# Nancy Dolman
**Nancy Dolman** (Nancy Jane Dolman; September 26, 1951 – August 21, 2010) was a Canadian actress and singer known for recurring television roles in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and as the wife of comedian [Martin Short](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-short) for the last 30 years of her life.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) • [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-dolman-martin-shorts-wife-dies/) She retired from acting in 1985 to raise the couple's three children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951, Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) |
| Died | August 21, 2010, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, age 58 (ovarian cancer)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) |
| Marriage | Married Martin Short on December 22, 1980; married 30 years until her death[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) • [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-dolman-martin-shorts-wife-dies/) |
| Best-known roles | Annie Selig on *Soap* (1980–1981, 11 episodes); Maggie Tucker on *Custard Pie* (1977, 13 episodes)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/) |
| Theater | Understudy and replacement performer in the touring production of *Godspell* (May 26, 1972 – August 12, 1973)[4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/nancy-dolman-525057) |
| Children | Three adopted children: Katherine (born 1983), Oliver (April 1986), and Henry (August 1989)[5](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife) |
| Retirement | Left show business in 1985 to be a full-time mother[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) |
## Early life and Godspell
Dolman was born in Toronto. Her entry into professional theater came through the 1972 Toronto production of the musical *Godspell*, which ran as a touring show from May 26, 1972 to August 12, 1973 and featured a cast of performers who went on to prominent comedy careers, including [Eugene Levy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eugene-levy), Dave Thomas, Victor Garber, Martin Short, and [Gilda Radner](https://www.edgepedia.org/gilda-radner).[4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/nancy-dolman-525057) • [6](https://prabook.com/web/martin.short/960180) Dolman was hired as Radner's understudy and is credited by the Internet Broadway Database as an understudy and replacement performer in the production.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) • [4](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/nancy-dolman-525057)
It was during this production that she met Martin Short. Short was dating Radner at the time in an on-and-off relationship; he and Dolman did not begin dating until 1974.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) In a later interview, Short described the transition as sudden: "One day. One day, I was single."[5](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife)
## Acting career
Dolman worked in television through the 1970s and early 1980s. Her screen credits include *Royal Suite* (1976), *Teleplay* (1977), *Custard Pie* (1977), in which she played Maggie Tucker for 13 episodes, *Landon Landon & Landon* (1980), a recurring role as Annie Selig on the sitcom *Soap* (1980–1981, 11 episodes), an episode of *It's a Living* (1981), the television movie *Family in Blue* (1982), an episode of *SCTV Channel* (1984), and the 1986 television movie *Butterbump in the 8th*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/)
She retired from show business in 1985 to raise her family, which is why her list of credits ends in the mid-1980s even though she lived another 25 years.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio)
## Marriage and family
Dolman and Short married on December 22, 1980.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) They adopted three children: daughter [Katherine](https://www.edgepedia.org/katherine), born 1983, and sons Oliver, born 1986, and Henry, born 1989.[5](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio)
The marriage was well known within their circle. In the 2026 Netflix documentary *Marty, Life Is Short*, Catherine O'Hara recounts that a therapist asked whether she knew a couple whose relationship she would want to emulate, and that she and her husband named Short and Dolman; the therapist replied that many people gave the same answer.[5](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife) Short himself described their life together as a party that "never ended," saying there was never a packed bag and that any fight was dissolved within the day.[5](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife)
Dolman's brother is the comedy writer Bob Dolman, who was married to actress [Andrea Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrea-martin).[7](https://streetsoftoronto.com/toronto-culture/comic-stripped-the-martin-izing-of-canadian-comedy/) The Short and Dolman families were thus doubly connected through two comedy marriages.[7](https://streetsoftoronto.com/toronto-culture/comic-stripped-the-martin-izing-of-canadian-comedy/)
## Death
Dolman died on August 21, 2010, at the couple's home in [Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/pacific-palisades-los-angeles), at age 58.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio) • [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-dolman-martin-shorts-wife-dies/) The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call for emergency medical help at the home that Saturday morning, and paramedics did not transport anyone from the house.[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-dolman-martin-shorts-wife-dies/) Short's manager, Marc Gurvitz, confirmed the death of Short's wife of 30 years but initially provided no cause.[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-dolman-martin-shorts-wife-dies/) Later reporting identified the cause as ovarian cancer; a coroner confirmed she had been receiving private care for a natural disease and died of natural causes.[5](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio)
Dolman had asked not to have a funeral or memorial. Short instead held a party with 30 close friends and family; she was cremated and her remains were spread into the water near his cottage in Canada.[5](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife)
## Legacy
Short has said his wife's death was "by far the most awful thing I've been through," and coping with the loss was part of what prompted his 2014 memoir *I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend*; he was 60 when she died and raising three children.[8](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2014/11/11/martin-short-reflects-on-comedy-and-tragedy-in-new-memoir-i-must-say/) • [9](https://globalnews.ca/news/1679125/martin-short-talks-both-tragedy-and-comedy-in-his-new-memoir/) The 2026 Netflix documentary *Marty, Life Is Short*, directed by Larry Kasdan, draws on Short's home movies and, in his words, is "a love letter" to her.[5](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife)
Searches for her name also surface obituaries for unrelated people named Nancy Dolman, including a Nancy L. Dolman of Spring Hill, Florida (1934–2017) and a Nancy Faye Dolman of Bedford Heights, Ohio (1945–2019); these are different individuals.[10](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tampabaytimes/name/nancy-dolman-obituary?id=14345763) • [11](https://obits.cleveland.com/us/obituaries/cleveland/name/nancy-dolman-obituary?id=12024555)
## References
1. [Nancy Dolman – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/bio)
2. [Nancy Dolman, Martin Short's Wife, Dies, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-dolman-martin-shorts-wife-dies/)
3. [Nancy Dolman, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231195/)
4. [Nancy Dolman – Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/nancy-dolman-525057)
5. [Who Was Nancy Dolman? All About Martin Short's Wife, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/celebrities/a71255119/who-was-nancy-dolman-martin-short-wife)
6. [Martin Short, Prabook](https://prabook.com/web/martin.short/960180)
7. [Comic Stripped: The Martin-izing of Canadian comedy, Streets of Toronto](https://streetsoftoronto.com/toronto-culture/comic-stripped-the-martin-izing-of-canadian-comedy/)
8. [Martin Short reflects on comedy and tragedy in new memoir "I Must Say", CityNews Toronto](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2014/11/11/martin-short-reflects-on-comedy-and-tragedy-in-new-memoir-i-must-say/)
9. [Martin Short talks both tragedy and comedy in his new memoir, Global News](https://globalnews.ca/news/1679125/martin-short-talks-both-tragedy-and-comedy-in-his-new-memoir/)
10. [Nancy L. Dolman Obituary (1934–2017), Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tampabaytimes/name/nancy-dolman-obituary?id=14345763)
11. [Nancy Faye Dolman Obituary (1945–2019), Legacy.com](https://obits.cleveland.com/us/obituaries/cleveland/name/nancy-dolman-obituary?id=12024555)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Canadian actors › Surnames Cr to F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license