Considered one of the best stand-up comics and actors in the industry, Steve Glenn Martin has been entertaining us with his delightful performances throughout his career. Having started his career as a stand-up comedian and gradually finding success through shows like The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and Saturday Night Live, Martin successfully transitioned to become one of the most notable actors of his time. With timeless classics like The Jerk, Father of the Bride series, Cheaper by the Dozen, and many more he has forever left an impressive mark on the general public.
While his career has been fulfilling in a sense, the same cannot be said about his personal life. After ending an eight-year marriage with first wife actress Victoria Tennant, it would take him almost a decade to find love again with Anne Stringfield. So who really is Anne? Let’s find out more about her.
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Anne Spent her Early Days in Florida
Born in 1972 in Pensacola, Florida, Anne Powel Stringfield is the eldest daughter of Dr. James Stringfield and Margo Stringfield. Both of her parents are highly educated individuals in their respective fields with her father working as a pulmonologist and her mother as an archaeologist at the University of West Florida. Anne also has a younger sister.
As for her education, Anne is said to have attended Pensacola High School and following her graduation enrolled into Davidson College in North Carolina. She graduated from her college with a bachelor’s degree in 1994.
She is a Writer and Used to Work as a Fact-Checker
Considering the fact that Anne comes from a family that values knowledge, it is not such a shock that she would be interested in a career related to arts and literature. She used to work as a fact-checker for ‘The New Yorker’ working there till 2012.
As a writer, Anne has worked for Vogue magazine and wrote articles for them. She is also known for her reviews of many published arts and off-broadway theatre acts.
Anne and Steve’s First Encounter Was Over a Telephone
In the mid-2000s when Anne was still working as a fact-checker for the New Yorker, she had the chance to correspond with the actor Steve Martin through a telephone. As part of her job, Anne was responsible for reviewing one of Steve’s comedy pieces which eventually led them to talk to one another several times over the phone for about a year.
After only speaking to each other through the phone, the future couple finally met in person. Both of them having somewhat of the same shy and introverted personality, became intrigued with one another. Reminiscing his first encounter with Anne, Steve said:
“She is probably the kind of beauty that inspired the Romantic poet William Wordsworth to write ‘ that whole ‘violet by a mossy stone’ thing.’”
Anne and Steve’s Wedding Was a Private Affair
Following their in-person meeting, Anne and Steve officially became a couple. They continued to date for three years before tying the knot on July 28, 2007.
Their whole wedding was a big surprise for anyone who had been invited. Most of his 75 guests including the likes of actors Tom Hanks and Eugene Levy, Comedian Carl Reiner, and magician/actor Ricky Jay were not disclosed with the information regarding the purpose of the party.
The wedding ceremony was held outdoors at Steve Martin’s Los Angeles home where the close ones were the first to acknowledge the surprise wedding and be part of it.
Anne and Steve Martin have a Daughter Mary Martin
Despite Steve Martin being previously married to someone else and having many romantic interests, he never had a child with anyone. However that all changed when Steve Martin and his beautiful wife Anne welcomed their daughter in December 2012. At the time of their daughter’s birth, Anne was 40 and Steve was 67 years old. They named their daughter Mary Martin after Steve’s mother.
For years Anne and Steve kept the name of their daughter under wraps. During a 2013 interview with David Letterman, Steve joked about giving his children not so Hollywood-influenced weird names. “We’ve thought about the name quite a bit. Conquistador,” he joked. “What do you think? I didn’t want to go with one of those Hollywood weird names. Conquistador is a statement.” As far as Hollywood’s weird kid’s names go, we are sure ‘Conquistador’ would have definitely made a statement.
Talking about parenting a young child at 71 years old, Steve Martin spoke with AARP in 2017. Martin said:
“I think if I’d had a child earlier, I would have been a lousy father because I would have misplaced my attention on my career”. “I am very forthcoming with her, and it’s great. She’s giving me way more than I’m giving her.”
Anne Rarely Makes Media Appearances
Anne is one of those few people who has not changed despite marrying a big celebrity. To this day, she still enjoys the comfort of her private life. She rarely attends red carpet-events or award shows.
One of the first times that she attended one such event was the time when she accompanied her husband to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles in June 2015. Her husband was to receive the 43rd American Film Institute Life Achievement Award during the event.
What made her attendance so memorable was the fact that during the ceremony, the host Tina Fey while paying tribute to Steve, emphasized the striking resemblance she had with his wife Anne Stringfield, stating that he married ‘a woman who is the younger, thinner, smarter version of me’. Later, Steve Martin would go on to playfully admit that Anne did look like Tina Fey.
Anne made a Cameo Appearance
Anne being a Tina Fey look-alike definitely helped her to make a cameo in one of her husband’s latest projects. In season 2 of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ that is co-created and starred by Steve Martin, Anne appears in two episodes as a character who looks a lot like Tina Fey’s character Liz Lemon from the TV series 30 Rock.
Anne and Steve Love Collecting Art
Both Anne and Steve value a good art piece. They have been an avid art collector for a while now. In 2019, they lent the works of Aboriginal Australian art to Larry Gagosian’s Madison Avenue gallery in New York City.
Talking with Australia’s ABC about their contribution to the gallery, Martin said:
“I never talk about our art collection, because it’s our private sanctuary, but I am so enthused about the indigenous art.”
Further, he added:
“There is no doubt these desert paintings hang well with others and that one day they will be in the company of great contemporary art at auction and not culled out as a special field.”
Anne and Steve are a Blissfully Happy Couple
As Hollywood couples go, there are many whose love stories fade away with the passage of time. But for Steve Martin and his wife Anne Stringfield, the bond between them has only grown stronger. Steve once described his life with Anne as ‘Very, very happy. I mean, It’s the perfect shape of a life.’ Not only has her existence made Steve the happiest person ever, the birth of their daughter has cemented the undying commitment they have for one another.
At the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards in 2013, Steve gave an emotional speech about becoming a father. “My wife alone would have been enough reward for my life… but now she’s brought me a wonderful child,” he told the audience. The way Steve values both his wife and kid, makes us believe that both Steve and Anne are someone who would continue to be the happiest family.