August 14, 1945 – Comedian, Actor, Musician, and Disney Legend Steve Martin is Born
“I also got to wander around Disneyland to my heart’s content. I could scrounge tickets to rides, sometimes finding them on the ground, sometimes a departing fat cat would slip me his remaining coupons.”
On August 14, 1945, Stephen Glenn Martin was born in Waco, Texas. At a young age, his family moved to California, where he ended up living two miles away from Disneyland. Through his teens, Martin worked in the park, and eventually worked in Merlin’s Magic Shop, selling magic tricks and gag items. He would often watch the work of Disneyland performer Wally Boag, whose comedic timing and style would greatly influence Martin’s own comedic style. He attended California State University, majoring in philosophy, but later transferred to UCLA and switched from philosophy to theater before dropping out of college altogether. His career began in 1967, when he got a writing job for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour; his first television appearance was in 1969 on The Steve Allen Show. He would appear on several television shows after this, including The Tonight Show, The Muppet Show, and Saturday Night Live, with the latter gaining high viewership when he made a guest appearance. His numerous comedy albums sold quite well, and he continued his stand-up career until 1981, when he decided to concentrate on his film career. His work with Disney, other than working at Disneyland, includes several film projects, such as Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride II, and an appearance in Fantasia 2000. In 2005, Martin was inducted as a Disney Legend for his work at Disneyland.
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