Steve Martin Popular Books
Steve Martin Biography & Facts
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for his work in comedy films, television, and recording, he has received many accolades, including five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award and an Honorary Academy Award, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards. He also received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2005, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, and an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2015. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Martin at sixth place in a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comics. The Guardian named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. Martin first came to public notice as a writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969, and later as a frequent host on Saturday Night Live. He became one of the most popular U.S. stand-up comedians during the 1970s, performing his brand of offbeat, absurdist comedy routines before sold-out theaters on national tours. Martin went on to star in film roles, including such films as The Jerk (1979), Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), The Man with Two Brains (1983), All of Me (1984), ¡Three Amigos! (1986), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), L.A. Story (1991), Bowfinger (1999) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). He played family patriarchs in Parenthood (1989), the Father of the Bride films (1991–1995), and the Cheaper by the Dozen films (2003–2005). Since 2015, Martin has embarked on several national comedy tours with fellow comedian Martin Short. In 2018, they released their Netflix special An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life for which they received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 2021, he co-created and starred in his first television show, the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building, alongside Short and Selena Gomez, for which he earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, a Golden Globe Award nomination, and a 2021 Peabody Award nomination. In 2022, Martin and Short co-hosted Saturday Night Live together with Gomez making an appearance. Martin is also known for writing the books to the musical Bright Star (2016) and to the comedy Meteor Shower (2017), both of which premiered on Broadway; he co-wrote the music to the former. He has played banjo since an early age and has included music in his comedy routines from the beginning of his professional career. He has released several music albums and has performed with various bluegrass acts, including Earl Scruggs, with whom he won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2002. His first solo music album, The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo (2009) received the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. Early life and education Steve Martin was born on August 14, 1945 in Waco, Texas, the son of Mary Lee (née Stewart; 1913–2002) and Glenn Vernon Martin (1914–1997), a real estate salesman and aspiring actor. He has an older sister, Melinda. Martin is of English, Scottish, Welsh, Scots-Irish, German, and French descent and grew up in Inglewood, California, with his sister and then later in Garden Grove, California, in a Baptist family. Steve was a cheerleader at Garden Grove High School. One of his earliest memories is seeing his father, as an extra serving drinks onstage at the Callboard Theater on Melrose Place in West Hollywood, California. During World War II, in the United Kingdom, his father appeared in a production of Our Town with Raymond Massey. Expressing his affection through gifts like cars and bikes, Steve's father was stern and not emotionally open to his son. He was proud but critical, with Steve later recalling that in his teens his feelings for his father were mostly of hatred. Steve Martin's first job was at Disneyland, selling guidebooks on weekends and full-time during his school's summer break. The work lasted for three years (1955–1958). During his free time, he frequented the Main Street Magic shop, where tricks were demonstrated to patrons. While working at Disneyland, he was captured in the background of the home movie that was made into the short-subject film Disneyland Dream, incidentally becoming his first film appearance. By 1960, he had mastered several magic tricks and illusions and took a paying job at the Magic shop in Fantasyland in August. There he perfected his talents for magic, juggling, and creating balloon animals in the manner of mentor Wally Boag, frequently performing for tips. In his authorized biography, close friend Morris Walker suggests that Martin could "be described most accurately as an agnostic ... he rarely went to church and was never involved in organized religion of his own volition". In his early 20s, Martin dated Melissa Trumbo, daughter of novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. After high school, Martin attended Santa Ana College, taking classes in drama and English poetry. In his free time, he teamed up with friend and Garden Grove High School classmate Kathy Westmoreland to participate in comedies and other productions at the Bird Cage Theatre. He joined a comedy troupe at Knott's Berry Farm. Later, he met budding actress Stormie Sherk, and they developed comedy routines and became romantically involved. Sherk's influence caused Martin to apply to the California State University, Long Beach, for enrollment with a major in philosophy. Sherk enrolled at UCLA, about an hour's drive north, and the distance eventually caused them to lead separate lives. Inspired by his philosophy classes, Martin considered becoming a professor instead of an actor-comedian. Being at college changed his life. It changed what I believe and what I think about everything. I majored in philosophy. Something about non-sequiturs appealed to me. In philosophy, I started studying logic, and they were talking about cause and effect, and you start to realize, 'Hey, there is no cause and effect! There is no logic! There is no anything!' Then it gets real easy to write this stuff because all you have to do is twist everything hard—you twist the punch line, you twist the non-sequitur so hard away from the things that set it up. Martin recalls reading a treatise on comedy that led him to think: What if there were no punch lines? What if there were no indicators? What if I created tension and never released it? What if I headed for a climax, but all I delivered was an anticlimax? What would the audience do with all that tension? Theoretically, it would have to come out sometime. But if I kept denying them the formality of a punch line, the audience would eventually pick their own place to laugh, essentially out of desperation. Martin periodically spoofed his philosophy studies in his 1970s stand-up act, comparing philosophy with studying geology. If you're studying geology, which is all facts, as soon as you get out of school you forget it all, but ph.... Discover the Steve Martin popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Steve Martin books.
Best Seller Steve Martin Books of 2024
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The Girl With No Name
Reine AndrieuHeartbreaking. Gripping. Terribly captivating.'Read it in one sitting!' Madeleine, Amazon reviewerShe may not remember her name,but her body knows.1940. When a French family is fo...
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Sick in the Head
Judd ApatowNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE A.V. CLUB Includes new interviews!From the writer and director of Knocked Up and the producer o...
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L.A.WOMAN
Eve BabitzSoon to be a TV show on HuluEve Babitz is a writer like no othershe “is to prose what Chet Baker is to jazz” (Vanity Fair)and she has influenced a generation of writers and readers...
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How to Be Funny
Jon MacksAn invaluable guide on how to "lighten up" from a distinguished pro who has provided laughs for JAY LENO, BILLY CRYSTAL, STEVE MARTIN, ROBIN WILLIAMS, BRAD GARRETT, WHOOPI GOLDBERG...
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The Butler
Wil HaygoodThis mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film, The Butler traces the Civil Rights Movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century American history through the...
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I Hate Your Guts
Jim NortonWhen New York Times bestselling author and comedian Jim Norton isn't paying for massages with happy endings, or pretending to be fooled by transsexuals he picks up, he spends his t...
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In the Blood
Margaret KirkThe bloated remains of a man are discovered bound to a derelict pier in Orkney and newly promoted DCI Lukas Mahler dispatches a team to investigate. But when the body is identified...
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Wired
Bob WoodwardThis reissue of Bob Woodword’s classic book about John Belushione of the most interesting performers and personalities in show business history“is told with the same narrative styl...
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Shadow Man
Margaret Kirk'Shadow Man is a harrowing and horrific game of consequences.' Val McDermid THE FIRST COMPELLING SCOTTISH CRIME THRILLER IN THE GRIPPING DI LUKAS MAHLER SERIESTwo sistersJust befo...
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Built for Speed
John McGuinnessGo on the ride of your life with the racing legend himselfwith a thrilling NEW CHAPTER on John’s dramatic 2017 crash‘Then I was there myself, just another face in the crowd, watch...
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Barry Sheene
Rick BroadbentAn official landmark photographic book charting the private and public lives of Barry Sheene one of motorsport's bestloved and most charismatic figures. Barry Sheene is argua...
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She Made Me Laugh
Richard M. Cohen“A very personal remembrance of Nora Ephron’s life and loves, and her ups and downs” (USA TODAY) by her longtime and dear friend Richard Cohen in a hilarious, blunt, raucous, and p...
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The Pressure Principle
Dr Dave Alred MBE''If you are struggling with exams, vivers, job interviews, work presentations, with performing in a team or individual sport or find it difficult to interact in social situations...
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Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove
Christopher MooreThe town psychiatrist has decided to switch everybody in Pine Cove, California, from their normal antidepressants to placebos, so naturallywell, to be accurate, artificiallybusines...
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Quicksand
Steve ToltzThis fearlessly funny, outrageously inventive dark comedy about two lifelong friends is “a delightful literary novel…extraordinarily imaginative” (Psychology Today) from Man Booker...
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I Must Say
Martin Short“Short’s endearing memoir is, of course, funny, but it’s also a rare thing: the tale of a genuine human being who’s thrived on planet Hollywood.” Washington PostIn this ...
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Zombie Spaceship Wasteland
Patton OswaltPrepare yourself for a journey through the world of Patton Oswalt, one of the most creative, insightful, and hysterical voices on the entertainment scene today. Widely known for h...
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The Bowery
Stephen Paul DeVilloFrom peglegged Peter Stuyvesant to CBGB’s, the story of the Bowery reflects the history of the city that grew up around it. It was the street your mother warned you abouteven if yo...
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Live from New York
Orange Hippo!Since Chevy Chase first uttered the phrase 'Live from New York, it's Saturday night,' Saturday Night Live has grown from the vision of Canadian comedian Lorne Michaels to be a cult...
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Carson the Magnificent
Bill ZehmeA Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
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Born Standing Up
Steve MartinThe riveting, megabestselling, beloved and highly acclaimed memoir of a man, a vocation, and an era named one of the ten best nonfiction titles of the year by Time and Entertainmen...
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Two by Two
Eve BabitzTwo by Two is a fastpaced swirl through the dancing scene in L.A., where Leonardo DiCaprio has been known to swing at The Derby and Sandra Bullock salsas at El Floridita. Eve Babit...
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Wild and Crazy Guys
Nick de SemlyenThe behindthescenes story of the iconic funnymen who ruled '80s HollywoodBill Murray, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Eddie Murphyand the beloved films th...
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The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous
Cappy McGarr & Ken BurnsIn The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous, Cappy McGarr shares how he became an Emmynominated cocreator/executive producer of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Hum...
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My Young Life
Frederic Tuten“A love song to a lost New York” (New York magazine) from novelist, essayist, and critic Frederic Tuten as he recalls his personal and artistic comingofage in 1950s New York City, ...
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The Girl Behind the Gates
Brenda DaviesTOP TEN BESTSELLER'Compelling. Poignant. Haunting. Heart wrenching. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book.' Renita D'Silva, bestselling author of The Forgotte...
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The Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Book
Jerry SeinfeldA celebration of and behindthescenes look at Jerry Seinfeld’s groundbreaking streaming series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.In his streaming show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coff...
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The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make That Ten.
Steve MartinThe funniest, most memorable Twitter messages from comedian and bestselling author Steve Martin, along with hilarious responses from followers. Steve Martin's uncanny ability to pa...
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Love All the People
Bill HicksBill Hicks was arguably the most influential standup comedian of the last 30 years. He was funny, out of hand, impossible to ignore and genuinely disturbing. His work has inspired ...
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A Good Bad Boy
Margaret WapplerAn artful and contemplative tribute to the late actor famed for his role as Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210.Best known for playing loner rebel Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills 9021...
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The Hong Kong Diaries
Chris PattenThe diaries of the last British Governor of Hong Kong, published on the 25th anniversary of the handoverIn June 1992 Chris Patten went to Hong Kong as the last British governor, to...
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Kill Me Once
Jon OsborneNathan Stiedowe is seeking perfection and he has been learning from the best. Recreating some of the most sickening murders in history, his objective appears chillingly simple, bu...
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Leadership Lessons of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham LincolnWhat is it about Abraham Lincoln that, 146 years after his death, continues to inspire us? Was it his commitment to honesty and his unfailing integrity? Was it his courage to stand...
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The Pleasure of My Company
Steve MartinFrom the bestselling author of Shopgirl comes the tender story of a troubled man who finds love, and life, in the most unexpected place. Daniel resides in his Santa Monica apartmen...
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Father of the Bride
Edward StreeterThe New York Times bestselling classic tale about modern marriage and the basis for the popular films is now back in print!Poor Mr. Banks! His jacket is too tight, he can’t get a c...
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Live From New York
Tom Shales & James Andrew MillerJames Andrew Miller and Tom Shales's definitive oral history of Saturday Night Live, hailed as "incredible" (Vulture) and "required reading" (People). When first published to celeb...
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American History Through a Whiskey Glass
Harris CooperExperience American history like never before with this unique, informative, and fun guide for history buffs, whiskey enthusiasts, folks who like to cook at home, and fans of popul...
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Everything All at Once
Bill Nye & Corey S. PowellIn the New York Times bestseller Everything All at Once, Bill Nye shows you how thinking like a nerd is the key to changing yourself and the world around you. Everyone has an inner...
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Stay Up with Hugo Best
Erin SomersOne of Vogue’s Best Books of the Year “Incisive, funny, and tinged with melancholy, the timely novel follows two lost but clever souls desperate for connection.” Entertainment Wee...