Martin Short’s Children: Inside His Family Life After Heartbreaking Loss

In real life, Martin Short keeps his family dealings private. However, after the comedian and Only Murders in the Building star suffered a heartbreaking loss in his immediate family, fans began looking more closely at the people closest to him. Martin and his late wife, Nancy Dolman, became parents to three children — Katherine, Oliver, and Henry — and they built a home life that stayed out of the limelight.

Martin and Nancy adopted three children together. Katherine Hartley Short largely stayed out of the public eye, but People reported that she worked as a licensed clinical social worker. She worked in private practice and with Amae Health. She also earned degrees from New York University and the University of Southern California.

Oliver Patrick Short, born in 1986, also keeps a low profile. He studied film and television production at the University of Notre Dame. He later worked in media roles at Warner Bros., Fox Sports, and NBC Sports. Henry Hayter Short, born in 1989, also attended the University of Notre Dame. He started his career in finance. He later became a veterinary assistant at Malibu Coast Animal Hospital.

The couple first met in 1972 during a Toronto production of the musical Godspell, and they married on Dec. 22, 1980, per People. Martin later described their marriage as a triumph, and he has spoken openly about how deeply he still feels Nancy’s presence years after her death.

"I believe that when people die, they zoom into the people that love them," he added. "This idea that it just ends, and don’t speak of them — that’s wrong. That’s based on denial that we’re all going to die. So to me, she’s still here. At the same time, her death emboldened me to take risks. With real tragedy, you become a little more daring. It’s the yin to the yang: the positive part of life’s dark side."

Martin built a reputation as a high-energy performer who rarely lets a joke sit still, but grief entered his life when he was young. In a 2014 interview, the actor revealed he lost his brother when he was 12, his mother at 17, and his father at 20. That string of losses, unfortunately, taught him to deal with loss.

“It probably comes from the childhood experience of having to go back to school after your brother dies or your mother or father dies,” Martin told Variety. “Maybe you have to become a little bit frozen emotionally for a while after someone you love dies, but you do find comfort in moving back into the normalcy of 'this is me being funny.' I’m not saying that you do a set the night you lose a loved one, but I am saying that grieving doesn’t necessarily impede your ability to do the things you’re good at.”