Martin Short has spent more than five decades building a career around comedy, acting, television, theater, and live performance. Known for his energetic delivery, memorable characters, and sharp comic timing, he has remained a familiar presence across several generations of entertainment. From SCTV and Saturday Night Live to movies such as Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride, Short has repeatedly found ways to make supporting characters just as memorable as leading ones.

His career has also extended well beyond movies. He has earned major recognition on Broadway, worked extensively in television, provided voices for animated productions, and returned to the spotlight for a new generation through Only Murders in the Building. The Television Academy lists Short as an Emmy-nominated performer for his role as Oliver Putnam, while his stage career includes a Tony Award for Little Me.

BIO

Martin Short’s Early Life

Martin Hayter Short was born on March 26, 1950, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in a family environment that valued education and community, and his original professional direction was not necessarily focused entirely on becoming a Hollywood actor.

Short studied at McMaster University, where he earned a degree in social work. During his university years, however, performing became increasingly important to him. He appeared in a production of Godspell, where he worked alongside performers who would also become important figures in Canadian and American entertainment. Canada’s Walk of Fame notes that this early stage experience helped put him on the path toward a professional career in performance.

That early combination of education and theater experience became an interesting foundation for Short’s career. He developed not only as a comedian but also as an actor, singer, dancer, writer, and performer who could adapt to different forms of entertainment.

From Theater to Television

Short’s first major steps came through Canadian entertainment and stage work. Rather than becoming famous overnight, he gradually developed his craft through theater, television appearances, and comedy.

One of the most important stages of his early career was Second City Television, better known as SCTV. The sketch-comedy series became an important training ground for performers and writers, and Short became known for creating distinctive characters and finding humor in exaggerated personalities.

His work on SCTV helped establish a style that would become central to his career. Short was comfortable playing characters who were larger than life, but his performances were usually grounded in precise comic timing rather than simply being loud or exaggerated.

His SCTV work also earned significant industry recognition. The Television Academy’s biography records his Emmy recognition for his work connected with the series.

Saturday Night Live Breakthrough

Another important chapter arrived when Short joined Saturday Night Live. Although his time on the program lasted only one season, it gave him access to a much larger American television audience.

Short brought several memorable characters and impressions to the show. His ability to change his voice, physical mannerisms, and personality from one character to another made him particularly well suited to sketch comedy.

His SNL experience also helped bridge the gap between Canadian television comedy and Hollywood. After leaving the program, he continued developing a career that moved between movies, television, theater, and live performance.

Canada’s Walk of Fame describes his SNL period as a single-season run followed by his move into Hollywood films, including his collaboration with Steve Martin in Three Amigos!.

Martin Short’s Rise in Hollywood

The move into movies gave Short another opportunity to use his character-based style. Instead of limiting himself to one type of comedy, he appeared in broad comedies, family films, animated projects, and ensemble productions.

One of his most important early film opportunities came with Three Amigos!, released in 1986. The movie brought Short together with Steve Martin and Chevy Chase, creating a comedy trio whose different styles worked well together.

Short played Ned Nederlander, one of three performers who become caught up in an unexpected adventure. His performance demonstrated an ability to combine physical comedy with sincere character work.

The film became an important part of Short’s movie identity and began a long professional relationship with Steve Martin. Their creative connection would eventually become particularly important decades later with Only Murders in the Building.

Three Amigos!

Three Amigos! remains one of the most recognizable movies from Martin Short’s early film career.

Short’s Ned Nederlander is intentionally theatrical and somewhat naive, but the character is never completely one-dimensional. Much of the humor comes from the contrast between Ned’s confidence in his performance abilities and the situations surrounding him.

The movie also demonstrated one of Short’s strengths: he could make a supporting role feel essential to the overall comedy.

Working alongside Steve Martin and Chevy Chase gave him a strong comedic setting, but Short’s individual style remained easy to recognize. His expressive reactions, physical performance, and carefully timed delivery became major parts of his contribution.

Innerspace

In 1987, Short appeared in Innerspace, a science-fiction comedy directed by Joe Dante.

He played Jack Putter, an ordinary man who becomes involved in an extraordinary scientific situation. The movie required Short to balance comedy with genuine nervousness and confusion as the story moved into increasingly unusual circumstances.

This role was useful in showing that Short could work in a genre-driven movie while still keeping the character emotionally recognizable.

Rather than relying entirely on jokes, his performance allowed the audience to connect with Jack’s reactions. The result was another example of Short using physical comedy and personality to drive a character.

Father of the Bride

One of Martin Short’s most recognizable movie roles came in the 1991 remake of Father of the Bride.

The film stars Steve Martin as George Banks and Diane Keaton as his wife, Nina. Short plays Franck Eggelhoffer, the eccentric wedding planner who becomes involved in the family’s preparations for the wedding. Turner Classic Movies identifies Short among the principal cast and specifically highlights Franck’s involvement with the Banks family’s wedding preparations.

Franck became one of the movie’s standout supporting characters. Short gives the character an unmistakable personality without allowing him to disappear into the larger family story.

His performance is also a good example of how Short approaches comedy. Franck is highly theatrical, but the humor comes from the character’s confidence, behavior, timing, and interactions with everyone around him.

Short returned as Franck in Father of the Bride Part II in 1995, continuing one of his most recognizable screen characters. His filmography records both appearances as Franck Eggelhoffer.

Clifford

In 1994, Short took on the title role in Clifford, a darkly comic family-oriented film.

Playing the young-looking Clifford required Short to lean heavily into character comedy. The movie gave him an opportunity to carry more of the story himself rather than functioning primarily as part of an ensemble.

While the film has a different tone from some of his best-known mainstream comedies, it demonstrates Short’s willingness to take unusual roles and experiment with different forms of humor.

Mars Attacks!

Short later appeared in Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!, the 1996 science-fiction comedy featuring a large ensemble cast.

He played Press Secretary Jerry Ross, joining a cast that included Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, and other well-known performers.

The film’s exaggerated style suited Short’s strengths. Burton’s movie deliberately combines science-fiction spectacle with broad satire, giving Short another opportunity to play a distinctive personality within a large ensemble.

Voice Acting and Animated Films

Martin Short has also built an impressive career in voice acting.

His voice performances include animated projects such as Madagascar 3 and Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. The Television Academy specifically lists both among his screen work.

Voice acting requires a different set of skills from traditional screen performance. An actor cannot depend on facial expressions or physical presence in the same way. Instead, personality must come through vocal rhythm, tone, timing, and character interpretation.

Those qualities have always been central to Short’s comedy, making animation a natural extension of his talents.

The Santa Clause 3

Another notable family movie role came with The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006.

Short played Jack Frost, bringing his theatrical comic style to a family-oriented fantasy story. The character allowed him to exaggerate his mannerisms and comic personality while working within a large studio production.

The role also demonstrated the longevity of Short’s appeal. By this point in his career, he had already spent decades working in television, movies, and theater, yet he continued appearing in projects aimed at new audiences.

Martin Short’s Television Career

Although Martin Short is widely remembered for his movies, television has always been one of the strongest parts of his career.

After SCTV and Saturday Night Live, he continued working in television through sitcoms, variety programs, comedy specials, guest appearances, and dramatic roles.

His television work includes The Martin Short Show, Primetime Glick, Damages, and How I Met Your Mother. The Television Academy’s biography notes that The Martin Short Show received multiple Emmy nominations, while Primetime Glick also earned significant Emmy recognition.

This range is important because it shows that Short’s career has never depended entirely on movie comedy. He has repeatedly adapted his performance style to different formats.

Only Murders in the Building

For a newer generation of viewers, Martin Short is perhaps best known for Only Murders in the Building.

The series brings together Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez in a mystery-comedy centered around residents of an apartment building who become involved in investigating murders and producing a true-crime podcast.

Short plays Oliver Putnam, a theatrical director whose personality, ambitions, and complicated career history provide much of the show’s humor.

The role is particularly well suited to Short because Oliver combines several qualities that have defined his career: theatricality, confidence, insecurity, fast comic timing, and a love of performance.

The Television Academy records multiple Emmy nominations for Short for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Oliver. He was nominated for the role in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and again in 2026.

The show has also allowed Short to reunite creatively with Steve Martin after their earlier movie collaborations. Their relationship on screen feels different from Three Amigos! because the characters are older and the comedy often depends on dialogue, relationships, and character history rather than purely physical humor.

Martin Short on Broadway

Short’s career cannot be fully understood without discussing theater.

He has performed extensively on Broadway and has demonstrated skills as an actor, singer, dancer, and live comedian. His stage work has earned major recognition, including a Tony Award for the revival of Little Me and an Outer Critics Circle Award.

He also starred in the Broadway production Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, a one-man show that combined comedy, music, character work, and personal storytelling.

The stage has always been an important part of Short’s artistic identity because it gives him the freedom to interact directly with an audience. His fast reactions and physical style can be especially effective in a live environment.

Awards and Career Recognition

Martin Short’s career has been recognized across several areas of entertainment.

His honors include Emmy recognition, a Tony Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and Canadian national honors. Canada’s Walk of Fame records that he was inducted in 2000 and notes his Order of Canada honor from 1994.

His award history is particularly notable because it crosses different forms of entertainment. He has received recognition for television writing and acting, stage performance, and comedy.

That range reflects the unusual breadth of his career. Short has never been confined to one professional category.

Martin Short’s Memorable Characters

Several characters have become closely associated with Martin Short’s career.

Ed Grimley is one of his most recognizable creations from his sketch-comedy years. The character’s unusual speech patterns, physical mannerisms, and enthusiastic personality became closely linked with Short’s early television fame.

Franck Eggelhoffer from Father of the Bride introduced his comedy to a huge movie audience and remains one of his most recognizable film roles.

Ned Nederlander in Three Amigos! showed his ability to work effectively within a comedy trio.

Jiminy Glick became another major character, allowing Short to create an exaggerated entertainment-industry personality and build an entire comedic format around him.

Oliver Putnam in Only Murders in the Building represents a later stage of Short’s career. The character combines his love of theater with more mature storytelling and character relationships.

What Makes Martin Short’s Career Different?

The most interesting feature of Martin Short’s career is not simply the number of movies and television shows he has appeared in. It is the variety of skills he has maintained throughout his career.

He has acted, written, produced, performed on stage, worked in television, appeared in movies, and provided voices for animated projects.

His comedy also has a strong character foundation. Short rarely relies on just one type of joke. He creates personalities with recognizable voices, movements, ambitions, and weaknesses.

That approach helps explain why characters such as Franck Eggelhoffer and Oliver Putnam can remain memorable long after viewers finish watching the projects in which they appear.

Martin Short’s Career Today

Martin Short continues to work across television and entertainment. His role in Only Murders in the Building has become one of the defining performances of his later career, and his continued Emmy recognition demonstrates the lasting impact of the character. The Television Academy lists him among the 2026 nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the role of Oliver Putnam.

His continuing presence is notable because his career has moved through several distinct generations of entertainment. He became known through Canadian sketch comedy, reached American audiences through SNL, established himself in Hollywood movies, returned repeatedly to television, and later found a major new audience through streaming television.

Few performers have maintained such a broad connection with audiences across so many different formats.

Martin Short’s Lasting Legacy

Martin Short’s career is ultimately a story about versatility and longevity.

From his early stage work and SCTV days to Saturday Night Live, Hollywood movies, Broadway productions, animated films, and Only Murders in the Building, he has continued to reinvent the way audiences see him without abandoning the comic instincts that made him successful in the first place.

His best movie roles—including Ned Nederlander in Three Amigos!, Jack Putter in Innerspace, Franck Eggelhoffer in Father of the Bride, and Jack Frost in The Santa Clause 3—show different sides of the same performer.

At the same time, his television and stage work demonstrates that his abilities extend well beyond film.

For audiences discovering Martin Short through Only Murders in the Building, there is a long history behind Oliver Putnam. For longtime fans, the character is another chapter in a career built on memorable personalities, sharp timing, and a genuine love of performance.

That combination has helped Martin Short remain one of the most recognizable and versatile comedy performers of his generation.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Martin Short best known for?

Martin Short is best known for his work in comedy, including SCTV, Saturday Night Live, Three Amigos!, Father of the Bride, and Only Murders in the Building.

2. What are Martin Short’s best movies?

Some of his well-known movies include Three Amigos!, Innerspace, Father of the Bride, Mars Attacks!, and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.

3. Was Martin Short on Saturday Night Live?

Yes. Martin Short joined Saturday Night Live for the 1984–85 season, where he became known for memorable characters and impressions.

4. What role does Martin Short play in Only Murders in the Building?

Martin Short plays Oliver Putnam, a theatrical director who becomes involved in solving mysteries alongside characters played by Steve Martin and Selena Gomez.

5. Has Martin Short won major awards?

Yes. Martin Short has received major recognition across television and theater, including a Tony Award and multiple Emmy nominations.