Beloved comedian Martin Short is pulling back the curtain on a lifetime of heartbreak, revealing how he’s endured unimaginable loss in a deeply personal new documentary.
In the upcoming Netflix film Marty Life is Short, the 76-year-old comedy legend reflects on the many tragedies that have shaped his life — including the recent death of his daughter, Katherine Smart, 40, in February. Her passing came just weeks after the loss of one of Short’s closest friends and longtime collaborators, Catherine O’Hara, who died at 71.
But as the documentary reveals, grief has followed Short for decades.
In the film’s trailer, he opens up about losing multiple family members before he even reached adulthood. His older brother David was killed in a car accident when Short was just 12. At 17, his mother died from cancer, and only three years later, his father passed away after suffering a stroke.
“In life, sometimes you hit a green light. And sometimes, for no reason, it’s red,” Short says in the emotional clip. “Mom died, and Dad’s health went fast. And I just was overwhelmed with, ‘I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t do it.’”
Despite the constant grief, Short says humor became his lifeline.
“We had speed dial to the funeral parlor,” he recalls. “But there were laughs during those years. That’s the point.”
The heartbreak didn’t stop there. In 2010, Short lost his wife of 30 years, Nancy Dolman, to cancer at just 58 years old. The couple shared three adopted children together, building a life filled with love even as tragedy loomed in the background.
The documentary also dives into Short’s rise in comedy, exploring the anxiety he felt even at the height of his success.
“‘Oh! I’m in the greatest profession in the world. I’m so damn lucky,’” he remembers thinking. “‘How do I keep it going?’”
Fans will also get a look at how Short’s closest friends see him, with appearances from comedy icons like Eugene Levy, Steve Martin, and Tom Hanks.
And in true Martin Short fashion, the film doesn’t shy away from humor. His outrageous alter ego, Jiminy Glick, even makes an appearance, delivering a classic punchline about the flood of documentaries being made today.
Set to premiere on May 12, the film promises a raw and revealing look at the man behind the laughter — showing how, even in the face of overwhelming loss, Martin Short found a way to keep going.