filmed a comedy special called I, Martin Short, Goes Home, which showed his return to his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario.
In 2011, Short joined the cast of How I Met Your Mother for its seventh season, playing Marshall's energetic boss. He was also a judge on the first season of Canada's Got Talent in 2012. In 2013, he appeared on Saturday Night Live as part of the "Five-Timers Club" sketch.
Short has continued to tour with his one-man show, featuring his most loved characters and sketches. His memoir, I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend, was released in 2014. From 2014 to 2015, he starred in the Fox sitcom Mulaney. In 2015, he returned to Broadway in the play It's Only a Play. On May 31, 2016, Short debuted a new variety show on NBC called Maya & Marty, co-starring Maya Rudolph.
Since 2015, Short has toured with comedian Steve Martin. Their tours include A Very Stupid Conversation (2015) and An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (2017). Their 2017 tour was filmed for Netflix and received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Recent Work (2019–Present)
In 2019, Short appeared on the Netflix talk show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld. From 2019 to 2021, he played a serious role as Dick Lundy, a filmmaker, in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show. Critics praised his acting in this role, and he earned a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. He also appeared as a Leprechaun in the Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon! from 2021 to 2023.
Short voiced Grandpa Frump in The Addams Family (2019) and Father Willoughby in the Netflix animated film The Willoughbys (2020). He also returned as Franck Eggelhoffer in the short film Father of the Bride Part 3(ish) (2020).
Since 2021, he has starred in and helped produce the Hulu crime comedy series Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. The show has been very popular, and Short has received many nominations for his role, including Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and won a SAG Award. In 2023, he voiced Kingfish in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. In 2024, he brought back his character Jiminy Glick on Real Time with Bill Maher and was a guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Starting in June 2025, Martin Short took over as the host of Match Game on ABC.
Martin Short's Personal Life
Family and Home
Martin Short met Canadian actress Nancy Dolman in 1972 while they were both in the musical Godspell. They got married in 1980. Nancy stopped acting in 1985 to focus on raising their family. Martin and Nancy adopted three children: Katherine, Oliver, and Henry. Sadly, Nancy passed away in 2010.
Martin Short and his family live in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. He also has a home on Lake Rosseau in Ontario, Canada. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen but also remains a Canadian citizen.
Nancy Dolman's brother, Bob Dolman, is a screenwriter and director. He married their close friend and colleague Andrea Martin in 1980. Martin Short is the uncle to their two sons, Jack and Joe. Bob Dolman and Andrea Martin later divorced in 2004. Martin Short is also a cousin of Clare Short, a former member of the British Parliament.
Giving Back: Philanthropy
Martin Short cares about giving back. In 2001, he appeared on the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and won $32,000 for his chosen charity, Loyola High School. He has actively supported the Women's Research Cancer Fund and accepted an award on behalf of his late wife in 2011. Short is also a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism. He is a big fan of his hometown football team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
In 2013, the Royal Canadian Mint issued a special three-dollar Canadian coin featuring Martin Short's summer home on Lake Rosseau.
Martin Short's Awards and Honors
Martin Short has received many awards and honors throughout his career. He has been nominated for two Tony Awards, winning one for his role in Little Me in 1999. He has also received sixteen Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice for his writing on SCTV (1983) and for the AFI Life Achievement award: Mel Brooks (2014). In 2014, Short received the Robert Altman Award with the cast of Inherent Vice.
Canada has also honored Martin Short many times. In 1995, he received the Earl Grey Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1999, he earned the Sir Peter Ustinov Award at the Banff Television Festival. Short was given a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000 and received a second star there in 2002 as part of the comedic group Second City Television (SCTV). In 2001, his hometown Hamilton's McMaster University gave him an honorary Doctor of Literature degree. He also received Medals from Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 and 2012. In 2015, Canada Post issued a stamp featuring Martin Short. In 2016, he received the Canadian Screen Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2019, Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada, a very high honor.
See also
In Spanish: Martin Short para niños
