Martin Short Bio
Martin Hayter Short is a Canadian actor, comedian, and writer whose energetic comedic style and character work established him as a distinctive presence across television, film and the stage. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Short first emerged in Canadian theatre and improvisation before becoming widely known for his work on Second City Television and later Saturday Night Live. His career spans decades and includes substantial stage roles, feature films, voice work and touring stand-up and variety performances.
Early Life and Background
Martin Hayter Short was born on March 26, 1950, in Hamilton, Ontario, the youngest of five children of Olive Grace Hayter and Charles Patrick Short. His mother worked as a concertmistress with the Hamilton Symphony Orchestra and encouraged his early creative interests; his father was a corporate executive who emigrated from County Armagh in Northern Ireland. Short was raised in a Catholic household and experienced family losses in his teens, events he has referenced in interviews and memoir material.
Short attended Westdale Secondary School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from McMaster University in 1971. While at McMaster and shortly thereafter he moved into Toronto’s performing arts community, joining the cast of the Toronto production of Godspell in 1972 and beginning to work in television and stage productions. Those early theatre and local television roles laid the groundwork for his transition into sketch comedy and improvisation.
Path to Celebrity
Short’s earliest professional engagement came in 1972 in Toronto theatre and television, including Godspell and local variety programs. He joined the Toronto company of The Second City, where he worked with peers who would also become well known, and he developed his craft as a sketch performer and writer. That training in improvisation and character work became central to the persona that would define his public career.
From the Toronto improvisational stage Short expanded into Canadian television and then into U.S. projects, establishing recurring characters and comic approaches that translated well to the sketch format. His early exposure to collaborative sketch writing and performance provided both a creative network and a professional platform that led directly to his higher-profile television roles in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Martin Short Career
Early Career (1972–1976)
Short’s professional career began in the early 1970s, first in theatre and then in Canadian television. His role in the Toronto production of Godspell in 1972 connected him with a circle of performers and introduced him to live musical theatre and comedic performance. He also appeared in local television and early stage revues that showcased his range as an actor, singer and comic.
During this period he moved from smaller regional appearances into more consistent work with improvisation troupes and television writing assignments. These formative years established Short’s reputation in Toronto and prepared him for the national exposure that followed when the Second City troupe moved into televised sketch work.
Breakthrough (1977–1985)
Short gained wider recognition after joining the Toronto company of The Second City and then appearing on Second City Television, which brought his characters and sketches to a broader audience. His inventive characters and quick-change comic style were central to his popularity on SCTV, and the series became a launching pad for his later work in the United States.
In 1984 Short joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 1984–85 season, bringing several of his established characters to the program and helping to re-energize the show’s comedy lineup during that period. His SCTV and SNL work positioned him for feature film roles and television specials that followed in the mid and late 1980s.
Breakthrough (1986–1999)
From the mid-1980s through the late 1990s Short developed a substantial film and stage resume. He appeared in notable comedies including Three Amigos (1986), Innerspace (1987), and Father of the Bride (1991) and its sequel, frequently delivering scene-stealing performances. Concurrently, Short cultivated a major stage career, starring in Broadway productions including The Goodbye Girl and the revival of Little Me, the latter earning him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1999.
During this era Short also created television projects that showcased his characters, such as Primetime Glick, and headlined comedy specials. He continued to write and perform for television while expanding voice acting credits in animated features, further diversifying his body of work and reinforcing his profile in both family and adult comedy markets.
Notable Works and Milestones
Signature works across Short’s career include his sketch comedy on Second City Television, his season on Saturday Night Live, the film roles in Three Amigos and Father of the Bride, and his Tony-winning performance in Little Me. He created enduring characters such as Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick, toured extensively with comedy peers, and in later years helped anchor the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building as both performer and executive producer, earning renewed recognition and award nominations.
Martin Short Award Nominations
Across his career Short has received many award nominations, including multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his television work and acting. His television specials, ensemble performances and later dramatic guest appearances have drawn critical attention and nominations from Emmy, Golden Globe and critics’ awarding bodies for both comedic and dramatic roles.
Martin Short Awards Won
Martin Short has won multiple major awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work in variety writing and television and a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Little Me. He has also received stage awards and Canadian honors, and in 2019 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to the performing arts.
Martin Short Family
Short was born to Olive Grace Hayter and Charles Patrick Short and is the youngest of five children. He married actress Nancy Dolman in 1980; the couple adopted three children, Katherine, Oliver and Henry. Dolman retired from show business to raise their family and died in 2010. Short’s extended family includes siblings active in entertainment and relatives connected to public life in the United Kingdom.
Personal Life
Short makes his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, and maintains a residence on Lake Rosseau in Ontario. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States and also holds ties to Irish and British ancestry. Outside of performance he has been active in charitable causes, has participated in touring and recording projects with peers, and continues to perform live, on screen and in voice roles.