Martin Short was born in Hamilton, Ontario on March 26th 1950. He was the son of a concert violinist mother and a steel-executive father. Martin attended McMasters University, where he graduated in 1972 with a degree in social work. However his comedic talents were so apparent that it is little wonder why he changed career paths and decided to give comedy a chance. His fellow McMasters classmates Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas encouraged and supported Martin’s decision.

Short made his professional debut in a Toronto stage production of “Godspell” in 1973. In 1977 he joined friends Levy and Thomas at the Second City improv troupe in Edmonton, Alberta. A few years later he appeared in the TV series “The Associates” and in “I’m a Big Girl Now.” In 1982 Short’s big break came when he landed a job with “SCTV: Network 90”, the American version of the Canadian hit comedy series “SCTV”. After a year with “Network 90” he returned to Canada to appear in the original “SCTV”, for which he won an Emmy and a Gemini Award for his work. Martins uncanny performances on “SCTV” brought him to the attention of fellow Canadian, Lorne Michaels, producer of “Saturday Night Live”.

Soon he was working off the set of “Saturday Night Live.” He only stayed with the hit show for a year, but it was certainly long enough for Short to make a name for himself. He attained stardom with such distinctive comic characterizations as arrogant show-biz promoter Jackie Rogers Jr. and pointy-headed nerd Ed Grimley. Ed Grimley was even made into a Saturday morning cartoon series in 1989. He also scored big in the impressions department and knocked the socks off people with his hilarious impression of Jerry Lewis and Katherine Hepburn. When the year was up, so was Short. Up for a new challenge that is.

In 1986, Short made his film debut in “Three Amigo’s”, with fellow SNL alum’s, Chevy Chase and Steve Martin. Since then Martin has seen much success. He has appeared in over a dozen movies such as “Father of the Bride”, “Captain Ron” with Kurt Russell, “Clifford”, and “Jungle 2 Jungle”. Short has yet to carry a film all on his own and is usually cast in supporting roles.

Along with his career in film, Short has always had an affinity for the stage. He has appeared in “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” in which he played Snoopy, “What’s a Nice Country Like You Doing in a State Like This?”, “The Apple Tree”, “Harry’s Back in Town”, and “Second City”. Most recently he appeared on Broadway in the musical version of “The Goodbye Girl”. His remarkable stage performance won him a Tony Award nomination and the Outer Critics Circle and Theater World Awards. He also appeared at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in “Four Dogs and a Bone”.

Regardless of the size of his roles, Martin Short has become one of comedies most recognizable people. He perfected the difficult art of body humor long before fellow Canuck, Jim Carrey’s name was big. He hit the top of his career in the eighties, but there is no telling what this talented comedians future may hold. Hopefully Carrey will move over just a bit to allow Short a piece of the action.