Martin Short: The Life Story Behind the Little Man of Comedy

Martin Short is a comedian who can make a room laugh with only a look. He is small in size, but he is huge in energy, and his characters are some of the most loved in comedy. He has played Ed Grimley, a strange man with a cowlick, Jiminy Glick, a fat and funny interviewer, and many other people who are odd, kind, and unforgettable. He has worked on television, in films, and on Broadway, and he has made people laugh for more than fifty years. He is a Canadian who became a comedy star, and he did it with warmth and with talent.

He was born in Hamilton, in Ontario, Canada, and he grew up in a large and loving family. He was the youngest of five children, and he learned early how to make people laugh. He went to university, he studied social work, and he thought about a life helping others. But comedy kept pulling him back, and he began to perform in theatre and on television. He joined the Second City in Toronto, and then SCTV, and his career took off from there.

What makes his story interesting is not only the laughter. It is also the sadness he has faced, and the way he has kept going with kindness. He lost his wife, Nancy Dolman, to cancer in 2010, and he has spoken about that loss with honesty. He has also lost his parents and his siblings, and he has faced grief many times. Yet he continues to make people laugh, and he continues to be a generous and warm man. This is the story of a little man with a big heart, and how comedy helped him through a long life.

A Boy From Hamilton

Martin Hayter Short was born on 26 March 1950 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Hamilton is a steel city, a place of factories and hard work, and his family was a big and happy one. His father worked for a steel company, and his mother was a concert violinist, and the family loved music and laughter. Martin was the youngest of five children, and he grew up in a house full of noise, of jokes, and of love. He learned to be funny to get attention, and he learned that laughter could bring people together.

As a boy, he was small, and he was not a natural athlete. He was a child who liked to perform, who liked to make his family laugh, and who liked to be the centre of attention in a good way. He went to school in Hamilton, and he was a good student. He was interested in people, and he liked to watch how they talked and how they moved. That habit of watching people would later help him to create characters who felt real, even when they were strange.

He went to McMaster University in Hamilton, where he studied social work. He wanted to help people, and he thought about a career in that field. But while he was at university, he also took part in theatre, and he found that he loved performing. He was a young man who was torn between two paths: helping people as a social worker, and making people laugh as a comedian. In the end, comedy won, but the desire to help people stayed with him, and it shows in the kindness of his work.

His early years in Hamilton gave him a sense of home that he has never lost. He is a Canadian, and he is proud of it, even though he has lived in America for many years. He often talks about Hamilton with love, and he returns there in his mind and in his stories. He was a boy from a steel city who became a star, and he never forgot where he came from.

Second City, SCTV, and the Birth of Characters

After university, Martin Short joined the Second City theatre company in Toronto. Second City was a famous improvisation theatre, where actors made up scenes on the spot, and it was a great place for a young comedian to learn. He worked with other talented comedians, including John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Catherine O’Hara, and he learned how to create characters, how to work with an audience, and how to be funny without a script. It was a hard school, but it was a good one, and it gave him the skills he needed.

In the early 1980s, he joined SCTV, the television show that grew out of Second City. SCTV was a sketch comedy show that made fun of television, of films, and of pop culture, and it became one of the most loved comedy shows in Canada and in America. Martin created characters on SCTV that are still remembered today, including Ed Grimley, a nerdy man with a slicked-up cowlick who loved Wheel of Fortune, and Jackie Rogers Jr., a singer who was not as good as he thought he was. Those characters were strange, they were funny, and they were full of heart.

SCTV gave Martin a chance to show his talent to a wide audience, and it made him a star in Canada. He was a comedian who could play many different people, and he could do it with great skill. He was not only funny. He was also a good actor, and he could make a character feel real, even when the character was absurd. That combination of comedy and acting made him special, and it opened doors for him in America.

He also began to work on Broadway, and he appeared in plays and musicals. He was a performer who could do it all: sketch comedy, improvisation, singing, dancing, and acting. He was a complete entertainer, and that made him valuable to producers who needed someone who could do more than one thing. He was building a career that would last for decades, and he was doing it with hard work and with talent.

Saturday Night Live and the Move to America

In 1984, Martin Short joined Saturday Night Live, the famous American sketch comedy show. He was part of the cast for one season, from 1984 to 1985, and he brought his characters to a new audience. He played Ed Grimley on the show, and he created new characters, including a funny and odd interviewer. His time on Saturday Night Live was short, but it was important, because it introduced him to American viewers and to the American comedy world. He was a Canadian who had made it to the biggest comedy show in America.

After Saturday Night Live, he began to work in films. He appeared in Three Amigos in 1986, a comedy film starring Steve Martin and Chevy Chase, where he played Ned Nederlander, one of three silent film stars who are mistaken for real heroes in Mexico. The film was a success, and it showed that Martin could hold his own with two of the biggest comedy stars in America. He was funny, he was charming, and he was a perfect fit for the film. It was the start of a long friendship with Steve Martin, a friendship that continues to this day.

He also appeared in Innerspace in 1987, a science fiction comedy, and in other films such as Father of the Bride in 1991, where he played Franck Eggelhoffer, a flamboyant wedding planner. Franck became one of his most loved characters, and the film was a huge success. He played Franck again in the sequel, Father of the Bride Part II, and audiences loved him. He was a comedian who could steal a scene with only a few lines, and that made him a favourite of directors and of audiences.

During those years, he also worked on Broadway, and he won a Tony Award in 1999 for his work in the musical Little Me. He was a performer who could do it all, and he was respected by his peers. He was not only a funny man. He was a talented actor, a singer, and a dancer, and he brought all of those skills to his work. He was a star, and he had earned it through hard work and through talent.

Love, Loss, and a Family

Martin Short married Nancy Dolman in 1980. Nancy was an actress and a comedian, and she had worked with him in Toronto. They were married for thirty years, and they had three children together, Katherine, Oliver, and Henry. They lived in Los Angeles, and they built a life that was grounded in family, in work, and in love. Martin often spoke about Nancy with great affection, and he said that she was the love of his life. She was his partner, his friend, and the mother of his children.

In 2010, Nancy died of ovarian cancer, at the age of fifty-eight. Her death was a terrible loss for Martin and for their children, and it changed his life. He has spoken about that loss with honesty, and he has said that it was the hardest thing he has ever faced. He was a man who made people laugh for a living, and now he had to face a grief that was beyond words. He did not hide from it, and he did not pretend that it had not happened. He talked about it, he grieved, and he kept going for his children.

He has also lost other members of his family. His parents died when he was young, and his siblings have also died, and he has faced more loss than most people. He has said that comedy has helped him through those hard times, because laughter is a way to cope with pain. He believes that humour is not a way to avoid sadness. It is a way to live with it, and to find joy even when life is hard. That belief is at the heart of his work, and it makes his comedy deeper than simple jokes.

Today, he is close to his children, and he is a grandfather. He lives a life that is full of work, of family, and of friendship, especially with Steve Martin, his long-time friend and collaborator. He has faced great loss, but he has also known great love, and that love is what keeps him going. He is a man who has lived a full life, with both laughter and tears, and he has shared both with his audience.

Only Murders in the Building and a New Triumph

In 2021, Martin Short began a new chapter in his career when he starred in Only Murders in the Building, a comedy-mystery series on Hulu. He played Oliver Putnam, a struggling Broadway director who teams up with two neighbours, played by Steve Martin and Selena Gomez, to solve a murder in their apartment building. The show became a huge success, and it introduced Martin to a new generation of viewers. Oliver is a funny, flamboyant, and vulnerable man, and Martin plays him with great skill and with great heart.

The show has run for several seasons, and it has won awards and praise. It is a clever mix of comedy and mystery, and it shows Martin at his best. He is funny, he is sad, and he is real, all at the same time. His friendship with Steve Martin, which began in Three Amigos almost forty years ago, is at the heart of the show, and audiences love watching the two of them together. They are two old friends who make each other laugh, and that laughter is contagious.

Only Murders in the Building has given Martin a new triumph late in his career. He is in his seventies, and he is still working, still making people laugh, and still learning. He has been nominated for awards for the show, and he has been praised by critics. It is a reminder that a great comedian does not fade with age. He gets better, because he has more life to draw from, more stories to tell, and more heart to share.

He continues to perform, to tour with Steve Martin, and to work on new projects. He is a man who has been in comedy for more than fifty years, and he is still going strong. He is a legend, a Canadian who became a star, and a comedian who has made the world laugh for a long time. His story is not over yet, and that is a wonderful thing.

Father of the Bride, Innerspace, and Film Stardom

In 1991, Martin Short played Franck Eggelhoffer in Father of the Bride, a comedy film starring Steve Martin as a father who is struggling with his daughter’s wedding. Franck is a flamboyant wedding planner, a man who is funny, dramatic, and deeply professional, and Martin played him perfectly. The film was a huge success, and Franck became one of his most loved characters. Audiences quoted his lines, they loved his energy, and they wanted to see more of him. He played Franck again in Father of the Bride Part II in 1995, and the character was just as loved the second time.

Franck is a good example of Martin’s talent, because he is a character who could easily be a stereotype, but Martin made him human. He played Franck as a man who cares deeply about his work, who wants the wedding to be perfect, and who is funny because he is passionate, not because he is silly. That depth made Franck more than a joke. It made him a person, and audiences loved him for it. It is a performance that shows Martin’s skill as both a comedian and an actor.

He also appeared in Innerspace in 1987, a science fiction comedy in which he played a man who is accidentally miniaturised and injected into another man’s body. The film was a success, and it showed that Martin could handle a big Hollywood film with special effects and with action. He was funny, he was charming, and he was a perfect fit for the film. He worked with Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, and he held his own with both of them. It was a sign that he was not only a television comedian. He was a film star, and he could do it all.

During those years, he also worked on Broadway, and he won a Tony Award in 1999 for Little Me. He was a performer who could do sketch comedy, film, and Broadway, and he did each one with skill. He was a complete entertainer, and that made him valuable to everyone who worked with him. He was a star, and he had earned it through hard work, through talent, and through a love of performing that had started in Hamilton many years before.

Touring With Steve Martin and a Friendship for Life

Martin Short and Steve Martin have been friends for almost forty years, since they met on Three Amigos in 1986. Their friendship is one of the most loved in Hollywood, and it is based on humour, on respect, and on a shared love of comedy. They tour together, they perform together, and they make each other laugh on stage. Their live show, An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life, is a mix of comedy, music, and stories, and it has been a success around the world. Audiences love watching two old friends who genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

Their friendship is also a big part of Only Murders in the Building, where they play neighbours who solve murders together. The chemistry between them is real, because it comes from a real friendship. They know each other’s timing, they know each other’s jokes, and they know how to make each other laugh. That chemistry cannot be faked, and it is why the show works so well. Viewers can feel that these two men are friends in real life, and that makes their performances even more enjoyable.

Steve Martin has said that Martin Short is one of the funniest people he has ever known, and that working with him is a joy. Martin Short has said the same about Steve. They are two comedians who have supported each other through good times and bad times, through success and through loss. When Martin lost his wife Nancy, Steve was there for him, and when Steve faced his own challenges, Martin was there too. That is a true friendship, and it is a beautiful thing to see in Hollywood, where friendships are often shallow.

Today, they continue to tour, to perform, and to work together. They are in their seventies and eighties, and they are still making people laugh. Their friendship is a reminder that comedy is better when it is shared, and that a good friend can make a long career even better. For fans, watching them together is a joy, and it is a big part of why Martin Short’s later career has been so successful.

Ed Grimley, Jiminy Glick, and Characters That Last

Martin Short’s characters are some of the most loved in comedy, and two of them stand out above the rest. The first is Ed Grimley, a nerdy man with a slicked-up cowlick, who loves Wheel of Fortune and who speaks in a strange and funny way. Ed is odd, he is sweet, and he is completely himself, even when the world does not understand him. Martin created Ed on SCTV, he brought him to Saturday Night Live, and he made him a star. Audiences loved Ed because he was strange but kind, and because Martin played him with a warmth that made him feel like a real person, not only a joke.

The second is Jiminy Glick, a fat and funny interviewer who asks rude questions and who is obsessed with fame. Jiminy is a character who is both funny and a little sad, because he wants to be famous, but he is not very good at his job. Martin played Jiminy on television, in interviews with real celebrities, and he made the character hilarious. Celebrities who were interviewed by Jiminy often did not know what to do, because Jiminy was so odd, so direct, and so funny. It was a brilliant piece of comedy, and it showed Martin’s skill as an improviser.

These characters last because they have heart. Ed Grimley is not a cruel joke about a nerd. He is a man who loves life, who loves his television show, and who is happy to be himself. Jiminy Glick is not a cruel joke about a fat man. He is a man who wants to be loved, who wants to be famous, and who tries hard, even when he fails. Martin gives both characters a heart, and that heart is why audiences still remember them, decades after they were first created. A funny character without a heart is forgotten. A funny character with a heart is loved forever.

My Take:

I think Martin Short is one of the funniest and kindest people in comedy. When I watch him, I do not just laugh. I feel warm, because his comedy comes from a place of love. He plays strange characters, like Ed Grimley and Franck the wedding planner, but he never makes them cruel. He makes them human, and he makes us love them, even when they are odd. That is a special gift. Many comedians make fun of people. Martin makes people feel loved, even when he is making them laugh at themselves.

I think his story teaches us that laughter and sadness can live together. He has lost his wife, his parents, and his siblings, and he has faced more grief than most people. Yet he still makes people laugh, and he still finds joy in life. I think that is a brave thing. It would be easy to give up, to become bitter, and to stop performing. Martin did not give up. He kept working, he kept laughing, and he kept loving his family. That is a lesson for anyone who has lost someone. Grief does not have to end your life. It can be a part of your life, and you can still find laughter.

What I admire most is his friendship with Steve Martin. They met in Three Amigos in 1986, and they have been friends for almost forty years. They tour together, they perform together, and now they star together in Only Murders in the Building. That is a beautiful friendship, and it shows on screen. When I watch them together, I see two men who genuinely like each other, who make each other laugh, and who have been through a lot together. That kind of friendship is rare, and it is a gift. I think we should all hope for a friend like that.

I also think about his characters, and how they stay with us. Ed Grimley is a man with a cowlick who loves Wheel of Fortune, and he is strange, but he is also sweet. Franck Eggelhoffer is a wedding planner who is flamboyant and funny, but he is also a professional who cares about his work. Jiminy Glick is a fat interviewer who asks rude questions, but he is also a man who is trying to be famous. Each character is different, but each one has a heart, and Martin gives them that heart. I think that is why his characters last. They are not only jokes. They are people.

I find his work on Broadway very impressive. He won a Tony Award for Little Me in 1999, and that is a big honour. Broadway is a hard place, and to win a Tony is to be recognised as one of the best. Martin did it, and he did it as a comedian who could also sing and dance. That shows his range. He is not only a television comedian. He is a complete performer, and he can do it all. I think that is a lesson for young performers. Learn many skills, and you will have more chances to work.

There is something I find sad in his story, and it is the loss of Nancy. He was married to her for thirty years, and she died of cancer at fifty-eight. That is a terrible loss, and I cannot imagine how hard it must have been. He has spoken about it with great honesty, and he has said that he still misses her every day. I think that honesty is brave, and it makes his comedy deeper. When a man who has lost his wife still makes people laugh, that laughter means more. It is not empty. It is a laughter that has lived through sadness, and that makes it stronger.

I think about what young comedians can learn from Martin. The first lesson is to be kind. Comedy does not have to be cruel to be funny. Martin is funny without being mean, and that is a harder kind of comedy. The second lesson is to create characters with heart. Do not just make a funny voice. Make a person, with feelings and with flaws. The third lesson is to work hard at many skills. Learn to sing, to dance, to act, and to improvise, and you will be ready for any job. The fourth lesson is to keep going, even when life is hard. Laughter can help you through grief, and it can help others too.

I also admire the way he has stayed Canadian at heart. He was born in Hamilton, he grew up there, and he is proud of Canada, even though he lives in America. He often talks about his home, and he brings a Canadian warmth to his work. I think that is a beautiful thing. He did not forget where he came from, and he carries it with him. That is a lesson for anyone who moves far from home. You can go far, but you can still be yourself, and you can still love your home.

When I watch Only Murders in the Building, I see a man in his seventies who is still at the top of his game. He plays Oliver Putnam, a director who is struggling, who is funny, and who is vulnerable, and he plays him with great skill. I think that is a wonderful thing. Many actors fade as they get older, but Martin has gotten better. He has more life to draw from, and his comedy has more depth. I hope he keeps working for many more years, because the world needs his laughter.

If I have a criticism, it is not about Martin. It is about the way comedy is sometimes treated as less important than drama. Martin Short is a great actor, not only a great comedian, and he deserves to be recognised as such. He won a Tony, he has been nominated for Emmys, and he has made people laugh for fifty years. That is a great achievement, and it should be celebrated as much as any dramatic performance. Comedy is hard, and Martin makes it look easy, but it is not easy. It is a craft, and he is a master of it.

In the end, I think Martin Short teaches us that a small man can have a big heart, and that laughter can be a form of love. He was a boy from Hamilton who became a star, he lost the love of his life, and he kept making people laugh. He is a friend, a father, a grandfather, and a comedian, and he is still going strong. That is a life worth celebrating, and a story worth telling. I will always be grateful for his laughter, and for the warmth he brings to the world.

I also think about his character Franck Eggelhoffer, and why audiences love him so much. Franck is flamboyant, he is dramatic, and he is funny, but he is also a professional who cares about his work. Martin played him with a warmth that made Franck feel like a real person, not only a joke. I think that is a sign of great comedy. A funny character who also has a heart is a character that lasts, and Franck has lasted for more than thirty years. People still quote him, still love him, and still want to see him again.

I think about his Tony Award for Little Me, and how it shows his range. Broadway is a hard place, and to win a Tony is to be recognised as one of the best. Martin did it as a comedian who could also sing and dance, and that is a remarkable achievement. It shows that he is not only a television star. He is a complete performer, and he can do it all. I think young performers should learn from that. Learn many skills, and you will have more chances to work, and more ways to express yourself.

I also think about his early work at Second City, and how it shaped him. Improvisation is a hard skill, because you have to make up comedy on the spot, with no script, and you have to trust your fellow actors. Martin learned that skill in Toronto, and it has served him throughout his career. He can think fast, he can adapt, and he can make an audience laugh even when things go wrong. That is a valuable skill, and it is one that comes from years of practice in a small theatre in Toronto.

When I think about his loss, I feel both sadness and admiration. He lost his wife, his parents, and his siblings, and he has faced more grief than most people. Yet he still makes people laugh, and he still finds joy in life. I think that is a brave thing. It would be easy to give up, to become bitter, and to stop performing. Martin did not give up. He kept working, he kept laughing, and he kept loving his family. That is a lesson for anyone who has lost someone. Grief does not have to end your life. It can be a part of your life, and you can still find laughter.

I think about his children, and how proud he must be of them. He raised three children with Nancy, and he is now a grandfather. He has built a family, and that family is a big part of who he is. He is not only a comedian. He is a father, a grandfather, and a man who loves his family deeply. That love shows in his work, because his comedy is warm and kind, and it comes from a place of love. I think that is why people trust him. They can feel that he is a good man, and that his laughter comes from a good heart.

Another thing I notice is how he has stayed humble despite his fame. He is a star, he has won awards, and he is loved around the world, but he does not act like a diva. He is generous with his fellow actors, he is kind to his fans, and he is grateful for his career. That humility is rare in Hollywood, and it is a big part of why people love him. He is a man who knows that fame is a gift, and he treats it with respect.

I also think about his Canadian roots, and how he has never forgotten Hamilton. He talks about his home with love, and he brings a Canadian warmth to his work. I think that is a beautiful thing. He could have become a Hollywood star and forgotten Canada, but he did not. He is proud of where he came from, and he carries it with him. That is a lesson for anyone who moves far from home. You can go far, but you can still be yourself, and you can still love your home.

Finally, I think about Only Murders in the Building, and how it has given him a new triumph in his seventies. He plays Oliver Putnam, a director who is struggling, funny, and vulnerable, and he plays him with great skill. I think that is a wonderful thing. Many actors fade as they get older, but Martin has gotten better. He has more life to draw from, and his comedy has more depth. I hope he keeps working for many more years, because the world needs his laughter, and his warmth, now more than ever.

I also think about his characters Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick, and why they have lasted so long. Ed is a nerdy man who loves Wheel of Fortune, and Jiminy is a funny interviewer who wants to be famous. Both characters are strange, but both have heart, and Martin gives them that heart. I think that is the secret of great comedy. A character who is only funny will be forgotten. A character who is funny and human will be loved forever. Martin understands that, and his characters prove it, decade after decade.

Finally, I think about the simple joy of watching Martin Short perform, whether on stage, on television, or in a film. He makes me laugh, he makes me feel warm, and he reminds me that laughter can be a form of love. He was a boy from Hamilton who became a star, he lost the love of his life, and he kept making people laugh. That is a life worth celebrating, and a story worth telling. I will always be grateful for his laughter, and for the warmth he brings to the world, and I hope he keeps performing for many more years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Martin Short born?

Martin Short was born on 26 March 1950 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Hamilton as the youngest of five children, and he later studied at McMaster University.

What characters is Martin Short famous for?

He is famous for characters such as Ed Grimley from SCTV and Saturday Night Live, Franck Eggelhoffer from Father of the Bride, and Jiminy Glick, the funny interviewer. He also plays Oliver Putnam in Only Murders in the Building.

Was Martin Short on Saturday Night Live?

Yes, he was a cast member of Saturday Night Live for one season, from 1984 to 1985. He brought his character Ed Grimley to the show and created new characters for American viewers.

Who was Martin Short married to?

He was married to actress Nancy Dolman from 1980 until her death from ovarian cancer in 2010. They had three children together, and Martin has spoken openly about how much he loved her and how hard her loss was.

Did Martin Short win a Tony Award?

Yes, he won a Tony Award in 1999 for his performance in the Broadway musical Little Me. He is a versatile performer who has worked in comedy, film, television, and on Broadway.

What is Only Murders in the Building?

Only Murders in the Building is a comedy-mystery series that began in 2021, starring Martin Short as Oliver Putnam, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez. The three neighbours team up to solve murders in their New York apartment building.