Martin Short’s roles have defined decades of film and television comedy, and interest in the performer is climbing again as season six of “Only Murders in the Building” heads to Hulu on Dec. 8, six months after Netflix released “Marty, Life Is Short,” a documentary about his life. Short, 76, has built a career on sketch comedy, big-screen farce and, more recently, prestige television. Here is a ranked look at the performances that best show why his name keeps coming up.
This ranking is based on the roles’ cultural footprint, the award recognition tied to them and how each one captures a different phase of Short’s career, from his Canadian sketch-comedy roots through a 2026 awards season that brought him two Primetime Emmy nominations of his own.
1. Ed Grimley on “SCTV” (1982-84)
Short’s breakthrough television role came when he joined the cast of “SCTV” in 1982. His character Ed Grimley, a cowlicked, teeth-flashing manchild with a triangle in hand and a Pat Sajak obsession, debuted that year and became one of the show’s signature creations. On the same series, Short also satirized Jerry Lewis and played a boxing version of Mister Rogers who squared off against John Candy’s Julia Child in the “Battle of the PBS Stars,” showing the range of impressions and characters that would define his comedic style for decades.
2. Oliver Putnam in “Only Murders in the Building”
Short has played Oliver Putnam, a flamboyant, perpetually struggling Broadway director turned true-crime podcaster, since the Hulu series premiered in 2021. The role earned him his fourth Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series in 2026, and he also shared a nomination as part of the producing team for outstanding comedy series. Both trophies went to “Widow’s Bay,” with Matthew Rhys taking lead actor, and Short drew laughs at the Sept. 14 ceremony by tearing up a sheet of paper in mock frustration. The show reunites him with longtime friend Steve Martin, continuing a screen partnership that began on the big screen decades earlier.
3. Franck Eggelhoffer in “Father of the Bride”
Short played flamboyant wedding planner Franck Eggelhoffer opposite Steve Martin in the 1991 remake of “Father of the Bride” and returned for “Father of the Bride Part II” in 1995. The two films cemented a comedic chemistry that Short later carried into “Only Murders in the Building.” Their on-screen partnership traces back to a friendship that began on a different film set entirely.
4. Ned Nederlander in “Three Amigos!”
Short became close friends with Steve Martin while shooting the 1986 film “Three Amigos!” The comedy, built around three out-of-work silent-film actors mistaken for real heroes, marked the start of a creative partnership that would stretch across film, television and a joint live comedy tour decades later.
5. Lionel Dillard in “Mumford” (1999)
Short reunited with Lawrence Kasdan for the 1999 film “Mumford,” a comedic drama centered on a small-town psychologist that Kasdan wrote and directed. Their first collaboration came on the 1987 romantic comedy “Cross My Heart,” which starred Short and was produced by Kasdan. The Kasdan partnership would eventually extend into documentary filmmaking.
6. His 1984-85 season on “Saturday Night Live”
Short spent one season on “Saturday Night Live,” the show’s 10th, in 1984-85, a credit that stands out for a different reason than the rest of his resume. In the Netflix documentary “Marty, Life Is Short,” Short said of the experience, “I hated it,” according to Page Six. The brief run remains a notable chapter in his television history even though he describes it as a stint he didn’t enjoy.
7. Himself in “Marty, Life Is Short”
The Netflix documentary “Marty, Life Is Short,” directed by Kasdan, was released May 12 and earned three Emmy nominations: outstanding documentary or nonfiction special, outstanding directing for a documentary/nonfiction program and outstanding picture editing for a nonfiction program. It lost the special and directing categories to “My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay.” The film features interviews with Short alongside friends including Tom Hanks, Steve Martin and the late Catherine O’Hara, per Page Six. In it, Short rejects the idea that his comedic instincts come from a place of pain, calling that notion “false” and adding, “It’s the opposite.”
8. Host of “Match Game”
Short’s work outside scripted comedy also earned him recognition. He took over ABC’s “Match Game” revival in July 2025, also serving as an executive producer, and received a 2026 Emmy nomination for outstanding host for a game show. Jimmy Kimmel won the category for “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” but the nod shows Short’s comedic timing translated beyond sitcoms and film into game show hosting.
What’s next for Martin Short
Season six of “Only Murders in the Building,” dubbed “Only Murders in London,” premieres Dec. 8 on Hulu, with new episodes on Tuesdays. Production began in London in May, and the guest cast includes Olivia Colman, David Tennant, Nicola Coughlan and Jennifer Saunders. Short and Martin previously teamed up for the 2018 Netflix comedy special “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life.” Their joint tour, “The Best of Steve Martin and Martin Short,” paused in late February following the death of Short’s daughter, Katherine, at 42. The pair returned to the stage April 11 in Savannah, Georgia, and the tour is scheduled to run through December.
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