Martin Short’s Children: Meet His 3 Kids, Katherine, Oliver and Henry
Canadian comedian Martin Short has spent five decades making people laugh, from SCTV and Saturday Night Live to Three Amigos, Father of the Bride and Only Murders in the Building. Away from the stage, he is a father of three. He and his late wife, actress Nancy Dolman, adopted all of their children: a daughter, Katherine, and two sons, Oliver and Henry. None of them went into show business, and the family has lived through two heavy losses, Nancy’s death in 2010 and Katherine’s death in February 2026.
How Many Children Does Martin Short Have?
Martin Short has three children, all adopted with Nancy Dolman, his wife of 30 years. The couple met in 1972 in the Toronto production of Godspell and married in 1980. Katherine arrived first in 1983, followed by Oliver in 1986 and Henry in 1989, according to People.
Children of Martin Short
- 3 children
- Born 1983–1989
- With Nancy Dolman (adopted)
- 1 died
- Died at 42
- 40years
- 37years
All three children were adopted by Martin Short and Nancy Dolman. Birth dates as reported by People.
Short has joked that his kids never caught the showbiz bug. “None of them wanted to go into show business, and I pushed them,” he said on Conan, adding that he made them do laps in the morning while he stood on the balcony with his coffee shouting “Quitter!”
Katherine Hartley Short (1983 to 2026)
Katherine was the eldest of the three and the couple’s only daughter. She was born on December 3, 1983, and joined the family as a baby. In his 2014 memoir, I Must Say, Short recalled that his friend Gilda Radner insisted on speaking to the newly adopted baby on the phone. Radner told her that her dad had spelled her name wrong and that it should be spelled with an “A,” like Katharine Hepburn, Rolling Stone reported.
Another story from the memoir has five-year-old Katherine handing her phone number to Tony Curtis at a party. Curtis called the next day and left a message saying it was nice to meet her. She also went to red carpet events with her parents, including the 2003 afterparty for The Producers, Bette Midler’s “Hulaween” and the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar party with her father.
Her career in mental health
Katherine chose a career helping people rather than performing for them. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender and sexuality studies from New York University in 2006, then a master’s in social work from the University of Southern California in 2010. She interned at the legal aid group Public Counsel and trained at the West Los Angeles VA, where she worked with veterans.
After her master’s, she spent more than four years at UCLA’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. She later worked in the dual-diagnosis outpatient program at the Camden Center, then became a licensed clinical social worker in private practice and part-time at Amae Health, according to People. She also supported Bring Change 2 Mind, a charity that fights the stigma around mental illness.
Her death in February 2026
Katherine died in February 2026 at age 42. Police found her at her Hollywood Hills home on the evening of February 23 after a friend asked for a welfare check, NBC News reported. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later ruled that she died by suicide.
The family confirmed the news the next day through Short’s representative. “It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” the statement read. “The Short family is devastated by this loss, and asks for privacy at this time. Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”
Short postponed several dates of his comedy tour with Steve Martin, starting with a February 27 show in Milwaukee and shows in Minneapolis, TheWrap reported. At the Oscars in March 2026, host Conan O’Brien closed the broadcast by shouting “We love you, Martin Short!” from the stage, Variety reported.
What Martin Short said about Katherine
Short first spoke about his daughter’s death on CBS Sunday Morning on May 10, 2026. “It’s been a nightmare for the family,” he told correspondent Tracy Smith. “But the understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal. And my daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she could until she couldn’t.”
He made the same point to NPR’s Morning Edition the next day. “The reality is that my daughter had a severe disease: mental illness. Like cancer, some diseases are terminal. And hers was terminal,” he said. His Netflix documentary Marty, Life Is Short, directed by his friend Lawrence Kasdan, was finished before Katherine died, and it is dedicated to her and to his SCTV friend Catherine O’Hara, TV Insider reported.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a local crisis line or emergency service. In the US, you can call or text 988.
Oliver Patrick Short (born 1986)
Oliver is the middle child and the elder of the two boys. He was born on April 29, 1986, and studied film and television production at the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 2008. At Notre Dame, he captained the men’s snowboard team and coached the women’s ice hockey team, according to People.
Oliver went behind the camera rather than in front of it. He started as an executive assistant at Warner Bros. Pictures, then moved into sports television with producing roles at Fox Sports, MLB Network and NBC Sports. He keeps no public social media.
He has stepped out with his family at a few events. Oliver joined his parents and sister at the August 2006 afterparty for Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me on Broadway, and at the Night of Too Many Stars benefit in October 2006. He also speaks in Marty, Life Is Short, where he explains that work helped his father keep a sense of normal life on the road.
Henry Hayter Short (born 1989)
Henry is the youngest of the three. He was born on August 4, 1989, and carries Hayter, his father’s middle name. Like his brother, he went to the University of Notre Dame, earning a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2012. He played on the men’s water polo club team, joined the fishing club and captained the ski and snowboard club.
Henry started his career in wealth management at the Royal Bank of Canada, first as a managed solutions group consultant and then as an analyst. He later changed paths completely and became a veterinary assistant at Malibu Coast Animal Hospital, People reported.
Henry has joined his father at more public events than his siblings. He went to the 2004 Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events premiere with both parents, the Frankenweenie premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2012, the Broadway opening of Pippin in April 2013, the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards, and the Take Off, Eh benefit in July 2017.
Oliver and Henry at the Marty, Life Is Short Premiere
The brothers stood by their father at his first public appearance after Katherine’s death. On May 6, 2026, Oliver, then 40, and Henry, then 36, walked the red carpet with Short at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for the premiere of Marty, Life Is Short, Hello! magazine reported. Selena Gomez, Kate Hudson, Billy Crystal, Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin were among the guests. The film began streaming on Netflix on May 12, 2026.
Family Life After Nancy Dolman
Nancy Dolman gave up acting in the mid-1980s to raise the children. She died of ovarian cancer on August 21, 2010, at age 58, and Short raised his kids, then in their twenties, without her. Speaking to The Guardian in October 2012, he said, “It’s been a tough two years for my children.”
Short has never remarried, and he still talks about Nancy as part of the family’s daily life. In the CBS interview, he shared her last words to him: “Mart, let me go.” For more on his career and earnings, see our look at Martin Short’s net worth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children does Martin Short have?
Martin Short has three children, Katherine, Oliver and Henry, all adopted with his late wife, Nancy Dolman. Katherine died in February 2026, and his two sons are alive.
Are Martin Short’s children adopted?
Yes. Short and Dolman adopted all three children: Katherine in 1983, Oliver in 1986 and Henry in 1989.
What happened to Martin Short’s daughter?
Katherine Hartley Short, a licensed clinical social worker in Los Angeles, died in February 2026 at age 42. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled that she died by suicide. Her father later said she had fought mental illness, including borderline personality disorder, for a long time.
What do Martin Short’s sons do?
Oliver Short works in television production and has held producing roles at Fox Sports, MLB Network and NBC Sports. Henry Short worked in finance at the Royal Bank of Canada before becoming a veterinary assistant in Malibu.
Did any of Martin Short’s children go into acting?
No. None of the three went into show business, which Short has joked about in interviews.
