Martin Short Net Worth

What Is Martin Short's Net Worth and Salary?

Martin Short is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer who has a net worth of $35 million.

Martin Short has earned his fortune through more than five decades of television, film, Broadway, voice acting, producing, and live comedy performances. After emerging from the Toronto production of "Godspell" and the Second City comedy scene, he became famous through "SCTV" and a memorable season on "Saturday Night Live."

Short built a successful film career with movies including "Three Amigos," "Innerspace," "Three Fugitives," "Father of the Bride," "Clifford," "Mars Attacks!," and "Jungle 2 Jungle." He also created enduring characters such as the hyperactive Ed Grimley and the celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick.

Onstage, Short won a Tony Award for the Broadway revival of "Little Me" and later developed a lucrative touring partnership with Steve Martin. The pair have performed together in theaters across North America and starred in the Netflix special "An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life."

Short began another major chapter of his career in 2021 when he started playing Broadway director Oliver Putnam on Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building." He co-stars with Steve Martin and Selena Gomez and also serves as an executive producer. The series introduced him to a new generation and earned him repeated Emmy nominations.

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"Only Murders in the Building"

In 2021, Martin Short began starring as Oliver Putnam on "Only Murders in the Building." Oliver is an energetic but financially struggling Broadway director who starts a true-crime podcast with his neighbors Charles-Haden Savage, played by Steve Martin, and Mabel Mora, played by Selena Gomez.

The series combines murder mysteries with character-driven comedy and became one of Hulu's most successful original programs. Short's performance allows him to use the theatricality and physical comedy associated with his earlier characters while also exploring Oliver's financial problems, family relationships, professional disappointments, and fear of becoming irrelevant.

Short has received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the role in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. He has also been nominated as one of the show's executive producers.

"Only Murders in the Building" brought Short some of the strongest reviews of his career and made him a leading television actor again four decades after "SCTV" and "Saturday Night Live."

Salary and Career Earnings

Martin Short's salary for "Only Murders in the Building" has not been publicly disclosed. As both a lead actor and executive producer on a successful streaming series, he earns income from his performance, producing work, and continuing participation in the program.

Short has also earned money from film salaries, television contracts, Broadway productions, voice acting, books, residuals, and live performances.

His touring partnership with Steve Martin has become an important part of his later career. Their shows combine stand-up comedy, musical performances, character work, and stories from their decades in entertainment. They have performed at major theaters, casinos, performing arts centers, and festivals throughout the United States and Canada.

Short's long career has allowed him to earn income across several different areas of entertainment rather than relying on one franchise or television series. He has also retained a valuable real estate portfolio in California and Canada.

Early Life

Martin Hayter Short was born on March 26, 1950, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His mother, Olive, was concertmaster of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and his father, Charles, was an executive with the Canadian steel company Stelco.

Martin was the youngest of five children. His older brother David died in a car accident when Martin was 12. His mother died of cancer in 1968, and his father died from complications of a stroke two years later.

Short attended Westdale Secondary School and enrolled at McMaster University. He initially planned to work in social services and earned a bachelor's degree in social work in 1971.

His career plans changed after he was cast in a 1972 Toronto production of "Godspell." The cast included Victor Garber, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Paul Shaffer, and Gilda Radner.

The production introduced Short to a circle of Canadian performers who would become some of the most influential comedians and actors of their generation.

Second City and "SCTV"

After working in Canadian theater and television, Short joined Toronto's Second City improvisational comedy troupe in 1977.

He became part of "Second City Television," better known as "SCTV," during the early 1980s. The sketch comedy series featured a fictional television station staffed by incompetent broadcasters, performers, and executives.

Short created several memorable characters for the program. His best-known creation was Ed Grimley, a nervous, excitable man with an unusual hairstyle, high-waisted pants, and an obsession with television host Pat Sajak. Other characters included singer Jackie Rogers Jr., songwriter Irving Cohen, and defense attorney Nathan Thurm.

Short also impersonated celebrities including Jerry Lewis and Katharine Hepburn. He shared a Primetime Emmy Award for the show's writing in 1983.

"SCTV" placed Short alongside performers including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, Joe Flaherty, and Dave Thomas. The series established him as a gifted character comedian capable of combining detailed impersonation, physical humor, and improvisation.

"Saturday Night Live"

Short joined "Saturday Night Live" for the 1984–85 season alongside Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest.

Although he remained a cast member for only one season, his presence helped revive the show during a transitional period. Short brought Ed Grimley to "SNL" and introduced viewers to new characters and celebrity impressions.

His year on the program gave him a national American audience and helped create opportunities in Hollywood. Short later returned to host "Saturday Night Live" several times and joined the show's Five-Timers Club in 2024.

Film Career

Short received his first major movie role in the 1986 comedy "Three Amigos," co-starring Steve Martin and Chevy Chase. He played Ned Nederlander, one of three silent-film actors mistakenly hired to defend a Mexican village from a real bandit.

He followed it with "Innerspace," playing a grocery store employee who becomes the accidental host of a miniaturized test pilot. Short's frantic physical performance became one of the movie's central attractions.

His other late-1980s films included "Cross My Heart," "Three Fugitives," and "The Big Picture."

Short reached another large audience in 1991 as flamboyant European wedding planner Franck Eggelhoffer in "Father of the Bride." He reunited with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton for "Father of the Bride Part II" in 1995.

His other films from the 1990s included "Captain Ron," "Clifford," "Pure Luck," "Mars Attacks!," and "Jungle 2 Jungle." In "Clifford," the adult Short played a destructive ten-year-old boy opposite Charles Grodin.

Short later appeared in "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood," "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," "Inherent Vice," and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom."

Voice Acting

Short has maintained a parallel career as a voice actor.

He voiced the jester Huy in "The Prince of Egypt" and appeared in animated films including "The Pebble and the Penguin," "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius," "Treasure Planet," "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," "Frankenweenie," "The Wind Rises," and "The Addams Family."

He also voiced the title character in the children's television series "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!"

Voice acting gave Short an outlet for the exaggerated accents, vocal shifts, and energetic character work that first made him famous in sketch comedy.

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Jiminy Glick

Martin Short created Jiminy Glick as an incompetent and self-important entertainment journalist. Short performed the character while wearing a wig, heavy facial prosthetics, and a large padded costume.

Glick interviewed celebrities while interrupting their answers, forgetting their names, mispronouncing movie titles, and making offensive or absurd observations. Much of the comedy came from the guests attempting to remain composed while Short improvised.

The character appeared on "The Martin Short Show" and later became the center of Comedy Central's "Primetime Glick," which ran from 2001 to 2003.

Short brought the character to the big screen in "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood" and incorporated him into the Broadway production "Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me." He has continued reviving Glick for television appearances and celebrity interviews.

Broadway Career

Short made his Broadway debut in the 1993 musical "The Goodbye Girl," based on Neil Simon's screenplay. His performance earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.

He returned to Broadway in the 1998 revival of "Little Me," playing several different characters. Short won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

In 2006, he created and starred in "Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me," a musical comedy built around his career, characters, and fictionalized personal history.

Short returned to Broadway in 2015, replacing Nathan Lane in the comedy "It's Only a Play."

Partnership With Steve Martin

Martin Short and Steve Martin first worked together in "Three Amigos" and later reunited for the two "Father of the Bride" films.

They began touring together in 2015 and developed a series of live shows combining comedy, music, interviews, and stories about their friendship. Their performances have featured musicians including pianist Jeff Babko and the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Their 2018 Netflix special, "Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life," received four Emmy nominations.

The partnership became an important part of both men's careers and eventually led to their collaboration on "Only Murders in the Building." They have continued touring while producing new seasons of the series.

"Only Murders in the Building" Salary

When "Only Murders in the Building" premiered in 2021, Martin Short earned $600,000 per episode for his performance as Oliver Putnam. With ten episodes in the first season, that produced a $6 million payday.

Short's salary for later seasons has not been disclosed. Had the original rate remained unchanged across the first five ten-episode seasons, his acting compensation would have reached $30 million before taxes and professional fees.

Short also serves as an executive producer on the series. His producing compensation may be included in the reported salary or paid separately through producer fees and other contractual participation.

"Only Murders in the Building" has become one of the most financially significant projects of Short's career. In addition to providing years of high-level television income, the series revived demand for his live performances and introduced his work to a younger international audience.

Touring Earnings With Steve Martin

Martin Short and Steve Martin began touring together in 2015, developing a live show that combines stand-up comedy, character performances, music, stories about their careers, and jokes about their long friendship.

Their partnership became a major touring business. In 2018, their shows grossed $24.6 million, placing them among the highest-grossing comedy tours in the world that year.

During one portion of the 2018 tour, Pollstar reported an average gross of more than $600,000 per performance. A sold-out appearance at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., grossed $891,000, while two shows at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles generated $945,000.

The partnership has remained commercially successful. A later 12-show reporting period generated $5.9 million in ticket sales, equal to an average of $492,000 per performance.

Those figures represent box-office revenue rather than Short's personal earnings. Venue costs, promoters, musicians, crew members, travel, insurance, management, and other production expenses are paid before the remaining profits are divided.

Even after those costs, more than a decade of large-venue touring has likely paid Short several million dollars. Along with "Only Murders in the Building," the Steve Martin partnership has become one of the most important sources of income during the later stages of his career.

"Marty, Life Is Short"

In 2026, Netflix released the documentary "Marty, Life Is Short."

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, the film traces Short's childhood, family life, personal losses, and five-decade career. It includes archival performances, interviews, home movies, and appearances by friends and collaborators.

The documentary covers his work on "Godspell," "SCTV," "Saturday Night Live," Broadway, film, live comedy, and "Only Murders in the Building." Ron Howard and Brian Grazer served as executive producers.

Personal Life

Short dated Gilda Radner after meeting her during "Godspell." He later began a relationship with Radner's understudy, actress Nancy Dolman.

Martin and Nancy married on December 22, 1980. Dolman eventually retired from acting, and the couple adopted three children: Katherine, Oliver, and Henry.

Nancy died of ovarian cancer in August 2010 after nearly 30 years of marriage.

Their daughter Katherine became a licensed clinical social worker. She died in February 2026 at the age of 42. Short later spoke publicly about the family's grief and the importance of treating mental illness with the same seriousness as physical disease.

Short became a grandfather in 2020.

Awards and Honors

Martin Short has won two Primetime Emmy Awards and received 23 Emmy nominations through 2026. His wins came for writing "SCTV" and for producing the television special honoring Mel Brooks with the AFI Life Achievement Award.

He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for "Little Me" and received another Tony nomination for "The Goodbye Girl."

Short has received lifetime achievement recognition from the Canadian Screen Awards and has stars on Canada's Walk of Fame as both an individual performer and a member of the "SCTV" ensemble.

He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1994 and promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019.

Real Estate

In October 1987, Martin paid $1.325 million for a 5,000-square-foot home in Pacific Palisades, California. The property served as his primary residence for decades. Short evacuated the house during the January 2025 Palisades Fire. The residence survived, although one of his sons lost a nearby home and much of the surrounding community was destroyed.

In 2024, Short paid $2.27 million for a home in Upper Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles. The renovated 1960s residence contains four bedrooms and three bathrooms across 1,859 square feet.

Short also owns a cottage on Lake Rosseau in Ontario's Muskoka region. The Canadian retreat has been an important gathering place for his family and friends for many years.

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