Steve Martin toured as a slapstick comedian within the ’70s earlier than pursuing his Hollywood desires.
Martin joined The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour as a author within the late ’60s, successful his first Emmy Award in 1969. Following his breakthrough function in 1977’s The Absent-Minded Waiter, Martin went on to star in All of Me, L.A. Story, Parenthood and the Father of the Bride movies.
Writing continued to be an vital a part of Martin’s profession. He launched his first ebook, Merciless Footwear, in 1979, adopted by 2000’s Shopgirl, 2007’s Born Standing Up and his illustrated 2022 memoir, Quantity One Is Strolling: My Life within the Films and Different Diversions.
He went on to put in writing a variety of performs together with Meteor Bathe, Patter for the Floating Woman, Picasso on the Lapin Agile and the Tony Award–nominated musical Vibrant Star.
“I all the time thought that writing for my comedy act was writing,” Martin shared with The Believer in 2005. “I keep in mind being in New York and seeing a comic book play, and I believed, ‘I ought to be capable to do this. I’ve written screenplays and I’ve carried out dwell.’ So I began playing around, writing my first play, Picasso on the Lapin Agile.”
Martin additionally has a keenness for music, instructing himself to play the banjo as a teen together with the assistance of folks artist John McEuen. Martin integrated the banjo in his stand-up profession and has collaborated with the Nitty Gritty Grime Band, the Steep Canyon Rangers and Within the Minds of the Residing.
“I prefer it as a result of my funding in this isn’t with my ego. It’s extra of an emotional funding,” Martin advised Banjo Information in 2010. “If I used to be doing a comedy present in a 3,000 seat corridor, and a thousand folks confirmed up…But when solely a thousand folks present as much as see me play banjo, that appears about proper. So it’s not the identical for me.”
A brand new technology of followers fell in love with Martin’s comedic power after Solely Murders within the Constructing premiered in 2021. He hinted one yr later that he was able to step again from the highlight, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “That is, weirdly, it.”
Maintain scrolling to see Martin’s life in pictures:
