The Gut-Wrenching Martin Short Interview That Proves He's The Nicest Guy In Hollywood

Short's wife of 30 years, Nancy Dolman, succumbed to ovarian cancer in 2010. Two years later, Short appeared on The Today Show, where co-host Kathie Lee Gifford credited him and Dolman for their lengthy marriage:

You and Nancy have got one of the greatest marriages of anybody in show business... How many years for you guys?

Short told her 36 years and, when asked why they were still so "madly in love," he responded that he's "cute." He never corrected Gifford that his wife had passed.

Gifford later apologized for the gaffe, crediting Short for his "enormous grace and kindness." He accepted the apology, stating, "On live television, people make mistakes. There’s no ill will intended."

He added that Gifford wasn't actually wrong: "Nan and I did have one of the greatest marriages in show business."

In February 2023, Chance the Rapper tweeted a story about a “kind older gentleman” who offered the musician his seat on a plane so the Grammy-winning artist could sit next to his young daughter, Kensi. He wrote:

So I just got on this plane with my daughter, and found out our seats weren’t next to each other. I really ain’t wanna inconvenience anyone by asking them to swap seats, but before I could say anything this kind older gentleman offered his seat to Kensli so we could sit together. We both said thank you and as he stands up, I realize it’s THE Martin Short!! So cool and Kensli freaked out cause she’s obsessed with The Santa Clause 3. What an awesome person! SHOUTOUT TO JACK FROST

Short met Gilda Radner during his first acting job, a role in Godspell in 1972. The Toronto production also featured Victor Garber and Eugene Levy, with musical contributions by Paul Shaffer. It was Radner who really got Short's attention, however. He described her "hilarious and charming" nature, marveling at "a woman so comfortable in her strangeness."

By September 1972, according to Short: 

Gilda and I were more or less living together full-time at her place... and I was madly in love. First time living outside of Hamilton, first job, first love - “heady” is a clichéd word, but it accurately describes the whirlwind of [the] early months... Gilda and I were a couple, on and off, for almost two years.

In the end, their relationship didn't last, but Short found love again amid the cast of Godspell. Nancy Dolman, whom Short went on to marry, was Radner's understudy for the show. 

If you ask David Letterman, he's "never heard a bad word about [Short]. That's a hard thing for a comedian to pull off."

Numerous friends of Short agree, including Steve Martin, who attributed it to an innate ability to be funny rather than to being "competitive or needy or desperate."

To top it off, Tom Hanks's wife Rita Wilson pointed out that Short isn't "the best person at something... [he's] just 'the best person.' Period." 

For his part, Short attributes it to being Canadian:

Nice is not a common label for comedians but it is for Canadians. I like it.

Short was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1950. While he has dual citizenship in Canada and the US, he remains proud of his origins. He's received numerous honors in Canada, indicating the country is just as proud of him. 

In 2017, Short received the Governor General's award for lifetime achievement in broadcasting alongside fellow Canadian Michael J. Fox.

Unlike Fox, however, Short has another honor - a coin that "embodies Canada's natural beauty," from his perspective. In 2013, Canada issued the coin that Short himself helped design. Its denomination is $3 and only 15,000 were ever made. 

When Short made the move from SCTV to SNL in 1984, it was meant to be a one-year deal. He, Billy Crystal, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer all signed up for producer Dick Ebersol's last year in that role.

The transition from SCTV to SNL was challenging, with the latter having much shorter writing, editing, and filming schedules. In 1985, after Lorne Michaels returned as producer to SNL, Short was offered a contract extension. He recalled the conversation he had with Michaels:

I went to Lorne’s apartment - the season is finished - and he was going to give me the script to Three Amigos. And he kept talking about what I was thinking about him going back. And we talked about that: “Now, if we went back together...” And I kept saying, “No, I don’t want to go back. I mean, how can I go back if I make this movie?” And he’s like, “Well, things can be worked out.”

Short remained steadfast in his decision that he didn't want more time on SNL:

I just knew in my head. I had a new baby, which I had not seen all year. I just knew. I had done three years of SCTV, so that was four years of this. I just knew that I didn’t want to do that. I thought one year was a great experience.