Martin Short Adopted 3 Children With His Late Wife Nancy Dolman — Here's Why

Martin Short and his late wife, Nancy Dolman, raised three children together during their 30-year marriage. Over the years, fans have become curious about the Only Murders in the Building star’s family life, including why the couple chose adoption.

Martin and Nancy welcomed daughter Katherine and sons Oliver and Henry through adoption. Although the comedian has largely kept his children’s lives private, he occasionally opened up about fatherhood in interviews and frequently attended public events with his family over the years.

In February 2026, the Short family experienced a devastating loss after Martin’s daughter, Katherine, died at age 42. During a May 2026 appearance on CBS News Sunday Morning, Martin described the tragedy as a “nightmare for the family.”

“But the understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife's, are both diseases,” Martin said. “And sometimes with diseases they are terminal.”

Martin previously revealed that he and his late wife, Nancy, turned to adoption after struggling to conceive. According to USA Today, Nancy had endometriosis, and the couple eventually decided to stop fertility treatments and begin the adoption process instead.

“We were stunned,” Martin recalled of learning they couldn’t get pregnant. He also shared that fertility drugs began affecting Nancy’s mood during the difficult process.

“I said, ‘OK, you have to stop those drugs. And we’re going to adopt a baby,’” Martin explained. “And we adopted Katherine, and then Oliver, and then Henry.”

Over the years, Martin often joked about parenting during interviews while also emphasizing how proud he was of his children. During an appearance on Conan, Martin joked that he tried to convince his children to pursue careers in entertainment.

“None of them wanted to go into show business, and I pushed them,” Martin said. “I wanted them to go into show business.”

Despite Martin’s jokes, Katherine, Oliver, and Henry all pursued careers outside of acting. Katherine became a licensed clinical social worker who focused on mental health advocacy, while Oliver built a career in sports and television production.

Henry later worked in finance before becoming a veterinary assistant.

Martin has also previously spoken about how his children coped following Nancy’s death from ovarian cancer in 2010. In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, he admitted the experience had been “tough” on the family.

“It’s been a tough two years for my children,” Martin said at the time. “This is the thing of life that we live in denial about.”

Martin previously revealed that he is a grandfather to three grandsons. During a 2025 appearance on Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson’s podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name, the comedian opened up about how much joy grandparenthood has brought into his life.

“I now have three grandsons,” Martin shared. “Theo will be 4 in January. And then Grayson is two and four months, and Campbell just turned 2.”

Martin also admitted that becoming a grandfather changed his perspective on aging. He explained that after his first grandchild was born, many of the worries he previously had about getting older no longer seemed as important. “It’s so magical,” the comedian said of being a grandfather.

“They love you, these grandkids. And you do get to hand them back. That’s a cliché, but it is true.”

Martin added that grandparenthood feels different from parenting because there is more emotional distance and less day-to-day pressure.

“You can love your kids through the roof,” he continued, “but there’s something different and wonderful [about grandparenthood].”