The 76-year-old actor dated Radner in the early 1970s following his role in the Toronto version of the musical ‘Godspell’
NEED TO KNOW
- Martin Short encountered Gilda Radner in a 1972 Toronto production ofGodspellnext to Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin
- Short and Radner were together during the production
- Short also encountered his future wife, Nancy Dolman, duringGodspell,where she served as Radner’s understudy
Martin Short remembers Gilda Radner as kind, humorous, and immediately charming.
Brief, 76, contemplated encountering the lateSaturday Night Live star in a 1972 stage production ofGodspell while chatting with David Letterman and Paul Shafferon the Netflix Is a Joke Presents: This Better Be Funny with David Letterman event on Thursday, May 7.
“Godspellhad debuted Off-Broadway and turned into a major success, leading them to stage a production in Toronto,” Short explained. “I was still attending university. Gilda Radner was part of the cast. Eugene Levy. Andrea Martin. Victor Garber.”
He observed that the “callbacks were a mess — like”American Idol. Hundreds of people, and somehow we all ended up cast together.”
Short informed Letterman that none of the aspiring stars had met each other before, and they were “just kids.”
“We were absolutely excited to be out of school and engaged in something artistic,” Short said.
When questioned about his connection with Radner, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 1989 at the age of 42, the Emmy winner remarked that she was “exactly as wonderful as you’d expect.”
Every woman wanted to be her best friend and every man wanted to date her because she was simply hilarious, vibrant, and warm,” Short said. “During the first rehearsal, she came over and said, ‘Hi, I’m Gilda. I’m really excited to meet you.’ She was instantly funny.
At the same time, however, Short also met his future wife, Nancy Dolman, as she took on the role of Radner’s understudy.
“She was a remarkable vocalist. Exceptional ability,” Short remarked about Dolman.
In 2024, the Only Murders in the BuildingThe actor shared with Ted Danson the complications involving his relationship with the two women.
Danson questioned whether he ever had a “spark in his eye” for Dolman prior to their relationship, and although Short mentioned he believed she was “out of his league,” he also stated that he “loved Gilda.”
He and Radner “were always breaking up,” he recalled. Once Short believed he and Radner had finally ended their relationship, he arranged to play tennis with Dolman.
I recall Gilda calling and saying, ‘You’re with Nancy… we’re supposed to get back together,’ ” he revealed to Danson. “It happened quickly. One day, I was single. That’s wild.
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Short and Dolman married in 1980. In 1985, they welcomed three children into their family: Katherine, Oliver, and Henry. However, Dolmanpassed away in 2010 due to ovarian cancerThey spent 36 years together in marriage.
In February 2026, the Short family revealed that Katherinehad diedat the age of forty-two.
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