Martin Short is known for getting the laugh — but his latest project leans into something far more personal.
The trailer for Netflix’s upcoming documentary Marty, Life Is Short (out May 12) offers a glimpse at the highs and lows that have defined the beloved comedian’s life. And, in true Short fashion, even the heaviest moments come with a wink. At one point, he jokes to his brother Michael that he “had a speed dial to the funeral parlor.”
“There were laughs during those years.… that’s the point,” he says. “In life, sometimes you hit a green light. And sometimes, for no reason, it’s red.”
The film doesn’t shy away from the losses that shaped him. Most recently, Short’s daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, died by suicide in February. She was 42.
“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” a rep for the star confirmed to Page Six on February 24.
“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.”
Alongside the heavier moments, the trailer includes intimate family footage — including scenes of Short dancing with his children when they were young — that underscore how central fatherhood has been to his life.
“Being a dad, it’s as genuine as his breath,” comedian Andrea Martin says in the documentary.
Loss has been a throughline for Short since childhood. He was just 12 when his eldest brother died in a car accident. Within a few years, he also lost both of his parents — his mother to cancer when he was 17, and his father to a stroke not long after.
Still, he’s often pointed to humor as the thing that grounded him. In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, Short recalled growing up in a home filled with “tremendous humor in the house growing up. A lot of laughing.”
Reflecting on those early experiences, he added: “I think the reason all that didn’t throw me sideways was because I had such a solid foundation. Those kinds of situations are horrible but I think that you are either empowered by them or you become a victim of them.”
Later, Short found lasting love with his wife, Nancy Dolman, whom he was married to for 36 years before her death from ovarian cancer in 2010 at age 58. Looking back in that same interview, he described her as “the right person,” adding, “We were together for 36 years, but I would have been divorced five times if I hadn’t found the right person.”
The documentary also spotlights his longtime friendships — including fellow comedy legend Catherine O’Hara. A previously recorded interview with O’Hara, conducted before her death in January, appears alongside archival footage of the two over the years.
“I feel like he could improvise to eternity. Couldn’t he?” she says in the film.
Other clips capture their easy chemistry, from dancing together at home to a playful moment where Short grabs her face and jokes, “I loved you in ‘Home Alone!’ You were wonderful!” as she laughs.
If the trailer is any indication, Marty, Life Is Short won’t just revisit Short’s career — it’ll paint a fuller picture of the man behind it, one who’s managed to keep finding the humor, even when life gave him every reason not to.
