Martin Short may be known as one of America’s most talented actors and beloved comedians, but he’s also a doting dad. The Only Murders in the Building star has three children: Katherine, Oliver and Henry, all of whom he adopted and shared with his late wife, Nancy Dolman. Sadly, Nancy passed away of ovarian cancer in 2010.
“It’s been a tough two years for my children. This is the thing of life that we live in denial about, that it will ever happen to us or our loved ones, and when it does, you gain a little, and you suffer a little. There’s no big surprise,” he told The Guardian in 2012 when discussing how his kids were coping with his wife’s passing.
Unfortunately, Martin lost his eldest daughter, Katherine, in February 2026. She died at the age of 42.
Find out more about Martin and Nancy’s kids and their lives with them below.
Katherine Short
Katherine was born on December 3, 1983. She reportedly worked as a social worker at various points in her life. Although she lived a private life, for the most part, she appeared on red carpets with her dad in the past. One event included the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2011. She happily posed with him while looking gorgeous in a teal strapless gown.
Katherine also showed up to the 2008 premiere of The Spiderwick Chronicles in Los Angeles, CA, and stayed by her dad’s side for photos throughout the night. She looked incredible at that event as well as she donned a navy blue long-sleeved dress with a plunging neckline.
Unfortunately, Katherine died at the age of 42 in February 2026.
Oliver Short
Oliver is Martin and Nancy’s second-born child. He was welcomed into the world on April 29, 1986, and was confirmed to work as a senior associate producer at NBC Sports in 2019. Martin gushed over him and his other kids in an interview with Conan O’Brien and revealed that although he “pushed” his kids to get into show business, none of them were really interested and went on to work in other impressive careers.
Other than his dad revealing his career on Conan’s talk show, Oliver has been pretty private, like his other siblings. He has appeared on red carpets, including the one for the opening night of Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, which can be seen above, in New York in 2006.
Henry Short
Martin and Nancy’s youngest child is Henry. He was born on Aug. 4, 1989, and has led a private life, when he’s not appearing at events with his famous dad. One memorable event he attended with Martin was the premiere of the film Inherent Vice in New York in 2014. They both looked dashing in black and white suits with ties and posed with smiles on the carpet of the event.
