Martin, Steve (1945– )

US comedian, actor, and writer. He wrote television comedy sketches before perfecting his own routines for national television on programmes such as The Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live during the mid 1970s. He achieved huge success with his comedy album A Wild and Crazy Guy in 1978, then went on to become a successful film actor and director, drawing on a mix of slapstick and the absurd. His films include The Jerk (1979), The Man with Two Brains (1983), Roxanne (1987), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), Parenthood (1989), Father of the Bride (1991), Grand Canyon (1991), L A Story (1991), Bowfinger (1999), and Bringing Down the House (2003).

Martin was born in Waco, Texas. He published his first novel, Shopgirl, in 2001 and starred in the film adaptation in 2005. In 2007 he published the memoir Born Standing Up. Awards include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2005) and Kennedy Center Honors (2007).