Martin Short is back for a third outing as Oliver Putnam in Only Murders in the Building. And while fans are delighted to have the comedy star back on our screens, you might be curious about his life away from the cameras, too. From Martin's 30-year marriage to his late wife Nancy Dolman to the actor's sweet relationship with his three children, keep reading for all the details…
Martin Short's late wife Nancy Dolman
Martin fell for his beloved wife, actress Nancy Dolman, after meeting on a Toronto production of Godspell in 1972. Long before she'd met the Only Murders in the Building star, Nancy had already established a successful career on the stage, and she later landed a role on the ABC sitcom Soap (1977-1981) while they were dating.
© GettyBy 1980, Martin and Nancy had tied the knot, and they eventually decided to expand their family. They welcomed their three children – Katherine Elizabeth, Oliver Patrick, and Henry Hayter – via adoption. In 1985, Nancy stepped away from acting to be a homemaker and full-time mother to her children.
On August 21 2010, Nancy passed away from Ovarian Cancer at the age of 58. Reflecting on her death in his 2014 memoir, I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend, Martin wrote that he's still "very much married" to Nancy.
© Getty"Some nights, when I'm really missing her, I'll grab a rum and Coke at twilight and sit on the couch on our front porch, or perhaps upstairs, on the balcony off of our bedroom, with the Pacific Ocean in view," he explained. "I'll call out, 'Hey, Nan!' Forming the words just feels good in the throat."
Martin continued: "These, our talks, go on internally, not out loud. You won't find me sitting out there chattering away, switching seats, schizophrenically playacting both parts ... but we do talk, Nancy and I, and I can totally hear where she agrees with me and where she disagrees."
Refusing to succumb to depression, the tragic events have made Martin decide to live to the fullest. "I think that kind of loss can fuel how you lead your whole life," he once said in an interview. "I've chosen to treat my life more like a party than something to stress about."
© GettyMartin also reflected on their wonderful 30-year marriage in a 2019 interview with AARP, calling it "a triumph."
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"I believe that when people die, they zoom into the people that love them," he told the publication. "The idea that it just ends, and don't speak of them — that's wrong….to me, she's still here."
Revealing his optimism in the face of adversity, Martin added: "At the same time, her death emboldened me to take risks. With real tragedy, you become a little more daring. It's the yin to the yang: the positive part of life's dark side."
Martin Short and Nancy Dolman's children
Martin is a proud dad to his three children – Katherine Elizabeth, 39, Oliver Patrick, 37, and Henry Hayter, 34. Prior to Nancy's passing in 2010, the couple had taken their kids to numerous red-carpet events.
© GettyWhile Martin rarely speaks about his private life with his children, following Nancy's passing, the actor reflected on how difficult her loss had been for them. "It's been a tough two years for my children," he told The Guardian. "This is the thing of life that we live in denial about, that it will ever happen to us or our loved ones, and when it does you gain a little and you suffer a little. There's no big surprise."
© GettyMore recently, Martin made an appearance on Conan in 2019, and when the actor was asked whether he hoped his kids would follow in his footsteps with their careers, he gave a hilarious response. "I wanted them to go into show business. I make them do laps in the morning and I go to the balcony with my coffee and say, 'Quitter! Do it again!'" he joked.
