Martin Short facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Martin Short |
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Short in 2014
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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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Nancy Dolman
(m. 1980; died 2010) |
| Children | 3 |
Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a famous Canadian-American comedian, actor, and writer. He is known for his lively and funny performances, especially 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 and a Tony Award. In 2019, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, which is a high honor in Canada.
Martin Short is well-known for his work on TV shows like SCTV and Saturday Night Live. He 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).
On stage, he has performed in Broadway musicals. These include Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl (1993) and Little Me (1998–1999). He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Little Me.
He has acted in many comedy films. Some of these are Three Amigos (1986), Innerspace (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), and Mars Attacks! (1996). Martin Short has also lent his voice to animated movies. These include The Prince of Egypt (1998), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), and Frankenweenie (2012).
Since 2015, Short has toured with fellow comedian Steve Martin. In 2018, they released a Netflix special called An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life. This special was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards. Since 2021, he has starred in the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building. He acts alongside Steve Martin and Selena Gomez in this show. For his role, he has received many nominations, including for the Primetime Emmy Awards.
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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 concertmistress (lead violinist) for the Hamilton Symphony Orchestra. His father, Charles Patrick Short, was a business executive.
Martin and his siblings were raised in the Catholic faith. He attended Westdale Secondary School. Later, he graduated from McMaster University in 1971 with a degree in Social Work. His older brother, Michael, also became a comedy writer. Michael won three Emmy Awards for comedy sketch writing.
Martin Short's Career Journey
Starting Out in Acting (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 1972 Toronto production of the Broadway musical Godspell. Many of his castmates became famous comedians, including Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, and Andrea Martin.
Short then worked on several Canadian TV shows. He had a guest role on Right On, a show for teens. He also played Smokey the Hare on the kids' program Cucumber.
Rising to Stardom on SCTV and SNL (1977–1985)
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In March 1977, Martin Short joined the comedy group The Second City. His friends Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas encouraged him to pursue comedy.
In 1979, Short landed a main role in an American sitcom called The Associates. This show was about young lawyers on Wall Street.
SCTV Short became widely known when The Second City group created their TV show, Second City Television (SCTV). Short appeared on SCTV from 1982 to 1983. On SCTV, he created several memorable characters:
- Aged songwriter Irving Cohen.
- Defense attorney Nathan Thurm.
- Vegas singer Jackie Rogers Jr.
- The quirky man-child Ed Grimley.
Saturday Night Live Short joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the 1984–85 season. His appearance helped make the show popular again. He brought many of his SCTV characters to SNL, especially Ed Grimley. On SNL, Ed Grimley was a nerdy character who loved Wheel of Fortune. Short also did impressions of celebrities like Jerry Lewis and Katharine Hepburn.
He has returned to SNL many times since, including for the 40th Anniversary Special in 2015.
Film Roles and Broadway Debut (1986–1999)
After his sketch comedy success, Short starred in many films. These include Three Amigos, Innerspace, and Captain Ron. He played the funny character "Franck" in the 1991 movie Father of the Bride and its sequel.
Martin Short also returned to live theater. In 1993, he played a lead role in the musical The Goodbye Girl on Broadway. He received a Tony Award nomination for this role. In 1999, he starred in the Broadway revival of Little Me, winning a Tony Award.
In 1996, he was in Tim Burton's sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks!. In 1997, he appeared in Jungle 2 Jungle with Tim Allen. Short also had three TV shows named The Martin Short Show. These included a sitcom (1994), a sketch comedy show (1995), and a talk show (1999–2000).
Primetime Glick and Voice Acting (2000–2007)
Short starred as Jiminy Glick on Comedy Central's Primetime Glick (2001–2003). As Jiminy Glick, he interviewed famous people. Critics praised this character for being very funny and unpredictable. In 2004, he wrote and starred in Jiminy Glick in Lalawood, a movie featuring the character.
In 2003, Short performed on stage again in The Producers in Los Angeles. He played Leo Bloom, an accountant.
In 2006, he starred in another film with Tim Allen, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. Short also made guest appearances on shows like Arrested Development and Weeds. He joined the drama Damages in 2010 as a lawyer.
Short has voiced many animated characters. These include:
- Stubbs in We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993)
- Hubie in The Pebble and the Penguin (1995)
- Huy in The Prince of Egypt (1998)
- Ooblar in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)
- B.E.N. in Treasure Planet (2002)
- Preminger in Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (2004)
- Thimbletack in The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
- Mr. Frankenstein in Frankenweenie (2012)
- Stefano the sea lion in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Short also hosted two attractions at Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park: O Canada! and "The Making of Me". In 2006, he performed his one-man show, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, on Broadway. He brought back his classic characters like Grimley and Glick.
Touring with Steve Martin (2010–2019)
From 2010 to 2013, Short voiced the Cat in the Hat in an animated TV series. In 2011, he filmed a comedy special called I, Martin Short, Goes Home, which showed his return to his hometown.
In 2011, Short joined the cast of How I Met Your Mother as Marshall's boss. He was also a judge on the first season of Canada's Got Talent in 2012.
Short has continued to tour with his one-man show, featuring his most loved characters. 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 fellow 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 Awards 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 villainous role as Dick Lundy in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show. This role earned him an Emmy nomination. He also appeared as a Leprechaun in the Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon! (2021–2023).
Short voiced characters in animated films like Grandpa Frump in The Addams Family (2019) and Father Willoughby in 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 produced the Hulu crime comedy series Only Murders in the Building. He acts alongside Steve Martin and Selena Gomez in this popular show. For his performance, he has received many nominations, including for the Primetime Emmy Awards. 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.
Personal Life
Family Life
Martin Short met Canadian actress Nancy Dolman in 1972 while working on Godspell. They married in 1980. Nancy stopped acting in 1985 to focus on raising their family. Martin and Nancy adopted three children: Katherine, Oliver, and Henry. Nancy Dolman passed away in 2010.
Short and his family live in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. He also has a home in Lake Rosseau, Ontario, Canada. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen but also holds Canadian, Irish, and British citizenship.
Nancy Dolman's brother, Bob Dolman, married their friend and colleague Andrea Martin. Martin Short is the uncle to their two sons, Jack and Joe.
Giving Back
Martin Short has supported various charities. In 2001, he appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and won $32,000 for Loyola High School. He actively supports the Women's Research Cancer Fund. 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, a special Canadian coin was made featuring Martin Short's summer home in Ontario. In 2015, Canada Post issued a stamp with his image.
Awards and Honors
Throughout his long career, Martin Short has received many awards and nominations. He has been nominated for two Tony Awards, winning one for Little Me in 1999. He has also received sixteen Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice. He won for writing on SCTV (1983) and for the AFI Life Achievement award: Mel Brooks (2014). In 2014, he received the Robert Altman Award with the cast of Inherent Vice.
Canada has given Martin Short many special honors:
- In 1995, he received the Earl Grey Lifetime Achievement Award.
- In 1999, he earned the Sir Peter Ustinov Award at the Banff Television Festival.
- He received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000. He got a second star in 2002 as part of the SCTV comedy group.
- In 2001, he received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from McMaster University.
- He received Medals from Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 and 2012.
- In 2016, he received the Canadian Screen Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.
- In 2019, Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada.
See Also
In Spanish: Martin Short para niños
