Steve Martin’s Top 10 Movies and Complete Filmography

See below for ten of the best Steve Martin movies.

1. The Jerk (1979)
Steve’s first turn as leading man in a Hollywood blockbuster was in this comedy. He wrote the script with Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias, and played Navin R. Johnson, a rhythmless and clueless member of a black family of sharecroppers. When Navin realizes he’s white, he goes on an increasingly ridiculous journey of misadventures to find himself, only to end up back home where he finally feels like he belongs.

2. Father of the Bride (1991)
A runaway hit, this classic comedy has Martin in the role of overprotective father who just can’t let go—and almost destroys his daughter’s wedding in the meantime. The all-star cast of Father of the Bride includes Diane Keaton, B.D. Wong, and Martin Short in a memorable turn as Franck, an idiosyncratic wedding planner.

3. Bowfinger (1999)
In this comedy, Steve Martin plays aspiring filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger. Broke, out of luck, and hoping for a big break, Bowfinger has a crazy idea: to make the movie of his dreams, starring the biggest celebrity in Hollywood (Kit Ramsey, as played by costar Eddie Murphy)—without letting Ramsey in on the scheme.

4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
A holiday classic, this John Hughes-directed comedy of errors (and detours) drags control freak Neal Page (played by Steve Martin) across the Midwestern United States on a nightmare journey home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. To get there, he’ll have to travel with an unexpected companion: Del Griffith (played by John Candy), a slovenly salesman who annoys him at every turn.

5. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
In this crime comedy, Steve Martin and Michael Caine play wannabe casanovas with a bet: the first to swindle a woman out of $50,000 wins. Their mark is a wealthy heiress (Glenne Headly) who has a surprising secret of her own. Will the men get to her riches before another famed con artist in the region does?

6. Roxanne (1987)
This romantic comedy follows small-town fire chief C.D. Bales (Steve Martin) as he vies for the affections of astronomy student Roxanne (Daryl Hannah), using a handsome fireman named Chris (Rick Rossovich) as his surrogate. Steve Martin wrote the film as modern spin on Edmond Rostand's classic play Cyrano de Bergerac.

7. Three Amigos (1986)
Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short play a trio of on-screen cowboys who lose their film gig after their latest movie flops. Desperate for a comeback, the three actors jump at the opportunity to perform in a village in Mexico. But instead of their usual act, they find themselves playing real heroes, on a hunt to stop a bad guy named El Guapo.

8. Sgt. Bilko (1996)
Adapted from The Phil Silvers Show, a popular television series from the 1950s, Sgt. Bilko follows con-man, gambler, and Army sergeant Ernest Bilko (Steve Martin) as he attempts to win back his fiance from an unscrupulous nemesis, Major Colin Thorn (Phil Hartman).

9. L.A. Story (1991)
Bored Los Angeles weatherman Harris K. Telemacher (Steve Martin) begins taking hints from a freeway sign, which directs him to affairs with several women, including a journalist (Marilu Henner) and spokesmodel (Sarah Jessica Parker). This film blends together romance, fantasy, and satire, and is considered one of the best films set in Los Angeles in the last half century.

10. Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)
In this neo-noir blend of mystery and comedy, Steve Martin plays a sly private investigator hoping to solve a murder on a tip. Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid splices clips from 19 vintage noir films with existing footage, resulting in a collage-style film that both makes fun of and pays homage to typical pulp movies.

The above films are just a sampling of Steve Martin’s illustrious film career. See below for Martin’s complete filmography.

• Another Nice Mess (1972) - Hippie
• The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977) - Steven
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) - Dr. Maxwell Edison
• The Muppet Movie (1979) - Insolent Waiter
• The Kids Are Alright (1979) - Ralph Baines
• The Jerk (1979) - Navin R. Johnson
• Pennies from Heaven (1981) - Arthur
• Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) - Rigby Reardon
• The Man with Two Brains (1983) - Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr
• The Lonely Guy (1984) - Larry
• All of Me (1984) - Roger Cobb
• Movers & Shakers (1985) - Fabio Longio
• Three Amigos (1986) - Lucky Day
• Little Shop of Horrors (1986) - Orin Scrivello D.D.S.
• Roxanne (1987) - C.D. Bales
• Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) - Neal Page
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) - Freddy Benson
• Parenthood (1989) - Gil
• My Blue Heaven (1990) - Vincent 'Vinnie' Antonelli
• L.A. Story (1991) - Harris K. Telemacher
• Father of the Bride (1991) - George Banks
• Grand Canyon (1991) - Davis
• Housesitter (1992) - Davis
• Leap of Faith (1992) - Jonas
• And the Band Played On (1993) - The Brother
• A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) - Michael McCann
• Mixed Nuts (1994) - Philip
• Father of the Bride Part II (1995) - George Banks
• Sgt. Bilko (1996) - Sgt. Bilko
• The Spanish Prisoner (1997) - Jimmy Dell
• The Prince of Egypt (1998) - Hotep
• The Out-of-Towners (1999) - Henry Clark
• Bowfinger (1999) - Bowfinger
• The Venice Project (1999) - Uncredited
• Fantasia 2000 (1999) - Steve Martin
• Joe Gould's Secret (2000) - Charlie Duell
• Novocaine (2001) - Frank Sangster
• Bringing Down the House (2003) - Peter Sanderson
• Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) - Mr. Chairman
• Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) - Tom Baker
• Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004) - Steve Martin
• Shopgirl (2005) - Ray Porter
• Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) - Tom Baker
• Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years (2005) - Steve Martin
• The Pink Panther (2006) - Inspector Clouseau
• Baby Mama (2008) - Barry
• The Pink Panther 2 (2009) - Inspector Clouseau
• It's Complicated (2009) - Adam Schaffer
• The Big Year (2011) - Stu Preissler
• Home (2015) - Captain Smek
• Love the Coopers (2015) - Rags
• Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) - Norm
• The American Epic Sessions (2017) - Steve Martin

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