Martin Short | |
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 Short in 2021 | |
| Born | Martin Hayter Short (1950-03-26)March 26, 1950 (age 75) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | McMaster University (BA) |
| Notable work | Martin Short on screen and stage |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Subjects | |
Martin Hayter ShortOC (born March 26, 1950)[1] is a Canadian comedian, actor, and writer.[2] Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles insketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television shows.His awards include twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, twoSAG Awards, and aTony Award. Short was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada in 2019.
He is known for his work on the television programsSCTV andSaturday Night Live. Short created the charactersJiminy Glick andEd Grimley. He also acted in the sitcomMulaney (2014–2015), the variety seriesMaya & Marty (2016), and the drama seriesThe Morning Show (2019). He has also had an active career on stage, starring inBroadway productions includingNeil Simon'smusicalsThe Goodbye Girl (1993) andLittle Me (1998–1999). The latter earned him aTony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the former a nomination in the same category.
On film, Short has acted incomedy films such asThree Amigos (1986),Innerspace (1987),Three Fugitives (1989),Father of the Bride (1991),Captain Ron (1992),Clifford (1994),Father of the Bride Part II (1995),Mars Attacks! (1996),Jungle 2 Jungle (1997),Mumford (1999) andThe Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006). Short voiced roles inThe Pebble and the Penguin (1995),The Prince of Egypt (1998),Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001),Treasure Planet (2002),Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012),Frankenweenie (2012), andThe Wind Rises (2013). He also voicedthe Cat in the Hat in thePBS Kids seriesThe Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! (2010–2013).
In 2015, Short started touring nationally with the comedianSteve Martin. In 2018, they released theirNetflix specialAn Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life which received fourPrimetime Emmy Award nominations. Since 2021, he has co-starred in theHulu comedy seriesOnly Murders in the Building alongside Martin andSelena Gomez. For his performance he has earned nominations for thePrimetime Emmy Award, theGolden Globe Award, and aCritics' Choice Television Award, and won a SAG Award.
Short was born Martin Hayter Short on March 26, 1950, inHamilton, Ontario, the youngest[3] of five children of Olive Grace (née Hayter; 1913–1968), a Canadian-born (ofEnglish andIrish descent)concertmistress at theHamilton Symphony Orchestra,[4] and Charles Patrick Short (1909–1970), a corporate executive at the Canadian steel companyStelco who had emigrated fromCrossmaglen,County Armagh,Northern Ireland as a stowaway during theIrish War of Independence.[5][6] Short has spoken openly about his father's struggles withalcoholism.[7][8]
Short and his siblings—three older brothers, David, Michael, and Brian, and one older sister, Nora[9]—were raised as Catholics.[10] His eldest brother, David, was killed in a car accident inMontréal in 1962 when Short was 12.
Encouraged by his mother in his early creative endeavours,[10] Short attendedWestdale Secondary School and then graduated fromMcMaster University with a Bachelor of Artsdegree inSocial Work in 1971.[11] In the meantime, his mother died of cancer in 1968; his father died two years later, of complications from a stroke.[12]
His brother, Michael, would go on to become a comedy writer, also spending time atSecond City Television (SCTV), and is a 17-time nominee and three-time winner of anEmmy Award for comedy sketch writing.[13]
Just as Short was about to graduate fromMcMaster University, he moved toToronto with the intention of temporarily giving acting a shot, rather than immediately pursuing a career in social work.[14] Right away, in March 1972, he landed his first piece of paid work as an actor, playing a plasticcredit card inside a woman's purse in aChargex television commercial.[14] He was then cast byStephen Schwartz for the new 1972 production of theBroadway hitGodspell at Toronto'sRoyal Alexandra Theatre.[2] Among other members of that production's cast wereVictor Garber,Gilda Radner,Eugene Levy,Dave Thomas,Andrea Martin,Jayne Eastwood, and Gerry Salsberg.Paul Shaffer was themusical director.[15] As stated by Short in his 2014memoir, as well as in the 2018 documentaryLove, Gilda, he andGilda Radnerdated each other on and off during that time.[16]
Short subsequently found work in several Canadian television shows and theatrical productions. These included being cast for the role of a tough, predatory prison inmate in the 1972 staging ofJohn Herbert's dramaFortune and Men's Eyes, that had the upstart twenty-two-year-old actor commuting back to his hometown ofHamilton, Ontario.[15][16] By late 1972, with the success ofGodspell at the Royal Alexandra Theatre indowntown Toronto, the production moved uptown to the Bayview Playhouse where it ran for 488 performances.[17] Short's increased stage profile led to a guest spot onRight On, ateen-focused live program airing weekly in theafter-school timeslot on thegovernment-fundedCBC TV.[18] He also played the role of Smokey the Hare on theTVOntario daytime kids' programCucumber.
In June 1973, withGodspell winding down and Chicago's Second City improv comedy theatre starting up a sister company in Toronto, many of Short'sGodspell peers, including Radner, Levy, Eastwood, Salsberg,Valri Bromfield andDan Aykroyd, successfully joined thenew troupe's first cast.[14] Short on the other hand, resisted auditioning due to feeling a "phobia of being funny on demand" and considered himself a "traditional song-and-dance performer".[14]
In 1974, Short was hired as a writer onEverything Goes, a nightly variety show hosted byNorm Crosby,Mike Darow andCatherine McKinnon. Produced and aired on the newly launchedGlobal Television Network, the show was broadcast only to theSouthern Ontario region and lasted less than six months before being cancelled.
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Short was encouraged to pursue comedy by McMaster classmatesEugene Levy andDave Thomas. In March 1977, Short joined the improvisation groupthe Second City in Toronto, taking over fromJohn Candy inThe Wizard of Ossington, their ninth revue.[19][20][2]
In early 1978, Short secured his feature film debut via a supporting role in theMelvin Frank-directed British romantic comedy,Lost and Found, starringGeorge Segal andGlenda Jackson. Filmed throughout the late winter and early spring of 1978 inBanff National Park and Toronto, the film saw a limited North American release in June 1979 and was met with lukewarm reviews and poor box office returns.[21]
In 1979, after working solely in Canada for the previous seven years, Short landed a starring role in the American sitcomThe Associates about a group of young novice lawyers working at aWall Street law firm.[22]
In 1980, he joined the cast ofI'm a Big Girl Now, a sitcom starringDiana Canova andDanny Thomas.[23] Canova was offered the sitcom because of her success playing Corinne Tate Flotsky onABC'sSoap and leftSoap shortly before Short's newlywed wifeNancy Dolman joined it.[24]
SCTV
Short achieved wider public notice when the Toronto Second City group produced a show for television,Second City Television (SCTV), which ran for several years in Canada and then later in the United States. Appearing onSCTV in 1982–83,[2] Short developed several characters before moving on toSaturday Night Live for the 1984–85 season:
Saturday Night Live
Short joinedSaturday Night Live (SNL) for the1984–85 season.[25][26] He helped revive the show with his many characters for season ten, also the last season produced byDick Ebersol. "Short's appearance onSNL helped to revive the show's fanbase, which had flagged after the departure ofEddie Murphy, and in turn, would launch his successful career in films and television."[23] HisSNL characters included numerous holdovers from hisSCTV days, most notably his Ed Grimley character, a geeky everyman who is obsessed withWheel of Fortune, plays the triangle, and often finds himself in bizarre situations. He also did impressions of such celebrities asJerry Lewis andKatharine Hepburn.[25]
Since then he has made multiple appearances on the show, including the SNL Christmas special in 2012, 2024 andSaturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special in 2015.
In addition to his work onSCTV andSNL, Short has starred in several television specials and series of his own. In 1985, he starred in the one-hour Showtime specialMartin Short: Concert for the North Americas.[27] This was Short's first live concert, interspersed with studio sketches and a wraparound featuring Jackie Rogers Jr. Co-produced by the CBC, this aired asThe Martin Short Comedy Special in Canada in March 1986. In 1989, Short headlined another one-hour comedy special for HBO calledI, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood, a classic send-up of all things Hollywood. It featured many of his characters including Ed Grimley and Jackie Rogers Jr.[28] In 1994, Short hosted the television showThe Martin Short Show and a sketch comedy show in 1995,The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show. In 1998, he played the character Frik in the TV mini seriesMerlin. In 1999, he appeared as Lionel Dillard inLawrence Kasdan's comedy-dramaMumford. The syndicated version ofThe Martin Short Show ran from 1999 to 2000.[29]
Short began starring in films such asThree Amigos (1986),Innerspace (1987),The Big Picture (1989),Three Fugitives (1989; directed byFrancis Veber and starringNick Nolte andJames Earl Jones),Pure Luck (1991; directed byNadia Tass, starringDanny Glover andSheila Kelley.[30]),Captain Ron (1992) andClifford (1994). Short was also the memorable scene-stealing character "Franck" in the 1991 remake ofFather of the Bride andits sequel in 1995.
In 1996, he appeared inTim Burton's sci-fi comedyMars Attacks![30] as lascivious Press Secretary Jerry Ross. In 1997, he starred inA Simple Wish as male fairy godmother Murray. Also in 1997, he appeared as Wall Street broker Richard Kempster inJungle 2 Jungle withTim Allen.[31]
Short continued to work in the theatre, playing a lead role onBroadway in the 1993 musical version of theNeil Simon filmThe Goodbye Girl , receiving aTony Award nomination and anOuter Critics Circle Award.[32][33][34] He had the lead role in the 1999 Broadway revival of the musicalLittle Me, for which he received aTony Award and another Outer Critics Circle Award.[35][36][37]
Short starred asJiminy Glick onComedy Central'sPrimetime Glick (2001–2003), where he interviewed performers and celebrities as the character Jiminy Glick.[38]The New York Times in 2002 referred to the character as "the most unpredictable and hilariously uninhibited comic creation to hit TV sinceBart Simpson was in diapers."[39] In 2004, he wrote and starred inJiminy Glick in Lalawood withJan Hooks as his wife, Dixie Glick.[40] In 2003, Short took to the stage once again in the critically acclaimed Los Angeles run ofThe Producers. Short played the role of the accountant, Leo Bloom, oppositeJason Alexander's Max Bialystock.[41][42] Although the role of Leo Bloom was originated on Broadway byMatthew Broderick,Mel Brooks first approached Short about doing the part oppositeNathan Lane.[43] On the subject, Short has stated in numerous interviews that, while he was thrilled by the opportunity, the idea of having to move his family from their Los Angeles home to New York for a year was less than ideal and ultimately proved a deal-breaker.
In 2006, he starred in another film with Tim Allen,The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.[44] In addition to his own series, Short has guest starred on several shows includingArrested Development (episode titled "Ready, Aim, Marry Me!", 2005),Muppets Tonight (1996),[45]Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, andWeeds. He joined the FX dramaDamages as lawyer Leonard Winstone in 2010.[46] Short also provided the voices of several animated film characters, such as Stubbs inWe're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), Hubie inThe Pebble and the Penguin (1995), Huy inThe Prince of Egypt (1998), Ooblar inJimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), B.E.N. inTreasure Planet (2002), Preminger inBarbie as the Princess and the Pauper (2004), Thimbletack the Brownie inThe Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), Mr. Frankenstein/Mr. Bergermesiter/Nassor inFrankenweenie (2012), Stefano the sea lion inMadagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012),[30][47] Kurokawa in the English dub ofHayao Miyazaki'sThe Wind Rises (2013),[48] and TheJester inLegends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2013).[49]
Short was the host of the now defunctWalt Disney World attractionO Canada!, aCircle-Vision 360° film in the Canada pavilion of Disney'sEpcot theme park.[50] He also hosted a 15-minute film about how pregnancy occurs in "The Making of Me" at Epcot'sWonders of Life pavilion.
Short performed in his satirical one-man show (with a cast of six), titledMartin Short: Fame Becomes Me, at theBernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway. The show toured several cities in the spring of 2006 prior to opening on Broadway in August of that year, closing in January 2007. In it, he performed his classic characters Grimley, Cohen, andGlick.[51][52][53][54] As Glick, Short brought a member of the audience (usually a celebrity) on stage and interviewed him or her.Jerry Seinfeld was the guest on opening night. The show also featured parodies of many celebrities includingCeline Dion,Katharine Hepburn,Elizabeth Taylor,Richard Burton,Tommy Tune,Joan Rivers,Britney Spears,Ellen DeGeneres,Renée Zellweger,Jodie Foster,Rachael Ray and Short's wife, actressNancy Dolman. The cast album was released on April 10, 2007 and is available from Ghostlight Records, an imprint ofSh-K-Boom Records.[55]
Short voicedthe Cat in the Hat in the animated TV seriesThe Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, which aired from 2010 to 2013.[56] He later voiced the character in a number of related TV specials in 2014 and 2016. He shot a new comedy special for television in Toronto in September 2011. The special,I, Martin Short, Goes Home follows his return to his native Hamilton, Ontario[57] and has a cast that includesEugene Levy,Andrea Martin,Joe Flaherty, andFred Willard. The special aired onCBC Television on April 3, 2012, and garnered Short a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Program or Series at the1st Canadian Screen Awards.[58] In 2011, Short joined the cast ofHow I Met Your Mother for its seventh season, playing Marshall's manic boss[59] and was a judge on the first season ofCanada's Got Talent (2012).[60]
He, along withSteve Martin andChevy Chase appeared on an episode ofSaturday Night Live as part of the "Five-Timers Club", on March 9, 2013, which included those actors who had hosted the show five or more times. However, Short appeared as a waiter, as he had only hosted three times.[61][62]
Short has continued to tour in his one-man show, which features many of his best-loved characters and sketches.[63] In addition toFame Becomes Me, some titles that Short has used for his one-man show includeStroke Me Lady Fame,If I'd Saved, I Wouldn't Be Here, andSunday in the Park withGeorge Michael.[64] Short's memoir, covering his 40-year career in show business,I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend, was released on November 4, 2014.[8]
From 2014 to 2015, he starred in the Fox sitcomMulaney, as Lou Cannon, a game show host and boss of the title characterJohn Mulaney.[65] In 2015, he returned to Broadway replacingNathan Lane in theTerrence McNally comedic playIt's Only a Play. On May 31, 2016, Short debuted a new variety show onNBC,Maya & Marty, which also starredMaya Rudolph.
Since 2015, Short has toured with the comedianSteve Martin. Together their tours have includedA Very Stupid Conversation in 2015,An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life in 2017, andThe Funniest Show in Town at the Moment in 2021.[66] Their 2017 tour was filmed forNetflix as a special and was nominated for fourPrimetime Emmy Awards and a Directors Guild of America Award nomination.
In 2019, Short appeared on theNetflix talk showComedians in Cars Getting Coffee alongsideJerry Seinfeld in the episode "Martin Short: A Dream World Of Residuals". From 2019 to 2021, he took on a sinister role portraying Dick Lundy, a disgraced filmmaker, in theApple TV+ seriesThe Morning Show. Damon Wise ofDeadline Hollywood wrote, "Short is a damn fine dramatic actor" citing his "brief but indelible guest role". Short said of the role, "Well, it came to me by the producers reaching out and asking me to do it. I don’t know why they wanted me, necessarily, but I was immediately interested. I’m very fascinated by conversation and discussion" around theMeToo movement.[67] The performance earned Short a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.[68] He also appeared as a Leprechaun in another Apple TV+ seriesSchmigadoon! from 2021 to 2023. Short voiced the roles of Grandpa Frump inThe Addams Family (2019) and Father Willoughby in theNetflix animated filmThe Willoughbys (2020) as the impolite father. He also reprised the role of Franck Eggelhofferin theNancy Meyers directed short filmFather of the Bride Part 3(ish) (2020).
Starting in 2021, he has starred and served as an executive producer in theHulu crime comedy seriesOnly Murders in the Building alongsideSteve Martin andSelena Gomez.[69][70] The show was nominated for a 2021Peabody Award, and in July 2022, he received his 13thEmmy nomination for his role in it.[71] He received nominations for thePrimetime Emmy Awards forOutstanding Comedy Series andOutstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Mike Hale ofThe New York Times wrote that Short "gives a master class" in the series adding, "It's not a class in acting or comedy so much as it is a seminar in agelessness and professionalism, and in Short's unmatched ability to turn self-absorption into a virtue."[72] In 2023, he voiced the role of Kingfish inAquaman and the Lost Kingdom.[73] In 2024, he reprised his role asJiminy Glick onReal Time with Bill Maher and guest hostedJimmy Kimmel Live.[74][75]
Starting in June 2025, Short took over hosting duties forMatch Game onABC, replacingAlec Baldwin.
Short met Canadian comic actressNancy Dolman in 1972 during the run ofGodspell. The couple married in 1980. Dolman retired from show business in 1985 to be astay-at-home mother and raise their family. Short and Dolman adopted three children: Katherine, Oliver, and Henry.[76] Dolman died ofovarian cancer on August 21, 2010.[77] Two years later, while promotingMadagascar 3 onThe Today Show, hostKathie Lee Gifford asked Short on-air about his marriage to Dolman – speaking about it in the present tense, unaware that Dolman had died. Rather than correct Gifford, Short simply noted that they were together for 36 years, and that he was "madly in love" with her. Gifford later issued a public apology, which Short accepted.[78]
Short and his family make their home inPacific Palisades, Los Angeles. He also has a home onLake Rosseau inOntario.[79] He is anaturalizedU.S. citizen[80] but retains Canadian citizenship, as well as Irish and British citizenship.[81]
Nancy Dolman's brother, screenwriter/directorBob Dolman (who served as a part ofSecond City Television (SCTV)'sEmmy-winning writing team alongside Short), married their close friend and colleagueAndrea Martin, also in 1980. Short is uncle to the couple's two sons, Jack and Joe. Bob Dolman and Andrea Martin have since divorced (2004). Short is a first cousin ofClare Short, a former member of theBritish Parliament and former Britishcabinet minister.[82]
Short appeared in a 2001 episode on the CelebrityWho Wants to Be a Millionaire hosted byRegis Philbin, winning $32,000 for his charity,[83]Loyola High School. Short has actively campaigned for the Women's Research Cancer Fund, and he accepted a "Courage Award" on behalf of his late wife at a 2011 gala by the group.[84] Short is also a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.[85] Short is a fan of his hometown team, theHamilton Tiger-Cats of theCanadian Football League.[86]
In 2013, a commemorative three dollar (face value) Canadian coin, designed by Canadian artist Tony Bianco with Martin Short, displays the actor's summer home on Lake Rousseau in the Muskoka region of Ontario, with the head of Queen Elizabeth II, as at 77 years of age, bare headed, on theobverse side, was issued by theRoyal Canadian Mint.[87][88][89][90]
Short's accolades include twoTony Award nominations, winning forLittle Me in 1999. Short also has received sixteenPrimetime Emmy Award nominations,[91] winning twice forOutstanding Writing for a Variety Series forSCTV (1983), andAFI Life Achievement award: Mel Brooks (2014). In 2014, Short received theRobert Altman Award fromIndependent Spirit Awards alongside the cast ofPaul Thomas Anderson'sInherent Vice.
Short has received various honours from Canada. In 1995, Short received the Earl Grey Lifetime Achievement Award.[92] In 1999, he earned the Sir Peter Ustinov Award at theBanff Television Festival.[92]Short was honoured with a star onCanada's Walk of Fame in 2000 and received a second star there in 2002 as part of the comedic groupSecond City Television (SCTV).[92] In 2001, Short was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature from his hometownHamilton basedMcMaster University.[92] Short has also received Medals fromQueen Elizabeth II, including in 2002 theQueen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal[92] and in 2012 theQueen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[93] In 2015, a stamp of Short was issued byCanada Post.[94] In 2016, he received theCanadian Screen Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2019, Short became an Officer of theOrder of Canada.
Some of the names here will be familiar only to die-hard fans; others, like Murphy, defined what was funny for generations of viewers.
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Interviews
