The Early Show

Steve Martin: Family Fun

By Rome Neal

December 23, 2003 / 2:23 PM EST / CBS

The year 2003 has been good for comedy legend Steve Martin.

He co-starred with Queen Latifah in the box office hit, "Bringing Down the House." His novella, "The Pleasure of My Company," was a best seller. And he was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People."

He tops things off as the harried father of 12 in the new comedy, "Cheaper by the Dozen"

Martin stopped by The Early Show to discuss his latest project.

"What I like about the movie is anyone can go [see it]," Martin says. "The whole family, on Christmas day, can walk in there and be fine. And it's not moronic. It's actually funny and good."

In "Cheaper by the Dozen," Martin plays Tom Baker, a local Illinois college football team coach who is offered a job a job at a big-time college program. Soon, his wife (Bonnie Hunt) and 12 kids are forced to prepare for the big move, with chaotic results. But the members of the family eventually ask themselves: Do they want it all, or are they happy with the lives they already have?

On most movie sets, having just one child may be a handful. In "Cheaper by the Dozen," 12 young actors and actresses could be more than one man can handle. But, Martin says it wasn't that difficult.

"What did help me was doing all of these movies with kids," he explains. "You really learn about them in a very nice way, because you're around them when they're at their best."

Martin, as some may know, is also an accomplished author. His book, "Shopgirl," has done well critically and commercially. Martin says he had recently finished filming the movie based on the book.

"We're excited about it," he says. "It took me a while to decide, and I sat and thought I have to re-create this on my own and came up with angles and ideas and started to feel pretty good."

The story follows Mirabelle, a disenchanted salesgirl and aspiring artist who sells gloves and accessories at Neiman Marcus. She has two men in her life: wealthy divorcee Ray Porter (Martin) and struggling musician Jeremy. Mirabelle falls in love with the glamorous Ray, and her life takes a magical turn, but eventually she realizes that she must empower herself and make a choice between them.

Some Facts About Steve Martin:

Stephen Glenn Martin was born in Waco, Texas on Aug. 14, 1945.

Martin studied philosophy at California State University at Long Beach.

Martin began performing his material in clubs in the late '60s before establishing his reputation as a sharp television comedy writer.

Martin won an Emmy for his work on the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" in 1972.

In 1977, Martin directed himself in a comedic short, "The Absent-Minded Waiter," which earned him an Oscar nomination.

The comedian launched a successful film career with 1979's "The Jerk."

Contrary to popular belief, Martin was never been a cast member on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." He has, however, hosted the show more times than anyone else.

In 1981, Martin starred in "Pennies From Heaven."

In 1982, the actor starred in the private eye spoof, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid."

In 1983, Martin co-starred with Kathleen Turner in "The Man With Two Brains."

In 1984, Martin gained critical acclaimed for his performance in "All of Me."

Martin started to take gentler humor role in 1987 with his role in "Roxanne."

In 1989, Martin played a befuddled father in "Parenthood."

In 1991, Martin played a quirky Californian in "L.A. Story"; he also took a dramatic role in "Grand Canyon."

In 1993, Martin made his debut as a playwright with "Picasso at the Lapin Agile"

After a break, Martin returned to the big screen in 1998 as a mysterious businessman in "The Spanish Prisoner"; he also lent his voice to the wily servant Hotep in the animated Moses musical "The Prince of Egypt."

In 2003, Martin co-starred in the successful comedy "Bringing Down the House."

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