By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
Martin Short to Receive Oscar Wilde Award
[PR] The Oscar Wilde Awards will not be short of laughter with Martin Short receiving an award at the February 23rdevent at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot in Santa Monica. The US-Ireland Alliance’s annual event will also honour Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard and “Outlander” star Caitriona Balfe.
US-Ireland Alliance founder Trina Vargo notes that Short’s father was from Northern Ireland and he has visited his family there often.
The celebrated comedian and actor has won fans and accolades in television, film and theater since his breakout season on “Saturday Night Live” over 30 years ago.
Short won his first Emmy in 1982 while working on Canada’s SCTV Comedy Network, which brought him to the attention of the producers of “SNL.” He became an “SNL” fan-favorite for his portrayal of characters such as Ed Grimley, lawyer Nathan Thurm and “legendary songwriter” Irving Cohen.
His popularity and exposure on “SNL” led Short to cross over quickly into feature films. He made his debut in “Three Amigos” and followed with “Innerspace,” “Three Fugitives,” “Clifford,” “Pure Luck” and “Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks.” One of Short’s most memorable roles was in the remake of “Father of the Bride” as Franck the wedding planner, a role he reprised a few years later in “Father of the Bride Part II.” Short lent his voice to the animated film “Madagascar 3” and Tim Burton’s Oscar-nominated “Frankenweenie.”
An accomplished stage actor, Short won a Tony, Theatre World Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his role in the revival of “Little Me.” He was also nominated for a Tony and took home an Outer Critics Circle Award for the musical version of Neil Simon’s “The Goodbye Girl.” Short co-wrote and starred in “Fame Becomes Me,” prompting The New York Times to describe Short as “a natural for live musicals, a limber singer and dancer who exudes a fiery energy that makes you want to reach for your sunglasses.” Short most recently appeared on Broadway in Terrence McNally’s “It’s Only a Play.”
A two-time primetime Emmy winner and multi-nominated for both primetime and daytime Emmys, Short returned to television in 1998 for the miniseries “Merlin” and host of “The Martin Short Show.” In 2001, he launched the popular comedy “Primetime Glick” and in 2010 received critical acclaim for his role in FX’s drama series “Damages.”
Short has also returned to “SNL” as host three times, and performed in the series’ landmark 40th anniversary special in February 2015. Other recent television credits include “Mulaney,” “How I Met Your Mother,” the critically acclaimed PBS series “Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That,” and most recently the weekly variety series “Maya & Marty” on NBC, co-starring with Maya Rudolph. Last December, he starred in the televised performance of “Hairspray Live!” which aired live on NBC.
Short’s New York Times bestselling memoir, “I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend,” was published in 2014.
Lexus, Zetta Jet, and Resurgent Film Group are among the sponsors of the casual Oscars Week party.