Facts We Just Learned About Steve Martin That Made Us Say 'Really?'
Most people know the name Steve Martin, especially if you have ever watched any of his comedies from the '80s and '90s. However, did you know that Martin’s real name is Stephen Glenn Martin and that he is more than just an actor? He also happens to be a comedian, playwright, musician, and producer. Martin has continued to bring joy and laughter to many people globally during his lengthy and distinguished career. With such an influential presence in Hollywood, it’s surprising that there are many facts about him that we don’t know.
Vote up the facts about this enthralling comedian that are most fascinating and surprising to you.
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1He Appeared On 'The Dating Game' In 1968
In 1968, a young Steve Martin appeared on The Dating Game. At the time, he was a relatively unknown comedian writing for The Smothers Brothers. One of three contestants, his goal was to woo the daughter of Dean Martin, Deana - and he succeeded!
In answer to Deana's first question, "What's wrong with dating?" Martin answered, "Dating is wrong with dating. Dating is really the worst. You should meet like on a street corner or at a flat tire or in a sewer."
Deana ended up choosing Bachelor #2, Steve Martin, and the two were gifted a trip to Italy.
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- Father of the Bride
- Buena Vista Pictures
2He And His Wife Surprised Party Guests With A Spontaneous Wedding Ceremony
Most people have heard of a surprise birthday party, but not many have ever had the privilege of attending a surprise wedding. In 2007, Martin and his wife Anne Springfield managed to pull off this feat when the pair hosted a party with a star-studded guest list.
Unsurprisingly, it was reported that everyone was left incredibly shocked when the couple walked out in wedding clothes. After the initial shock wore off, it’s believed the pair had a spectacular wedding. They definitely left an impression in the minds of the reported 75 guests who were in attendance.
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For A Time, He Handed Out Pre-Signed Cards When Fans Asked Him For An Autograph
It’s no secret that many celebrities are often too busy to sign fan autographs despite how much they might want to. Martin was once incredibly overwhelmed with autograph requests that he came up with his own comedic solution: he had pre-signed autograph cards specially made, and he would hand these out to fans whenever they asked him for his autograph. However, this gimmick wasn’t as well-received as he had hoped. After only six months of handing out these pre-signed cards, he abandoned the idea. When asked about why he stopped, Martin stated:
I realized that when people ask for an autograph, what they really kind of want is a little encounter; to find out what you’re really like in 30 seconds.
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4He Has An Impressive Art Collection And Claims It’s His Biggest Hobby
Comedic legend Martin has an incredibly interesting hobby. Since the age of 21, he has been an avid art collector and has numerous acclaimed works in his collection. He started his collection at 21 years old by purchasing a piece by the esteemed 19th-century American artist James Gale Tyler.
The actor has repeatedly stated how he is an obsessive collector as he views art collecting as a soothing hobby that allows him to escape from his mundane thoughts. In 2001, after keeping his collection quiet for many years, Martin opened a small section of his private art collection for public viewing, much to his fans’ delight. Art critic James Mann commented that the collection was “a very sincerely assembled group of works. He admires what he buys and he has good quality on the whole of these artists.”
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5He, Martin Short, And Tom Hanks Have Colonoscopy Parties Together Regularly
Now it’s common knowledge that colonoscopy appointments are anything but a good time. However, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Tom Hanks have managed to circumvent some of the discomforts felt when it comes time for the next appointment. The three schedule and routinely get together to enjoy what they call a colonoscopy party the night before the appointment. Martin once revealed that the event was something they all looked forward to and that it was a brilliant idea to make an unpleasant compulsory event bearable.
He also revealed that the party was catered and that they would all drink copious amounts of fluids throughout the evening while watching a movie or playing poker. After an enjoyable evening, it was reported that they would all travel together to the doctor and argue about who would go last.
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- Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
- CBS
6He Wrote For ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour’ While He Was A College Student - And Won An Emmy For It
Martin attended Long Beach State College in California where he majored in philosophy before transferring to UCLA to major in theater. In 1967, while he was still a student, Martin was already displaying his comedic talents. Martin, a student at the time, was commissioned by The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and signed a contract to write content for them. His comedic content was so well received that in 1969 he won an Emmy award. This early success placed Martin on the path to success, and over the next few years, he began writing for other comedy shows such as The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.
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- Saturday Night Live
- NBC
7He Was Never Actually An ‘SNL’ Cast Member
Although Martin was one of the most iconic faces to appear on the Saturday Night Live show, and has had a long run on the show at various times, he was never actually an SNL cast member. He is a close friend of many of the cast members and writers, but he has never been a cast member himself. It is believed he was never officially asked to join the team because when the show first aired in 1975, Martin was not famous enough to win one of the coveted spots.
However, Martin has impressively hosted the show 15 times, and he has appeared as a guest on the show more than ten times. Arguably this is where the confusion comes into play as he was a frequent face on the show; people automatically presume he was a cast member, but that is unfortunately not the case.
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- Three Amigos
- Orion Pictures
8He Suffers From Tinnitus That Was Caused By A Scene In ‘Three Amigos’
Interestingly, more than 50 million people in the United States suffer from tinnitus - a ringing of the ears - and amongst these people, there are presidents, musicians, and actors. Martin began suffering from this affliction during the production of one of his most well-known films, Three Amigos. While filming was underway in 1986, Martin was exposed to a gunfight scene which led to the ringing in his ears.
As many are aware, this condition can be incredibly debilitating, but when Martin was once asked about his experience with the condition, he stated, "You get used to it." His dedication to his craft allows him to continuously push past this roadblock and continue to make media that people love.
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9He Has Actually Won Five Grammys
Even as someone who has as much talent as Martin, it can still be surprising that he has won five Grammy awards during his career. The first Grammy he ever received was for the song "Let’s Get Small,” which was nominated in the Best Comedy Album category in 1977. He earned his second Grammy in 1979 in the same category for the song “A Wild and Crazy Guy."
The third Grammy he received he shares with Earl Scruggs. The pair won the Grammy in the category Best Country Instrumental Performance for the song “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” in 2001. Martins’s fourth Grammy came from his album The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo in 2010, which was nominated in the Best Bluegrass Album category. Thus far, his fifth and last Grammy, which he shares with Edie Brickell, was awarded to him in 2014 in the Best American Roots Song category for their song “Love Has Come for You.”
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He Is An Exceptional Banjo Player
Martin is best known for his comedic personality and phenomenal acting skills, but his passion and skill as a musician might not be popularly known. Under the surface of his charming persona and self-deprecating jokes is an old soul who has an incredible talent for playing the banjo. Many who have witnessed Martin playing the banjo have often stated that he is a bluegrass extraordinaire. In recognition of his superb banjo skills, Martin won a Grammy award for his debut album titled The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo.
In addition to winning a Grammy award, Martin has also impressively performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and he even toured with the Steep Canyon Rangers. Additionally, as a way to showcase those whose talent lies with the banjo, Martin and his wife launched The Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass award in 2008.
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- Saturday Night Live
- NBC
11He Popularized Air Quotes After Using Them On ‘SNL’
For decades air quotes have been a popular hand signal that millions of people use daily. Famously, former president Donald Trump has often been seen using "air quotes" during many of his presidential speeches. This hand signal depicts quotation marks and is often utilized to indicate when something is ironic or when someone is mocking someone else.
Without thinking about it, air quotes may seem like something that's just been around forever. However, comedian Martin is often credited with originally coming up with the hand movement. According to accounts, Martin first made the universal gesture when he began to use the gesture during his performances on Saturday Night Live.
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Martin Basically Stopped Doing Stand-Up In 1981
As he writes in his autobiography, Steve Martin performed stand-up comedy for 18 years, and only became successful at it in the very tail end. "Ten of those years were spent learning," he writes, "four years were spent refining, and four years were spent in wild success."
By 1981, Martin felt that his stand-up career had gone as far as it could go. To move forward, he'd need to write an entirely different type of act. However, by that point, Martin was being offered not only roles in films but also the opportunity to write films, and he found that much more appealing.
Martin didn't mind giving up his stand-up routine. To hear him tell it, it was more of a relief. "In the end, I turned away from stand-up with a tired swivel of my head and never looked back until now," he writes.
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- Bill Nye the Science Guy
- Buena Vista Television
13Bill Nye, The Science Guy, Started His Eventful Career In Entertainment Because He Won A Steve Martin Lookalike Competition
Bill Nye is fondly known as the "Science Guy" because of his extensive scientific knowledge and impressive comedic skills displayed in a show of the same name. Many younger generations watched Bill Nye videos in science class while growing up, but entertainment wasn't always his intended career path. Interestingly, Nye got his big break when he decided to visit a comedy club in Seattle. At the time, Nye was just an engineer working at Boeing, but that fateful decision set a new course for his life and career. The day that Nye went to the comedy club, they were hosting a Martin lookalike contest, and he decided to enter it thinking that he couldn’t possibly win.
Much to his surprise and delight, he won the contest, and a comedic passion unfurled within him. After his win, Nye began submitting comedy writing with the help of Ross Shafer. It was Shafer who suggested taking a science angle on his bits, and if it weren't for that suggestion, he might never have decided to merge his love for science and comedy, creating one of the most recognizable characters.
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- Carterhawk
- Wikimedia Commons
- CC-BY-SA 3.0
14He Worked At Disneyland In The Magic Shop - And It’s Where He Saw His First Live Comedy Show
Martin came from humble beginnings. From 10 to 18, he worked at Disneyland, which he often remarks as being an incredible experience in his life. Martin stated that he would work on weekends, after school, and during the summer since he lived so close to the theme park. Martin has confirmed that he worked at both the front gates to the park as well as in the magic shop where he combined his love for comedy with the products in the shop.
He later sold souvenir spinning lassos in Frontierland until spending his final three years working for Disneyland at Merlin’s Magical Shop in Fantasyland. While he worked at the magic shop, he began to develop and hone his comedic talents. However, he might not have done so if he had not witnessed his very first comedic performance at Disneyland. The show he witnessed was titled Wally Boag at the Golden Horseshoe Revue, and Martin has in the past referred to the performance as being brilliant and wholly entertaining.
I watched Wally’s show many, many times. He was the first live performer I ever saw. I mostly remember Wally’s performing style. It was fresh, sassy, and very clean. Watching his comic timing was a very big influence on my own career.
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15His Father Wrote A Scathing Review Of His First 'Saturday Night Live' Appearance
In his autobiography, Born Standing Up, Steve Martin writes that his father didn't seem to understand - or even like - his son's chosen profession. While president of the Newport Beach Association of Realtors, Glenn Martin wrote that his son's first appearance on Saturday Night Live "did nothing to further his career" - in his own newsletter!
Later, the elder Martin doubled down, saying in an interview that SNL "is the most horrible thing on television."
In a 2008 interview with Terry Gross, Steve speculated on why his father wrote the bad review:
I think my father, he couldn't quite be proud of an unconventional show biz act that he didn't quite understand. And I think he was kind of embarrassed by it among his friends. And I think this was a misguided effort to say to his friends, look, I know it's not very good. But by that time, I had been so kind of alienated from my father that these negative comments and reviews were actually my encouragement.
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