Demetri Martin | |
|---|---|
 Martin performing in April 2007 | |
| Born | (1973-05-25)May 25, 1973 (age 52) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Yale University New York University |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Medium | |
| Genres | |
| Subjects | |
| Website | demetrimartin |
Demetri Martin (Greek:Δημήτριος Ευάγγελος Μάρτιν,Dimitrios Evangelos Martin; born May 25, 1973)[1] is an American comedian, actor, writer, director, cartoonist and musician. He was a contributor onThe Daily Show. In stand-up, he is known for hisdeadpan delivery, playing his guitar for jokes, and his satirical cartoons. He starred as Ice Bear inCartoon Network'sWe Bare Bears.[2]
Martin was born into aGreek-American family inNew York City on May 25, 1973,[3] the son of Lillian (1951–2019)[4] andGreek Orthodox priest Dean C. Martin (1948–1994).[5][6] His grandparents migrated fromSparta andCrete.[7] He grew up inToms River, New Jersey, and has a younger brother named Spyro and a younger sister named Christene. As a teenager, he worked at his family’s diner inBeachwood near the Jersey Shore.[8][9][10] He attendedToms River High School North and graduated in 1991.[11]
Martin graduated fromYale University in 1995 with a B.A inHistory. During his time there, he wrote a 224-word poem[12][13] as a project for afractal geometry class, which became a well-knownpalindromic poem. He was also a member of the Anti-Gravity Society, whose members juggle objects on Sunday evenings on Yale's Old Campus.[14]
Although Martin was admitted toHarvard Law School, he instead decided to attendNew York University School of Law upon receiving a full scholarship.[15] Martin withdrew from law school before the start of his final year, opting to pursue comedy over obtaining hisJuris Doctor degree.[16][17]
Shortly after leaving law school, Martin started performing stand-up in the summer of 1997.[18] He was an intern forThe Daily Show in 1997, and in 2001 he had a set featured on theNBC late night stand up comedy showcaseLate Friday.[19] In 2001, Martin caught his first big break in stand-up comedy when he appeared on Comedy Central's stand-up showcasePremium Blend. At the2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe he won thePerrier Award with his showIf I....[20] The show was turned into aBBC television special in 2004. From 2003 to 2004, Martin wrote forLate Night with Conan O'Brien.[21] In 2004, Martin had his ownComedy Central Presents stand-up special. His special was divided into three parts. In the first, he performed in a traditional stand-up comedy fashion. In the second segment, he used humorous drawings as visual aids, which would serve either as the punchline or a background. During the third segment, he played the guitar and put on a pseudo-play where he would strum his guitar while alternating between playing harmonica and talking; some of his comedian friends, wearingfairy anddragon costumes, acted according to the story he was telling, detailing the magical land from where his jokes came. Martin's mother and grandmother also appeared.
Starting in late 2005, he was credited as a contributor onThe Daily Show, on which he appeared as the named "Senior Youth Correspondent" and hosted a segment called "Trendspotting". He used this segment to talk about so-called hip trends among youth such ashookahs,wine,guerilla marketing andXbox 360. A piece aboutsocial networking featured his profile onMyspace.[22] On March 22, 2007, Martin made another appearance onThe Daily Show, talking about theViacom lawsuit againstGoogle andYouTube. He stopped contributing toThe Daily Show as of 2014.[23] Before starting atThe Daily Show, he was offered to audition forSaturday Night Live but turned it down due to the seven year commitment.[24]
He has recorded acomedy album titledThese Are Jokes, which was released on September 26, 2006. This album also featuresSaturday Night Live memberWill Forte and stand-up comedianLeo Allen.Martin returned toThe Daily Show on March 22, 2006, as the new Youth Correspondent, calling his segment "Professional Important News with Demetri Martin". In 2007, he starred with Faryl Millet, a comedian and actress better known for her showFancy Nancy's Funny Hour, in aFountains of Wayne music video for "Someone to Love" as Seth Shapiro, and Millet as Beth Mackenzie. Both of them are characters in the song. He also starred in the video for theTravis single "Selfish Jean", in which he wears multiple T-shirts with lyrics written on them.On September 2, 2007, Martin appeared on the season finale of theHBO seriesFlight of the Conchords. He appeared as akeytar player named Demetri.[25]He also had a part in the movieThe Rocker (2008) starringRainn Wilson. Martin played the part of the videographer when the band in the movie was making their firstmusic video.
In 2009, he hosted and starred in his own television show calledImportant Things With Demetri Martin on Comedy Central. Later in June, it was announced his show had been renewed for a second season.[26] The second season premiered, again on Comedy Central, on February 4, 2010. Martin has stated thatImportant Things will not return for a third season.Prior to completing work on his second season, Martin starred in thecomedy-drama filmTaking Woodstock (2009), directed byAng Lee, which premiered at the2009 Cannes Film Festival. In the film Martin playsElliot Tiber, acloseted gay artist who has given up his ambitions in the city to move upstate and help his old-world Jewish family run theirCatskill Mountains motel. The film is based onthe book written by Tiber.On April 25, 2011, Martin released his first book, titledThis Is a Book.Martin played a small role in the 2011 filmContagion.
Martin sold his movie conceptWill toDreamWorks, and is expected to play a key supporting role.[27] He will play the lead in the filmMoon People, a pitch that he sold toColumbia Pictures.He also signed a blind script deal withCBS in October 2010 to produce, write, and star in his own television series.[28] After CBS was shown the pilot for the series, they decided not to air it.[29]
On October 2, 2012, Martin released his second comedy album entitledDemetri Martin. Standup Comedian.[30][31]
Martin voices Ice Bear in theCartoon Network seriesWe Bare Bears, and the narrator in itsspin-off seriesWe Baby Bears. He wrote, directed, edited, and starred in the 2016 filmDean.[32]
Martin is known for being an unconventional stand-up comic. He usesone-liners and drawings on a "large pad", as well as accompanying his jokes with music on either guitar, harmonica, piano, keyboard,glockenspiel, toy bells,ukulele, ortambourine, sometimes all at once.[33] His style is often compared toMitch Hedberg.[34] He has cited comedianSteven Wright as an important influence (both use deadpan one-liners in their acts) as well asThe Far Side cartoonistGary Larson. He has submitted cartoons to theNew Yorker magazine at its invitation – and had them rejected.[35]
Martin plays instruments on stage and has music playing in the background of his performances as a way of preventing any editing of his performances to better fit for television.[36] However, Martin has also confessed a desire to evolve his comedic style.[37] "I love one-liners, I love jokes...but I also want to talk about how I feel. I want to talk about below-the-neck stuff. It's hard, if that's not where your head goes, it's hard to get comedy out of that...[But] I want to dig deeper, I want to connect in a different way with the audience."
According to a July 2011 interview on the podcastWTF with Marc Maron, Martin had a short-lived marriage with a former high school classmate named Jen. They began dating after high school and got married when he was atNYU Law School and she was attendingNYU Medical School.[15] This relationship was further analyzed in his one-man showSpiral Bound.
On June 1, 2012, Martin married his long-time partner Rachael Beame inSanta Monica, California. They currently reside inLos Feliz, California.[38][39][40]
Martin hasanaphylactic reactions to seafood, poultry, nuts and certain legumes.[41]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Late Show with David Letterman | Himself | Guest[42] |
| 2002 | Analyze That | Personal Assistant | Credited as Demitri Martin |
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live | Himself | Guest[43] |
| 2003 | Last Call with Carson Daly | Himself | Guest[44] |
| 2004 | Comedy Central Presents: Demetri Martin | Himself | |
| 2004 | 12:21 | Himself | Short film Writer |
| 2004 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself | Writer |
| 2005 | Invite Them Up | Himself | Writer |
| 2007 | Someone to Love | Seth Shapiro | Fountains of Wayne music video |
| 2007 | Flight of the Conchords | Demetri | Episode: "The Third Conchord" |
| 2008 | The Rocker | Kip | |
| 2009 | Paper Heart | Himself | |
| 2009 | Post Grad | Ad Exec | |
| 2009 | Taking Woodstock | Elliot Tiber | |
| 2011 | Take Me Home Tonight | Carlos | |
| 2011 | Contagion | Dr. David Eisenberg | |
| 2011 | Conan | Himself | Guest |
| 2013 | In a World... | Louis | |
| 2014–2021 | Lunchables | Jackie | Commercials |
| 2015 | House of Lies | Ellis Hightower | |
| 2015–2019 | We Bare Bears | Ice Bear | Main role |
| 2015 | The Last Time You Had Fun | Will | |
| 2015 | Sequoia | Steve | |
| 2016 | Dean | Dean | Writer, director, producer |
| 2016 | Our Fascinating Planet | Ted Rimmarniet | Funny or Diego90 series, later onYouTube |
| 2016 | New Girl | Juror 237B / Gary Garcia | Season 5, episode 10: "Goosebumps Walkaway" |
| 2020 | Crank Yankers | Himself | Season 5, episode 19: "Adam Carolla, Illiza Shlesinger & Demetri Martin" |
| 2020 | We Bare Bears: The Movie | Ice Bear | TV film |
| 2022–present | We Baby Bears | Narrator | |
| 2022 | Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Tiny Tim | |
| 2026 | Hoppers | Birds | Voice |
| Year | Award | For | Category | Result | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Perrier Comedy Award | If I | Won | At theEdinburgh Festival Fringe | |
| 2004 | Emmy Awards | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Program | Nominated | Shared with Mike Sweeney (head writer),Chris Albers,Jose Arroyo,Andy Blitz,Kevin Dorff,Daniel J. Goor,Michael Gordon,Brian Kiley,Michael Koman,Brian McCann,Guy Nicolucci,Conan O'Brien,Allison Silverman,Robert Smigel,Brian Stack,Andrew Weinberg |
| 2005 | Writers Guild of America Award | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) – Series | Won | Shared with Mike Sweeney (head writer),Chris Albers,Jose Arroyo,Andy Blitz,Kevin Dorff,Daniel J. Goor,Michael Gordon,Brian Kiley,Michael Koman,Brian McCann,Guy Nicolucci,Conan O'Brien,Allison Silverman,Robert Smigel,Brian Stack,Andrew Weinberg |
| 2006 | Barry Award | Dr. Earnest Parrot Presents Demetri Martin | Won | Award for best show at theMelbourne International Comedy Festival |
Demetri said his major regret is that he will be graduating at the end of the school year. He said he's thinking of taking a year off or even trying to become a standup comic. 'I'd rather avoid the real world as long as possible – I am going to law school – and continue to party,' he said, flashing a broad smile.
Although his success in comedy came quick, achieving is nothing new to Martin, as the second-generation Greek-American grew up as an academic prodigy in an upscale New York suburb. After graduating high school as the valedictorian, Martin enrolled at Yale and graduated with grades that landed him a scholarship at NYU. While at law school, Martin became bored with the life of class by day and library by night and decided to spice things up. He began to neglect his studies and attend class in bizarre fashion, one time suiting up in a full gorilla costume. As his interest in comedy grew, Martin began to debate dropping out of school. His parents encouraged him to stay in school, but Martin's father told Demetri to do what he was most passionate about. His father died shortly thereafter in 1994, and Martin then decided to give comedy a chance. What has ensued so far has been a remarkable start in the comedy field thanks to a perspective that the world has never seen before.
Martin, who recently moved from Brooklyn to West Los Angeles
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