Steve Martin Steve Martin, born in 1945, American comedian and writer, who emerged as a motion-picture actor of exceptional talent and range.

Steve Martin Steve Martin, born in 1945, American comedian and writer, who emerged as a motion-picture actor of exceptional talent and range. Martin was born in Waco, Texas, and educated at Long Beach College and the University of California at Los Angeles. He won an Emmy Award for his writing for the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" in the late 1960s. Martin soon began performing his own material in comedy concerts and on albums. Beginning in the mid-1970s he became known for his participation on the television series "Saturday Night Live." Martin played his first major film role in The Jerk (1979, co-written by Martin), which received mixed reviews. His next film, Pennies from Heaven (1981), was a dark musical tragicomedy of the Depression era. All of Me (1984) was a tour-de-force of physical invention, with Martin portraying a man who must share his body with the soul of a woman, played by American comedian Lily Tomlin. He added verbal wit and romantic tenderness to Roxanne (1987, written by Martin), an update of the classic play by French author Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac. Other films include Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (co-wrote, 1982), The Man with Two Brains (co-wrote, 1983), The Lonely Guy (1984), Parenthood (1989), L.A. Story (wrote, 1991), Father of the Bride (1991), HouseSitter (1992), Leap of Faith (1992), Father of the Bride II (1995), The Out-of-Towners (1999), and The Pink Panther (2006). Martin has also written several plays, including Picasso at the Lapin Agile (1993) and WASP (1996); the short novels Shopgirl (2000) and The Pleasure of My Company (2003); and the memoir Born Standing Up (2007). Contributed By: Richard T. Jameson Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.