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Demetri Martin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Demetri Martin | |
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| Birth name | Demetri Martin |
| Born | May 25, 1973 (age 33) New York City, New York,  United States |
| Official site | demetrimartin.com |
| Notable roles | Demetri Martin, Person; Correspondent on The Daily Show |
Demetri Martin (born May 25, 1973) is an Emmy Award-nominated American comedian, actor, musician, and writer, best known for his work as a stand-up comedian and as a contributor on The Daily Show.
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Martin's father was a Greek Orthodox priest and his mother is a nutritionist. He was raised in Toms River, New Jersey. Martin attended Yale University and then New York University School of Law on a full scholarship. Despite objections from his family, he dropped out a year before graduation to pursue a career in comedy. Regarding the decision, Martin has said:
| “ | It’s weird to make a decision where everyone in your life disapproves, pretty vocally and directly. They said, "You've got one year left. Just do it." I had a full scholarship so I didn’t have to pay for it. They asked, "Why don’t you just get the degree so you can have it?" And I said, "You don’t understand. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do and now I know. I have the answer and it’s dumb to waste any more time."[1] | ” |
Martin is divorced;[2] his hobbies include constructing palindromes.[3]
In 2001, Demetri Martin caught his first big break in stand-up comedy when he appeared on Comedy Central's stand-up showcase Premium Blend. In 2003 he won the Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his show If I....[4] The show was turned into a British television special in 2004.
From 2003 to 2004, Martin was a writer for Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In 2004, Martin had his own Comedy Central Presents stand-up special. His special was divided into three parts. In the first, he performed in traditional stand-up comedy fashion. In the second segment, he used humorous drawings as visual aids, which would serve either as the punchline or a background. During the third segment, he played a guitar and put on a pseudo-play where he would strum his guitar while talking; some of his comedian friends dressed as fairies and dragons and acted according to the story he was telling, detailing the magical land from which his jokes came. Martin's mother and grandmother also appeared.
Since late 2005, he has been credited as a contributor on The Daily Show, on which he hosts a segment called "Trendspotting." He has used this segment to talk about so-called hip trends among youth such as hookahs and the Xbox 360. A piece about social networking featured his profile on MySpace.[5] On March 22, 2007, Demitri made another appearance on The Daily Show talking about the Viacom lawsuit against Google and YouTube.
Martin appeared at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a show called These Are Jokes. Also in 2005, he was featured at the intimate comedy showcase Invite Them Up and the subsequent best of CD and DVD collection. Martin returned to the Fringe in 2006 with his show "Dr. Earnest Parrot Presents Demetri Martin", in which the comedian discussed his diagnosis by the eponymous Dr Earnest Parrot, PhD, PhD, PhD, MD, and PhD (Director of the Institute of Advanced Personhood) of the rare psychological condition PHEALS and subsequent treatment (of which his performance was part).
Martin hosted the Across the Narrows music festival in Coney Island on October 1, 2005, which also starred Nine Black Alps, Mando Diao, Death from Above 1979, Rilo Kiley, Built to Spill, Gang of Four, and Pixies.
He has recorded a comedy CD/DVD entitled These Are Jokes, which was released on September 26, 2006. This album also features Saturday Night Live member and personal friend of Martin, Will Forte, on the track "Personal Information Waltz." He also appeared at the 2006 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where he won the Barry Award (named for Barry "Dame Edna Everage" Humphries), the festival's top prize.
He has cited comedian Steven Wright as an important influence. Both use deadpan one-liners in their acts.[6]
Recently, Martin signed a deal with Microsoft to write advertisements for Windows Vista in a campaign called "Clearification," which features a series of six online mini-episodes based on Martin's fictional adventures as an advanced person in the Institute for Advanced Personhood, as well as various thoughts spoken by an animated Martin.
On January 14, 2007, Martin's one hour Comedy Central Special Demetri Martin. Person. premiered. The show also included many of the Clearification mini-episodes featuring Martin for the new Microsoft Windows Vista. ' Demetri returned to The Daily Show on March 22, 2007, as the new Youth Correspondent, calling his segment "Professional Important News with Demetri Martin"
Martin sold his movie concept called Will to Dreamworks, and will not play the title role but is expected to play a key supporting role.[7] He is expected to play the lead in the film Moon People, a pitch which he sold to Columbia Pictures. According to his website, Martin is in the process of publishing a book of drawings. He is also being considered as a replacement for Conan O'Brien when he leaves Late Night in 2009.
- Invite Them Up (2005)
- These Are Jokes (2006)
- Demetri Martin. Person. (2007)
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2009 | Moon People | lead role, also writer | |
| 2008 | Will | supporting role, also writer | |
| 2004 | 12:21 | Himself | short film, also writer |
| 2003 | If I | Himself | British television special, also writer |
| 2002 | Analyze That | Personal Assistant | mistakenly credited as "Demitri Martin" |
| Year | Award | For | Category | Result | Other notes |
| 2006 | Barry Award | These Are Other Jokes | Won | Award for best show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival | |
| 2005 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series | Won | Shared with Mike Sweeney (head writer), Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Andy Blitz, Kevin Dorff, Daniel J. Goor, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Michael Koman, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O'Brien, Allison Silverman, Robert Smigel, Brian Stack, Andrew Weinberg |
| 2004 | Emmy Awards | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Program | Nominated | Shared with Mike Sweeney (head writer), Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Andy Blitz, Kevin Dorff, Daniel J. Goor, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Michael Koman, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O'Brien, Allison Silverman, Robert Smigel, Brian Stack, Andrew Weinberg |
| 2003 | Perrier Comedy Award | If I... | Won | At the Edinburgh Fringe Festival |
- ^ Dremousis, Litsa. "Interview with Demetri Martin", The Believer. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ Silverman, Craig. "Arts and Crafts", Hour.ca, 2006-06-13. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ O'Neal, Sean. "Demetri Martin", The Onion AV Club, 2006-11-29. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ Martin, Demetri. "Diary: A Weeklong Electronic Journal", Slate, 2004-05-25. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ News Team: Demetri Martin. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ Huang, Keith. "Word Games", Gelf Magazine, 2005-05-11. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- ^ Gardner, Chris. "'Will' fills D'Works bill"", Variety, 2006-03-27. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
- Interview from November, 2006, in Onion AV Club
- Interview from October 2006, in The DePaulia
- Article, in The Scotsman
- Article, in Gelf Magazine
- Interview by Brian M. Palmer
- MP3 Audio Interview on The Sound of Young America public radio show and podcast
- Interview From October 2005
- Interview Believer Mag
Current: Dan Bakkedahl • Samantha Bee • Jason Jones • John Oliver • Rob Riggle • Lewis Black • John Hodgman • Aasif Mandvi • Demetri Martin • Larry Wilmore
Notable Former: Dave Attell • A. Whitney Brown • Steve Carell • Stephen Colbert • Rob Corddry • Vance DeGeneres • Dave Gorman • Ed Helms • Craig Kilborn • Beth Littleford • Mo Rocca • Nancy Walls