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Comedian and comedy writer Steve Martin found fame starring in such films as The Jerk,
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Steve Martin - Early Life (2:35)
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Steve Martin - Early Life
Watch a short video about the early life of Hollywood comedian Steve Martin.
Steve Martin - Growing Up In California
In 1955 actor and comedian Steve Martin moved to the suburbs outside Los Angeles where he was just moments away from Disneyland where he would work for many years growing up.
Richard Pryor - Comedy Pioneer
Actress-Director Rain Pryor talks about how her father Richard Pryor was a comedy pioneer with his raw stand-up performances and honest critiques of race.
Robin Williams - Mork & Mindy
Actor and comedian Robin Williams caught his first big break when he auditioned for the role of Mork on Happy Days. That one appearance would eventually land the actor with his own spin off show, "Mork & Mindy."
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Play NowSteve Martin. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:33, May 22, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/steve-martin-9400755.
Steve Martin. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/steve-martin-9400755 [Accessed 22 May 2013].
"Steve Martin." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 22 2013, 07:33 http://www.biography.com/people/steve-martin-9400755.
"Steve Martin," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/steve-martin-9400755 [accessed May 22, 2013].
"Steve Martin," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/steve-martin-9400755 (accessed May 22, 2013).
Steve Martin [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 22] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/steve-martin-9400755.
Steve Martin, http://www.biography.com/people/steve-martin-9400755 (last visited May 22, 2013).
Steve Martin. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/steve-martin-9400755. Accessed May 22, 2013.
Synopsis
Born on August 14, 1945, in Waco, Texas, Steve Martin left college in 1967 to write for TV and released four comedy albums between 1977 and 1981, winning Grammy awards for Let's Get Small and A Wild and Crazy Guy. In 1979, he starred in his first full-length feature film, The Jerk, and later went on to success with Father of the Bride and numerous other films.
Early Life
Actor, comedian, writer, playwright and producer. Steve Martin was born August 14, 1945, in Waco, Texas, the son of a real estate executive. When he was five, Martin and his family moved from Waco to Inglewood, California, and then to Garden Grove, California, when he was 10.
As a teenager, he sold guidebooks and performed magic tricks at Disneyland and at Knotts Berry Farm. He enrolled in Long Beach State College to study philosophy, but soon transferred to the theater program at the University of California, Los Angeles. He left college altogether to be a comedy writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967-68), winning an Emmy Award in 1969.
Martin performed stand-up comedy in local clubs, wrote for the Sonny and Cher Show (1972-73), and had the first of his many appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Martin's big break came when he was guest host on NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1977. His offbeat and irreverent humor made him an instant celebrity.
Martin released four comedy albums between 1977 and 1981, winning Grammy awards for Let's Get Small and A Wild and Crazy Guy. He also received a gold record for his hit comedy song, "King Tut." Martin wrote his first book Cruel Shoes, in 1977.
Film Career
Steve Martin's first feature, a short film he wrote called The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977), was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1979, he starred in his first full-length feature film, The Jerk, the first of many collaborations between Martin and director Carl Reiner, including the lampoon of detective thrillers, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), the sci-fi comedy The Man With Two Brains (1983), and the identity-swapping comedy All of Me (1984) with Lily Tomlin. Martin received Best Actor awards from both the New York Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review for his performance in All of Me. He also won rave reviews for his portrayal of a demented dentist in Frank Oz's Little Shop of Horrors (1986).
In 1987, Martin stretched his talent even further by co-writing, executive-producing, and starring in Roxanne (1987), a modern interpretation of the story of Cyrano De Bergerac. For his work in Roxanne he won a Best Actor award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association as well as an award for Best Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. In 1991, Martin wrote, starred in and co-executive produced L.A. Story. He also starred in the Disney remake of Father of the Bride (1992), and it's sequel in 1995.
In 1993, Martin had success as a playwright with Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which opened at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, moving to Boston and Los Angeles as well as running off-Broadway.
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Watch Tina Fey In Conversation with Steve Martin from Live Talks Los Angeles.
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