 Martin Short :: A diminutive and exuberant Canadian comic
performer of stage and screen since the 1970s, Martin Short started acting while
studying to become a social worker. He worked in musical theater and cabaret
before joining Toronto's Second City troupe, where he perfected his lovably
grotesque comic creations and inspired impressions. Short joined the formidable
comedy ensemble of the "SCTV Comedy Network" in 1982 during its fifth season. He
enhanced his fame during a superior season of "Saturday Night Live" (NBC,
1984-85) before moving decisively into Hollywood features.
In his film debut "Three Amigos!" (1986), Short ably shared the screen with
heavyweights Chevy Chase and Steve Martin and he was a comic delight as the hero
in "Innerspace" (1987), which could have been his breakout picture but wasn't.
His most memorable film performances came with his uncredited cameo as the
smarmy agent in "The Big Picture" (1989) and in the scene-stealing turn as
Franck Eggelhoffer, the gonzo European wedding coordinator in the remake of
"Father of the Bride" (1991) and its 1995 sequel, "Father of the Bride Part II"
(this time as a decorator). As a lead, however, his films (like "Three
Fugitives" 1989, "Pure Luck" 1991, "Clifford" 1994, "Jungle To Jungle" and "A
Simple Wish" both 1997, and "Mumford" 1999) have repeatedly missed the mark.
Martin Short has excelled in the creation of comic characters, managing in his
sincerity to soften their very sharp edges and find a measure of dignity and
humanity in the most flawed personalities. He gave his signature oddball Ed
Grimley a pompadour so stylized it looked like a dorsal fin, made him prone to
extreme enthusiasms and bouts of spastic but joyous dancing (Ed could go
"completely mental" in contemplation of game show guru Pat Sajak) and yet Short
never stopped believing in Ed's reality. His equally dead-on imitations of
Katharine Hepburn, all feisty and aquiver, and the smugly virtuous Jerry Lewis
of the infamous telethons were cutting without being unduly cruel.
In trying to find a starring screen persona, Short often submerged his
brilliance, playing relatively asexual, fey, and neurotic foils to more
traditionally masculine co-stars (e.g., Dennis Quaid in "Innerspace", Nick Nolte
in "Three Fugitives", Danny Glover in "Pure Luck", Kurt Russell in "Captain Ron"
1992). After that approach consistently failed, he let his outrageousness off
the leash to play the devilish 10-year-old "Clifford" and the truly repellent
Murray of "A Simple Wish", only to find such characterizations grated over the
course of a movie.
Martin Short impressed theatergoers in the 90s with his accomplished musical
comedy work in Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl", first in Chicago and later on
the Broadway stage. He returned to TV in 1994 to star in his own sitcom, "The
Martin Short Show" (NBC). Playing a TV star named Marty seemed a natural and he
assembled an excellent cast (including "SNL"'s Jan Hooks and "SCTV" alumna
Andrea Martin) to perform wacky parodies of Hollywood entertainment for its
show-within-a-show format. Audiences, however, were unenthusiastic, and the show
disappeared after a brief run. Short's appearances as the magical imp Frik in
the NBC miniseries "Merlin"(1998)--for which he earned an Emmy nomination as
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie--and the zany Mad Hatter
in the CBS mini "Alice in Wonderland" (1999) were potent comedic shots in the
arm for both all-star productions. In 1998 Short played a multitude of
characters in the Broadway revival of "Little Me," musical by Neil Simon, Cy
Coleman and Carolyn Leigh and he subsequently won the Tony Award as Best Actor
(Musical).
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