Steve Martin Biography

news-detailsOne of the celebrated American stars with diverse talents, Steve Martin has really proven his capability of being not only a famous Hollywood actor, but also an accomplished comedian, author, playwright, and producer. Successfully made himself to be a cherished stand-up comedian of the 70s then a lauded film actor of 1980s and 1990s, he undoubtedly has compiled such a remarkable resume that only few other thespians could match. Honored with collected numerous prestigious film awards and nominations, not to mention other accolades he has received from various institutions, this gifted performer has indeed penned his name deep in the entertainment industry and shone through ever since from the time he embarked on his long journey to achieve world's recognition and acknowledgment.

Born into a family of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry as Stephen Glenn Martin on August 14, 1945 in Waco, Texas, Steve had barely passed his fifth year in this city when his parents, Glenn Vernon Martin and Mary Lee Stewart, took him along with his sister, Melinda, to settle in Garden Grove, California. Attended its Garden Grove High School then transferred to Rancho Alamitos High School until his graduation in 1963, this buoyant teen eagerly spent his time beyond school day to develop his skills in live performance, initially doing magic tricks, juggling, plus playing banjo to entertain the visitors of Disneyland where he worked at. Also conducted musical comedy routine at local coffee houses and the Bird Cage Theater in Knott's Berry Farm, he actually intended to land a screen appearance next, but instead earned the job as a writer in "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967-1969) which surprisingly brought him, together with other writers, to be honored an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music in 1969.

Finally made his way to show up in TV as a regular performer in "The Ray Stevens Show" (1970), followed by others in "Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour" (1972) and "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" (1971-1974), Steve successfully acquired frequent guest appearances in "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962-1992) by 1972. Not only managed to establish himself to be a likable stand-up comedian, the exposure he received through this NBC's acclaimed program also helped him to become one of the hosts of the popular "Saturday Night Live" (1975) in 1976, propelling him to be widely known as a talented entertainer who is capable to evoke laughter through his zany, inspired performances. Already popular and success in this field, he then turned his attention toward music and thus released unique comedy albums, "Let's Get Small" (1977) and "A Wild and Crazy Guy" (1978) which both gloriously led him to win Grammy Award for two consecutive years, that were in 1978 and 1979, for the category of Best Comedy Recording.

Still wanted to explore his potentiality in entertainment industry, Steve boldly crossed to big screen production, taking both the actor and writer seat in a short film, "The Absent-Minded Waiter" (1977), followed by his feature film-acting debut in "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1978). However, it was Carl Reiner's "The Jerk" (1979) that ultimately made his name in the acting scene for it delightfully earned more than $100 million in the international market on a budget less than a twentieth of that amount. This was enhanced in 1981 when the funny man appeared in the touching musical also comedic drama of "Pennies from Heaven" as he delightfully acquired the Best Motion Picture Actor - Comedy/Musical nomination at the 1982 Golden Globe Awards. Launched two more comedy albums of "Comedy Is Not Pretty" (1979) and "The Steve Martin Brothers" (1982), he consistently displayed wonderful enactments in his next films, notably that in "All of Me" (1984) which brought him to once more receive a Golden Globe Awards' nomination in 1985 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical.

Gained two other honors in the same category at the same event by 1988 also 1990 through "Roxanne" (1987) then "Parenthood" (1989), Steve became more selective in choosing the roles that were offered to him and preferred to be involved in the projects that contained kinder plus gentler humor, like "L.A. Story" (1991), "Father Of The Bride" (1991), and "HouseSitter" (1992). In the meantime, he also exhibited his dramatic acting skills through more serious films, either in "Grand Canyon" (1991) or "Leap of Faith" (1992), but later returned to comedy genre which apparently suited him perfectly as he once again became a nominee of Golden Globe Award in 1996 through his role in "Father of the Bride Part II" (1995). Scored great commercial success in "Bowfinger" (1999) together with Eddie Murphy, he solidly maintained his career in the early periods of the 21th century as seen in "Cheaper by the Dozen" also "Bringing Down the House" which both came up in 2003 and garnered more than 132 million U.S. dollar domestically.

Strengthened his position in Hollywood film industry through "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005), "The Pink Panther" (2006), and its sequel "The Pink Panther 2" (2009), Steve is also well-known as a producer, a profession he has been undertaking since 1984, financing both TV and movie features of which some he starred in, like "Roxanne" (1987) and "L.A. Story" (1991). In addition, he is a skilled writer aside his screen writing works as he has created a series of novels and plays which included "Cruel Shoes" (1979), "Pure Drivel" (1998), "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" (1996) and "Shopgirl" (2000), the latter two have been turned into film features in 2005. As for his private life, Steve had been involved in love relationship mostly with his co-stars, such as Anne Heche and Bernadette Peters, but he eventually gave his heart to Victoria Tennant whom he later married on November 20, 1986. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last long for the couple decided to split in 1993 before officially divorced by the following year. Becoming single again, the comedian found a new love in Anne Stringfield, a journalist, whom he married during a surprise wedding party at his Los Angeles home on July 28, 2007.