At 77, Steve Martin says his time in Hollywood is coming to an end. But this time, it's on his terms.

For 60 years now, Steve Martin has been making audiences laugh.

From first working at amusement parks, to trying his hand at stand-up comedy, to becoming an accomplished actor, Martin has been the unlikely leading man in a string of films. Hits include Father of the Bride, Cheaper by the Dozen, Pink Panther, Roxanne and Parenthood.

And after a hiatus away from Hollywood, Martin thought his career had reached its end. But in 2021, the series Only Murders in the Building came along - and it brought Martin right back to the forefront. Only now is he looking back on his "hiatus" and realising now may be the perfect time to step away from the spotlight for good.

For those who are yet to see Only Murders in the Building, it's a dry murder mystery comedy set in New York that stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez - co-created by Steve Martin himself. The show was an instant hit and quickly became Hulu's [showing in Australia on Disney+] most-watched original comedy. 

Martin said that without his co-star Short, he wouldn't have come back into acting.

"There may be a natural end to that - somebody gets sick, somebody just wears out - but I wouldn't do it without Marty [Short]. When this television show is done, I'm not going to seek others. I'm not going to seek other movies. I don't want to do cameos. This is, weirdly, it," Martin said to The Hollywood Reporter this week.

Watch the season one trailer for Only Murders in the Building. Story continues below.

For celebrity standards, Martin is very private.

In 1984, Martin met his first wife, British actor Victoria Tennant on the set of their film All of Me. Two years later, they were married. They even ended up starring in another film together, L.A. Story, written by Martin himself. Then in 1994, they divorced. While single, Martin also had a brief relationship with late actor Anne Heche. 

In the mid-2000s, Steve met Anne Stringfield, who was a fact-checker and journalist at the New York Times. When assigned to work on a profile piece about Martin, she and the actor got to know one another. They talked over the phone for a year before they actually met in person.

By 2007, they were married. In 2012, they welcomed their only child together, a daughter called Mary.

With Mary soon to start adolescence, Martin said to The Hollywood Reporter that he wants to focus more on his family in the near future as opposed to acting.

"I have a family life that's really fun. To film a movie now, to go someplace else to live, I'm not willing to do that anymore. I can't disappear for three months. My wife keeps saying, 'You always say you're going to retire and then you always come up with something'. I would just like to work a little less."

Steve and Anne. Image: Getty. "When I was younger, I was selfish and focused on my career," he said to the Daily Telegraph. "Now I'm just hanging around the house playing with [my daughter]. It's great," the 77-year-old said.

Of course, Martin has often played the role of a father in films, or opted for family-friendly storylines - and looking back, he said it just fell into place.

"I did some father roles, but I never thought, 'I'm going to make that my thing'. I'm not an action star, so I can't be a guy out there with a gun. Those films [the ones Martin has done] are sentimental films and that's not a negative - those were the sorts of films I was drawn to as a kid. People respond to those films."

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In 2015, Martin received an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award for his work in the industry. He was presented with the award from Tina Fey, who said Martin is like a mentor to her. 

"For me, Steve is never better or more appealing than when he plays a caring dad. It brings me so much joy now that you are a dad in real life. And yes, it's a patronising thing to say - but people say dumb stuff like that to women all the time so I need you to just take it," Fey laughed.

Reflecting on his career and success, Martin said: "I always divide the world up into people like Picasso or Oscar Wilde, who seemed to have been born with their gifts, and the rest of us, who work at what we do. For me, it wasn't a gift. It was working."

Ultimately, with Only Murders in the Building renewed for a third season, Martin won't be leaving Hollywood just yet. But that time may be just around the corner. 

“[I'm] very, very happy. I mean, it's actually the perfect shape of a life," Martin said to AARP. "Except for the hard parts in the beginning - the disharmony, panic, pain, with occasional moments of great affection and comedy success. It's been a gentle uphill slope to a real, real happiness."

Feature Image: Getty/20th Century Fox/Hulu.

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