Comic actor Martin Short has become famous for his ability to disappear within his characters -- so much so that several of them (über-geek Ed Grimley, unctuous chat show host Jiminy Glick, second-string celebrity Jackie Rodgers, Jr., heavily accented wedding planner Franck Eggelhoffer) are probably more easily recognized than the actor who portrayed them. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1950, Short attended nearby McMaster University, where he received a degree in social work in 1972. However, Short had developed an interest in music and theater while a student, and with the encouragement of his mother (a former musician who had performed with the Hamilton Symphony), Short landed a role in the Toronto production of the musical Godspell the year he received his degree. Toronto's Godspell became a touchstone of Canadian comedy, with the cast including Short, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, and Andrea Martin, while Paul Shaffer served as musical director. On the advice of friends from McMaster and the Godspell cast, Short continued to act, and joined the cast of Toronto's Second City improvisational comedy troupe in Toronto in 1977. When members of the Toronto Second City company were tapped to appear on the television series SCTV, Short joined the cast in 1983 (but not before appearing on a pair of short-lived American sitcoms).