This distinguished actor has to be one of the most humble, down to earth celebrities in Hollywood. Unlike many actors (or sports stars, politicians, musicians, and the list could go on), who with time turn bitter and pedantic and leave us wondering what in God's name we ever liked about them in the first place, Steve Martin has never lost the goofiness, charm, and affability that he exuded all the way back in the 70s when he launched his admirable career. Today, his work is strewn across cable and satellite TV so densely (either as writer, producer, or star) that you'd be hard-pressed to find a day when there isn't a single sample of his ingenuity on the tube.
Starting off as a writer on a few different comedy gigs, Martin was noticed by professionals at the time as a future talent with great potential. This landed him a few appearances on shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson by the mid-70s, and there was no turning back from there. By the end of the decade, he was hosting Saturday Night Live episodes along with the greats of the moment, and it was at this point that he crafted his zany and ridiculous stand-up brand of comedy.
Though surely some more traditional comedy fans were taken aback by Martin's peculiar style of antics, the uniqueness of his act earned him the respect of his peers, and the audience at large. With his first two comedy albums, Let's Get Small and A Wild and Crazy Guy, Martin was already at the pinnacle of critical acclaim, having won Emmies for both performances, and he hadn't even rounded out an entire decade in the industry.
Then came the 80s, and his style matured a little, and got even naughtier. This would have to be—at least in the opinion of this author—the apex of his career, when his wit and humor were sharpened to such delectable incisiveness that the unsuspecting viewer could feel assaulted by his style if they were not into comedy. Starring along with the big names of the time, Martin solidified his position in the industry and earned himself an irrevocable spot at the pantheon of great American comics. Just check out The Man with Two Brains or Planes, Trains, and Automobiles or maybe Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to see how piercing the humor of this genius was.
Later works seemed to show that he had simmered down, but lost none of his charisma and charm (just the wickedness). Demonstrating to all that he was capable of maturing and branching out into other fields (well, he had been a musician for a long time already), he added music to his repertoire and even won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2002 for his banjo skills; he had also won recognition long before, towards the beginning of his career, for his musical creation King Tut, which was more tied in to his comedy routine.
Today, at the age of 63, Steve Martin seems to be quite comfortable with his success. So, whether you've got satellite TV or not, check out some of his work: it'll be one of the finer samples of American culture you'll ever see. You can sacrifice that sports game you don't really care about to watch one of recent history's most brilliant comedians do his thing, can't you?
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