Steve MartinStephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, musician and composer born in Waco, Texas and raised in Orange County, California. Early yearsMartin worked at the Bird Cage Theater in Knott's Berry Farm and at the Magic Shop at Disneyland as a teenager, where he developed his talents for magic, juggling, playing the banjo and creating balloon animals. Martin majored in philosophy at California State University, Long Beach, but dropped out. Nevertheless, his time there changed his life:
A girlfriend helped him get his first real job in 1967, as a comedy writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the show she was on as a dancer. Martin, along with the other writers for that show, won an Emmy Award in 1969. Martin also wrote for John Denver (a neighbor of his in Aspen, Colorado at one point) and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. He then started performing his own material, sometimes as an opening act for groups such as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Carpenters, and sometimes appearing on camera:
He appeared at San Francisco's The Boarding House among other locations. He continued to write, earning an Emmy nomination for his work on Van Dyke and Company in 1975. Becoming a household nameIn the mid-1970s he made frequent appearances as a stand-up comedian on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. That exposure, together with appearances on NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL), led to his first of four comedy albums, Let's Get Small. The album was a huge success; one of its tracks, Excuse Me, helped establish a national catch phrase. His next album, A Wild and Crazy Guy, was an even bigger success reaching the number two spot on the chart, and spawning another catch phrase, this time based on an SNL skit where Martin and Dan Aykroyd played a couple of bumbling Czechoslovakian playboys. A top 40 hit King Tut, from the album, released in 1978, was backed by the Toot Uncommons (better known as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). Both were million sellers. Both albums won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording in 1977 and 1978. In these and his two other albums, Martin's stand-up comedy was self-referential, sometimes self-mocking. It mixes philosophical riffs with sudden spurts of "happy feet", deft banjo playing with balloon depictions of concepts like venereal disease. His style is off kilter and ironic, and sometimes makes fun of stand-up comedy traditions. A typical gag might be interrupted for a sip from a glass of water, and just as he was about to speak again, he forcefully spits the water onto the floor. Movie careerBy the end of the 1970s, he had acquired the kind of following normally reserved for rock stars, with his tour appearances typically occurring at sold-out arenas filled with tens of thousands of screaming fans. But unknown to his audience, stand-up comedy was "just an accident" for him. His real goal was to get into film. Martin's first film was a short, The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977). The seven-minute long film was written by and starred Martin. The film was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Short Film, Live Action. In 1979, Martin wrote and starred in his first full-length movie, The Jerk, directed by Carl Reiner. The movie was a huge success, grossing $100 million on a budget less than a twentieth of that amount. The success of The Jerk opened more doors for him. Stanley Kubrick met with him to discuss him starring in an early, screwball comedy version of Traumnovelle (Kubrick later changed his approach to the material). He was executive producer for a prime-time TV series starring Martin Mull and a late-night series called Twilight Theater. It emboldened him to try his hand at his first serious film, Pennies From Heaven, a movie he was anxious to do because of the desire to avoid being typecast. To prepare for that film, he took acting lessons from the director, Herbert Ross, and spent months learning how to tap dance. The film was a financial failure; Martin's comment at the time was "I don't know what to blame, other than it's me and not a comedy." Martin was in two more Reiner-directed comedies after The Jerk: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid in 1982, and The Man with Two Brains in 1983. In 1986, Martin joined fellow Saturday Night Live veterans Martin Short and Chevy Chase in Three Amigos!, which was directed by John Landis, and written by Martin, Lorne Michaels and Randy Newman. It was originally entitled The Three Caballeros and Martin was to be teamed with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. In 1987, Martin joined comedian John Candy in the John Hughes film, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. That same year, Roxanne, a film he cowrote, won him a Writers Guild of America award and more importantly, the recognition from Hollywood and the public that he was more than a comedian. Martin starred in the Ron Howard film, Parenthood in 1989. In 1999, Martin and Goldie Hawn starred in a remake of the 1970 Neil Simon comedy, The Out-of-Towners. Other workThroughout the 90s, after Tina Brown took over The New Yorker, Martin wrote various pieces for the magazine. They later appeared in the collection Pure Drivel. He appeared in a version of Waiting for Godot as Vladimir (with Robin Williams as Estragon). In 1993, Martin wrote the play Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which had a successful run in several American cities. In 2001, Martin hosted the 73rd Annual Academy Awards. In 2002, Martin adapted the Carl Sternheim play The Underpants, which ran Off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company. Art collectionMartin is also an avid art collector, particularly modern American art, and a trustee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Martin's personal collection has at one time included the art of O'Keeffe, Twachtman, Diebenkorn, de Kooning, Kline, Twombly, Frankenthaler, Hopper, Hockney, Lichtenstein, and Picasso. Associations and membershipsMartin is a member of Mensa International. Bibliography
Discography
Filmography
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Martin is a member of Mensa International. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Danish. Martin's personal collection has at one time included the art of O'Keeffe, Twachtman, Diebenkorn, de Kooning, Kline, Twombly, Frankenthaler, Hopper, Hockney, Lichtenstein, and Picasso. Lawrence University in 1980. Martin is also an avid art collector, particularly modern American art, and a trustee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He graduated from St. In 2002, Martin adapted the Carl Sternheim play The Underpants, which ran Off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company. Mortensen spent some childhood years in Venezuela, Argentina, and his father's native Denmark, before returning to high school in Watertown, New York (where he was captain of the swim team). In 2001, Martin hosted the 73rd Annual Academy Awards. [1] (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0614042viggo1.html). In 1993, Martin wrote the play Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which had a successful run in several American cities. They have a son, Henry, born in 1988. He appeared in a version of Waiting for Godot as Vladimir (with Robin Williams as Estragon). His marriage in 1987 to punk rocker Exene (Christene) Cervenka, ended in an amicable divorce in 1998. They later appeared in the collection Pure Drivel. Mortensen's bibliography includes. Throughout the 90s, after Tina Brown took over The New Yorker, Martin wrote various pieces for the magazine. Mortensen's performance in Bent at the Coast Playhouse, Los Angeles, won him a Dramalogue Critics' Award. In 1999, Martin and Goldie Hawn starred in a remake of the 1970 Neil Simon comedy, The Out-of-Towners. Jane, Tony Goldwyn's A Walk on the Moon and Philip Ridley's Reflecting Skin. Martin starred in the Ron Howard film, Parenthood in 1989. He has also appeared in Jane Campion's film The Portrait of a Lady, Sean Penn's Indian Runner, Brian DePalma's Carlito's Way, Tony Scott's Crimson Tide, Ridley Scott's G.I. That same year, Roxanne, a film he cowrote, won him a Writers Guild of America award and more importantly, the recognition from Hollywood and the public that he was more than a comedian. After several years of experience in live theater, he began his movie career as an Amish farmer in Peter Weir's Witness. In 1987, Martin joined comedian John Candy in the John Hughes film, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Tolkien's trilogy. It was originally entitled The Three Caballeros and Martin was to be teamed with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. R. In 1986, Martin joined fellow Saturday Night Live veterans Martin Short and Chevy Chase in Three Amigos!, which was directed by John Landis, and written by Martin, Lorne Michaels and Randy Newman. He was a last-minute replacement for the role, and wouldn't have taken the part if it hadn't been for his son's enthusiasm for J. R. Martin was in two more Reiner-directed comedies after The Jerk: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid in 1982, and The Man with Two Brains in 1983. He is best known for his role as Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The film was a financial failure; Martin's comment at the time was "I don't know what to blame, other than it's me and not a comedy.". He is divorced and has a son, Henry Blake. To prepare for that film, he took acting lessons from the director, Herbert Ross, and spent months learning how to tap dance. Viggo Mortensen (born October 20, 1958 in New York City), is a Danish-American theater and movie actor, a published poet, photographer and painter. It emboldened him to try his hand at his first serious film, Pennies From Heaven, a movie he was anxious to do because of the desire to avoid being typecast. Miyelo (2003, ISBN 097214367X), a series of panoramic photographs of a Lakota Ghost Dance. He was executive producer for a prime-time TV series starring Martin Mull and a late-night series called Twilight Theater. SignLanguage (2002, ISBN 1889195499), a catalog from an exhibition of his works, which combines photographs, paintings, and poetry into a multimedia diary of his time in New Zealand while filming The Fellowship of the Ring;. Stanley Kubrick met with him to discuss him starring in an early, screwball comedy version of Traumnovelle (Kubrick later changed his approach to the material). Hole in the Sun (2002, ISBN 0972143610), color and black and white photographs of a back yard swimming pool;. The success of The Jerk opened more doors for him. Ten Last Night (1993), his first collection of poetry;. The movie was a huge success, grossing $100 million on a budget less than a twentieth of that amount. In 1979, Martin wrote and starred in his first full-length movie, The Jerk, directed by Carl Reiner. The film was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Short Film, Live Action. The seven-minute long film was written by and starred Martin. Martin's first film was a short, The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977). His real goal was to get into film. But
unknown to his audience, stand-up comedy was "just an accident" for him. By the end of the 1970s, he had acquired the kind of following normally reserved for
rock stars, with his tour appearances typically occurring at sold-out arenas filled with tens of thousands of screaming fans. His style is off kilter and ironic, and sometimes makes fun of stand-up comedy traditions. It mixes philosophical riffs with sudden spurts of "happy feet", deft banjo playing with balloon depictions of concepts like venereal disease. In these and his two other albums, Martin's stand-up comedy was self-referential, sometimes self-mocking. Both albums won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording in 1977 and 1978. Both were million sellers. A top 40 hit King Tut, from the album, released in 1978, was backed by the Toot Uncommons (better known as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). His next album, A Wild and Crazy Guy, was an even bigger success reaching the number two spot on the chart, and spawning another catch phrase, this time based on an SNL skit where Martin and Dan Aykroyd played a couple of bumbling Czechoslovakian playboys. The album was a huge success; one of its tracks, Excuse Me, helped establish a national catch phrase. That exposure, together with appearances on NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL), led to his first of four comedy albums, Let's Get Small. In the mid-1970s he made frequent appearances as a stand-up comedian on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He continued to write, earning an Emmy nomination for his work on Van Dyke and Company in 1975. He appeared at San Francisco's The Boarding House among other locations. He then started performing his own material, sometimes as an opening act for groups such as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Carpenters, and sometimes appearing on camera:. Martin also wrote for John Denver (a neighbor of his in Aspen, Colorado at one point) and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Martin, along with the other writers for that show, won an Emmy Award in 1969. A girlfriend helped him get his first real job in 1967, as a comedy writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the show she was on as a dancer. Nevertheless, his time there changed his life:. Martin majored in philosophy at California State University, Long Beach, but dropped out. Martin worked at the Bird Cage Theater in Knott's Berry Farm and at the Magic Shop at Disneyland as a teenager, where he developed his talents for magic, juggling, playing the banjo and creating balloon animals. Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, musician and composer born in Waco, Texas and raised in Orange County, California. Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003). Cheaper by the Dozen (2003). Bringing Down the House (2003). Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch (2002, TV). Novocaine (2001). Fantasia 2000 (1999) host. Bowfinger (1999). The Out-of-Towners, (1999). The Prince of Egypt (1998, voice). The Spanish Prisoner (1997). Bilko (1996). Sgt. Father of the Bride Part II (1995). Mixed Nuts, (1994). A Simple Twist of Fate (1994), also written by Martin. Leap of Faith (1992). HouseSitter (1992). Grand Canyon (1991). Father of the Bride (1991). Story (1991), also written by Martin. L.A. My Blue Heaven (1990). Parenthood (1989). Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988). Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). Roxanne, (1987), also written by Martin. Little Shop of Horrors (1986). ¡Three Amigos!, (1986), also co-written by Martin. All of Me (1984). The Lonely Guy (1984). The Man with Two Brains (1983) also co-written by Martin. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) also co-written by Martin. Pennies from Heaven (1981). The Jerk, (1979) also co-written by Martin. The Muppet Movie (1979). Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, (1978). Sgt. The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977) (short). The Steve Martin Brothers (1981). Comedy is Not Pretty! (1979). A Wild and Crazy Guy, (1978). Let's Get Small (1977). The Pleasure of My Company (2003). The Underpants: A Play (2002). Shopgirl (2001). Pure Drivel (1998). Story and Roxanne: Two Screenplays (1997). L.A. Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Other Plays: Picasso at the Lapin Agile, the Zig-Zag Woman, Patter for the Floating Lady, Wasp (1996). Cruel Shoes (1979). Johnny Cash and Friends in 1976. The Smothers Brothers Show in 1975, and. The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour from 1972 to 1973,. The Ken Berry Show in 1972,. Ray Stevens Show in 1970,. |