Martin Short Reveals How Childhood Tragedies Shaped His Life

Martin Short has faced significant loss early in his life, which he says has shaped him into the man he is today.

When he was just 12, he lost his older brother in a car accident. Shortly after, his mother died after battling cancer for several years. Then, two years later, his father, who worked as a steel company executive, passed away, leaving Short orphaned at the age of 20

Despite these traumatic experiences, Martin Short insists that none of it "screwed" him up.

"At 20, I knew things about life and death and tragedy and loss that none of my friends knew about. I don’t know why this didn’t screw me up," he told The Hollywood Reporter in his cover story, published on August 22. "The only thing I can think of is that these kind of life stresses either empower you or defeat you."

"But I think that by surviving all that and continuing on, I developed muscles to handle the disappointments in life," the actor continued. "And I do think, in a weird way, it did make me braver as a performer, braver onstage. I’d try something, and if some people didn’t like it, I didn’t care because I didn’t know them. I was never doing this for the admiration of strangers. I was doing this to make my siblings and my friends laugh."

Martin Short's comedy, television, and film career first gained recognition when he was a cast member on "SCTV" in the late 1970s. Short's success continued with his role on "Saturday Night Live," where he earned an Emmy Award for his work.

He then transitioned to film with memorable roles in "Three Amigos" and "Father of the Bride," and later starred in "Innerspace" and "The Santa Clause 3."

Of course, the show that Martin Short's name is best associated with right now is "Only Murders in the Building," which has been a major success since its debut.

The series, which premiered on Hulu in August 2021, stars Short alongside Steve Martin and Selena Gomezas three neighbors who bond over their love of true crime podcasts and find themselves involved in a real-life murder mystery in their apartment building

"Well, I’m aware that 'Only Murders in the Building' is a successful show, and obviously that’s thrilling, but I can’t honestly say that there are crowds when I go to Gelson’s market," he said, adding that "Nothing seems that different" since when he first started his career.

"In the ’70s, I remember watching Tony Randall on 'Johnny Carson,' and 'The Odd Couple' had been going for four years, and Johnny said, “Tony, how long will you stay with this show?” And Tony just looked at him and said, 'John, that’s the dumbest question I’ve ever been asked. I will stay with the show as long as it exists because it’s a hit, and a hit is a fluke. In show business, there are singles, there are doubles, there are triples, and there are strikeouts. But a home run is very, very rare.' And I totally agree with that."

Some say that Martin Short could have become the Jim Carrey of the '80s, but Short himself disagrees, saying, "No."

"There’s this assumption that actors have these 15 great movies to choose from and they go, 'All right, I’ll pick that one.' It doesn’t work that way," he told THR. "The reality was 'Three Amigos' was a box office disappointment. 'Innerspace' was certainly a box office disappointment, and so was 'Cross My Heart,' which was always supposed to be a little small-deal movie with Larry Kasdan. So, after that one-two-three, by 1990 I was feeling, 'I guess I’m not in the movies.'"

Having worked for over three years on "Only Murders in the Building," Steve Martin and Martin Short have developed a unique bond with Selena Gomez.

“I think it just gets deeper and deeper and deeper,” Short told People Magazine earlier this year. “She is so lovely as a human, she's so remarkable as a talent, and she just has an aura and this lovely spirit.

“Our friendship grows and grows,” he adds.

Season 4 of "Only Murders in the Building" will premiere on Hulu on Tuesday, August 27, 2024/