It’s been 16 years since Martin Short’s wife, Nancy Dolman, passed away, but the actor still keeps her close to his heart.
“She died in 2010, but I still communicate with her all the time. It’s ‘Hey, Nan,’ you know? How would she react to this decision or that, especially regarding our three kids,” Short told AARP in 2019.
Short said the couple’s bond didn’t end with Dolman’s death.
“I believe that when people die, they zoom into the people that love them. This idea that it just ends, and don’t speak of them — that’s wrong. That’s based on denial that we’re all going to die. So to me, she’s still here,” Short said.
In a new Netflix documentary titled “Marty, Life Is Short,” out May 11, the “Only Murders in the Building” star revisits his 30-year marriage to Dolman and discusses his career, with a few of his famous friends providing commentary.
This is what to know about Short’s relationship with Dolman.
Short met his wife while working together
While appearing on a 2024 episode of the “Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson” podcast, Short recalled meeting Dolman in 1972 when he was starring in a production of “Godspell.”
At the time, Short was dating and living with actor Gilda Radner. When Dolman joined the cast as Radner’s understudy, Short said he thought she was “was so beautiful.” Still, sparks didn’t fly between the two for quite some time.
“I thought she was out of my league and I loved Gilda,” he said.
In 1974, Radner and Short’s on-again-off-again relationship ended for good. A single Short ran into Dolman and they made plans to go play tennis together.
“I remember Gilda phoning up saying, ‘You’re with Nancy. But we’re supposed to get back together.’ It was fast,” he recalled.
The couple got married in 1980
Short and Dolman married in 1980. Short called his marriage “a triumph” in a 2019 interview with AARP.
Short spoke to the Guardian in 2012 about his relationship with his late wife.
“Before my wife Nancy died two years ago, we were together for 36 years, but I would have been divorced five times if I hadn’t found the right person. I wouldn’t have faked it and played a game just because I didn’t want to be divorced,” he said.
The couple adopted 3 children
During their marriage, Short and Dolman adopted three children. Their eldest son Oliver is now 40 and their youngest son Henry is now 36.
The couple’s only daughter, Katherine, died in February 2026 at the age of 42. LAPD sources told NBC4 Investigates that police arrived at her home after receiving a request for a welfare check. Sources believe she died by suicide.
Martin Short is speaking publicly for the first time about the sudden death of his daughter, Katherine Short, calling the loss a “nightmare for the family.”
Dolman died in 2010
Dolman died in 2010 following a battle with ovarian cancer. She was 58 years old.
During an interview with Larry King in 2012, Short shared that his wife fought the disease for three years but said her condition deteriorated in the last six months.
“She was brave. At times, denial fueled her. And at times, realism fueled her too,” he said.
While appearing on “The Meredith Vieira Show” in 2014, Short described the way his family paid tribute to Dolman after her death.
“She had once said to me, ‘I don’t want a funeral and I don’t want a memorial. And throw a party or not,’” he recalled.
Short explained that he thought his wife was “so irritated that she was losing this battle” and “didn’t want to think about it.”
Short said he “followed her wishes” and threw a party at their cottage in Canada with family and friends after her death.
“She was cremated. We — the kids and I — went into a boat. We sprinkled the ashes in the water and we jumped into the ashes,” he said.
What Short has said about grieving his wife
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in 2024, Short described how he and his kids coped after Dolman died.
“It was absolutely horrible, obviously, and as sad as anything, but I will tell you what I said to my kids at the time: ‘I believe Mom has zoomed into our souls,’” he said.
Short then referenced a famous quote that helped him as he was grieving.
“George Eliot said, ‘Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.’ We were together for 36 years. I didn’t want to forget Nancy,” he said.
While speaking with AARP, Short said his wife’s death made him reconsider his priorities.
“At the same time, her death emboldened me to take risks. With real tragedy, you become a little more daring. It’s the yin to the yang: the positive part of life’s dark side,” he said.
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