About Nancy Dolman
Lived 1951 – 2010 (aged 58). Nancy Dolman was a Canadian singer and actor.
Nancy Jane Dolman Short (September 26, 1951 – August 21, 2010) was a Canadian comedic actress and singer. She had a recurring role as Annie Selig Tate on the ABC sitcom Soap. She appeared in her husband Martin Short's 1985 cable television special Martin Short: Concert for the North Americas.
Life and career Dolman was born in Toronto. Her brother is director Bob Dolman. Dolman performed in the Canadian Rock Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar in the early 1970s, which travelled to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and recorded an album with the group at MGM while they were in Los Angeles.
In 1980, she married fellow Canadian actor Martin Short, whom she had met during the run of the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell. Dolman was Gilda Radner's understudy. Dolman attended high school at York Mills Collegiate Institute in Toronto, and held a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario.
Children Dolman and Short adopted three children as infants: Katherine Elizabeth (1983–2026), a social worker and graduate of New York University; Oliver Patrick (b. 1986), an employee of Warner Brothers and graduate of the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business; and Henry Hayter (b. 1989), who also graduated from the University of Notre Dame in May 2012.
Death Dolman suffered from ovarian cancer and died on August 21, 2010, in Pacific Palisades, California, at the age of 58. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner, she died of natural causes. Dolman's remains were cremated and her ashes were scattered from the dock of the Short family cottage, onto the waters of Lake Rosseau, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.
Tributes Steve Martin, a close friend of Dolman and Short, dedicated a musical elegy for Dolman following her death titled, "The Great Remember (For Nancy)" in his collaborative album, Rare Bird Alert with the Steep Canyon Rangers.
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Important facts
Family & relationships
People in Nancy Dolman's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Nancy Dolman's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Nancy Dolman?
Canadian comedic actress (1951-2010)
When was Nancy Dolman born?
Nancy Dolman was born on 26 September 1951 in Toronto.
When did Nancy Dolman die?
Nancy Dolman died on 21 August 2010 in Pacific Palisades.
What was Nancy Dolman's occupation?
Nancy Dolman was a singer and actor.
What nationality was Nancy Dolman?
Nancy Dolman was Canadian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Nancy Dolman. https://biography.guide/nancy-dolman/
MLA: "Nancy Dolman." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/nancy-dolman/.
Chicago: "Nancy Dolman." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/nancy-dolman/.
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