Known for Acting
Sandy Martin began her acting career at the age of 15 touring the country with Martha Raye in Good-bye Charley. After several East Coast touring productions she settled in New York City. Martin began working in many of New York City's esteemed theatres: Lincoln Center, La Mama, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Playwrights Horizon, The American Place Theatre acting in over 70 stage productions. After their enormous hit with the stage play, Hothouse by Megan Terry, Sandy wrote the screen adaptation which she packaged with her good friends, Amy Madigan and Ed Harris, both whom she acted with in the award winning world premiere of, Prairie Avenue by Edward Allen Baker, both in New York City. (at Est.) & Los Angeles's Callboard Theatre. Esparza/Katz Prod. quickly acquired Hothouse, and thus began a long working relationship with Moctesume Esparza and Robert Katz that lasted over ten years. Starting as a Development Executive, Sandy worked her way up to being the Associate Producer of the company, working on the critically acclaimed feature films: Milagro Bean Field Wars and Selena. She was also Associate Producer of Gettysburg for Turner and Bowl Of Beings starring the famed comedy troupe, Culture Clash for Great Performances on PBS. During her tenure with Esparza/Katz Prod., Martin wrote several treatments and screenplays; Underdogs, which was optioned by Avnet/Kerner (Risky Business, Fried Green Tomatoes), Thirteenth Duke, commissioned by Marchelo Danon (Producer of the original, La Cage aux Folles), The James Dean Story (Mini-series - Marvin Worth Prod.), she also co-wrote a musical revival of Reefer Madness with Dan Gerrity - directed by the late, great Ron Link. Martin penned Ms. Prez a screenplay that she co-authored with Patrick O'Neal about the first African American Woman President. Martin produced and directed two documentaries. The Great Meddler about the founding of the American Society for the Protection Of Cruelty To Animals) and The United Farm Workers - A Tribute to Caesar Chavez. The short, Lovely Rita, stars her friend, Cch Pounder - (The Shield) Martin was also President of Edward James Olmos's production company, Olmos Prod. at ABC for four years in early 2000. Thrilled to go back to acting, Martin was very happy to score a recurring role on HBO's drama, Big Love as the creepy he/she Selma Green, as well as the comedy, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as Mac's Mom. Sandy has guest starred on numerous hit shows: CSI, Nip Tuck, Shameless, Saving Grace, Weeds, Cold Case, 2 Broke Girls, Parenthood, The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles etc. She looks forward to continuing her role as Grandma from Napoleon Dynamite for Fox's animated version of the 2004 mega indie hit. She played the lead in Tennessee William's last full-length play; A House Not Meant To Stand in it's critically acclaimed West Coast Premiere at the Fountain Theatre in 2011. Her performance was nominated for an Ovation Award - Best Female Lead in 2011.
Born
March 3, 1949 (age 77)
Birthplace
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Filmography
46 films, 44 shows


The Invisible Raptor
2024 · 1h 54m
country: United States
After a top-secret experiment goes wrong, a hyper-intelligent invisible raptor escapes the lab and begins wreaking havoc in the surrounding neighborhood. When the creature’s identity is uncovered, it soon becomes clear that a disgraced paleontologist—alongside his ex-girlfriend, an unhinged amusement park security guard, and a local celebrity chicken farmer—is the town’s only hope for surviving the raptor’s ravenous rampage.


Mosquito
2022
country: United States
A tale of sacrifice and showmanship told through rival doctors in the old west.


Luca
2021 · 1h 35m
country: United States
Luca and his best friend Alberto experience an unforgettable summer on the Italian Riviera. But all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.


Dumbo
2019 · 1h 52m
country: United States
A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.


The Head Thieves
2018 · 1h 24m
country: Unknown
Three brothers develop an elaborate plan to recover stolen cash and go on the run.


Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2017 · 1h 55m
country: United Kingdom
After seven months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at Bill Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Jason Dixon, an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.


Stars Are Already Dead
2016 · 1h 42m
country: United States
After his mother's devastating death, Phoenix moves to LA where he meets two people change his life forever. Together they will pull each other out of the tragedy of their pasts and shine as stars in the darkness that surrounds their lives.


Some Kind of Beautiful
2014 · 1h 39m
country: United Kingdom
By day, Richard Haig is a successful and well-respected English professor at renowned Trinity College in Cambridge. By night, Richard indulges his own romantic fantasies with a steady stream of beautiful undergraduates. But Richard has grown tired of the game and is looking for something more meaningful and lasting. So when Kate, Richard’s tanned, athletic, 25-year-old American girlfriend tells him that she is pregnant, Richard is thrilled. He looks forward to having a family of his own, being a father his children could be proud of, not some sex-fueled bobcat. There is only one problem. Richard’s not in love with Kate. Richard is in love with Kate’s sister, Olivia. He had been in love with her ever since he first saw her.


Lovelace
2013 · 1h 32m
country: United States
Story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband, before taking control of her life.


Ass Backwards
2013 · 1h 22m
country: United States
Two best friends embark on a cross country trip back to their hometown to attempt to win a pageant that eluded them as children.


Seven Psychopaths
2012 · 1h 50m
country: United Kingdom
A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.


Sunset Stories
2012 · 1h 27m
country: United States
A dark comedy about two people's chase around Los Angeles to find a missing cooler.


A Very Sunny Christmas
2009 · 43m
country: United States
Dennis and Dee decide to teach Frank a lesson "A Christmas Carol"-style, and Mac and Charlie learn some shocking things about their childhood Christmas traditions.


My Suicide
2009 · 1h 47m
country: United States
After declaring that he's going to film himself committing suicide for a school project, Archie videotapes his surprising interactions with worried family members, interested classmates, unreliable medical experts and the hottest girl in school.


Marley & Me
2008 · 1h 55m
country: United States
A newly married couple, in the process of starting a family, learn many of life's important lessons from their trouble-loving retriever, Marley. Packed with plenty of laughs to lighten the load, the film explores the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting one's own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog.


Lower Learning
2008 · 1h 37m
country: United States
Barry Goldwater Elementary is on the brink of collapse: the lowest test scores in the state, teachers who are either drunk or having sex on school grounds, and a principal who extorts money from parents. It's up to Tom, the down-on-his-luck vice-principal, to rally the lazy teachers, expose the principal's corruption, and turn the school around before an end of the day board decision.


Adam & Steve
2005 · 1h 39m
country: United States
Adam and Steve are two gay youths who have a one-night stand that ends embarrassingly. Nearly two decades later, Adam, now a Manhattan tour guide, and Steve, a psychiatrist, meet again -- but neither remembers the other from years before. The two begin dating, even playing matchmaker for their friends Michael and Rhonda, but their promising relationship hits a major snag when Adam and Steve finally recall their past connection.


Napoleon Dynamite
2004 · 1h 35m
country: United States
A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.


Stranger Inside
2001 · 1h 37m
country: United States
After a stint in a juvenile detention center, Treasure is transferred to an adult prison where her mother, whom she has never met, is also imprisoned. Before long, Treasure encounters Brownie, a lifer and gang leader. Brownie reveals that she is Treasure's mother, and takes the girl under her wing, protecting her from the dangers of hardcore prison life. But some women in Brownie's gang resent Treasure's presence, leading to violent conflict.


One Night at McCool's
2001 · 1h 33m
country: United States
On an ordinary night, in an ordinary part of town, a beautiful young woman walks into a bar. Her name is Jewel, and before long she is chatting to bartender Randy. The pair leave together, but he ends up getting into a tussle with her criminal boyfriend, who she then shoots dead, later persuading Randy to take the rap for her. But this isn't the end of it, as both Randy's cousin Carl and the detective assigned to the murder case also fall for Jewel's charms and find themselves caught up in the ensuing events. It seems that any man who meets Jewel falls instantly in love with her, and she's going to use this fully to her own advantage, leaving a trail of havoc in her wake. It also seems that she is going to get away with it - that is, until Randy decides to hire a hitman...


Marlene
2000 · 2h 12m
country: Germany
In this biopic, Marlene Dietrich leaves Berlin for Hollywood, where she establishes herself as an international star through various film roles.


Jawbreaker
1999 · 1h 27m
country: United States
When an exclusive clique of teenage socialites accidentally murder their best friend on the morning of her birthday, the three girls responsible conspire to hide the truth.


They Come at Night
1998
country: United States
In 1986 LA, an illegal immigrant (Elpidia Carrillo) suffers from past tortures in her native El Salvador. Her husband had been killed and her two children taken from her. She was an educated teacher with a philosophy degree, but now is forced to take only the most menial tasks and lives in a roach-infested dwelling. This fragile woman is turned over to a case worker (Barbara Williams), who is recently divorced and is struggling as a single mother to her young son. These two very different women make contact and the therapist decides to help the Latin American find her children. Inquiries leads to the children being in Mexico and with a high enough fee, they can be smuggled into the US.


Krippendorf's Tribe
1998 · 1h 34m
country: United States
After squandering his grant money, despondent and recently widowed anthropologist James Krippendorf must produce hard evidence of the existence of a heretofore undiscovered New Guinea tribe. Grass skirts, makeup, and staged rituals transform his three troubled children into the Shelmikedmu, a primitive culture whose habits enthrall scholars. But when a spiteful rival threatens to blow the whistle on Krippendorf's ruse, he gets into the act as well.


On the Line
1998 · 1h 36m
country: United States
A female police detective tries to track down a gang of teenage bank robbers while dealing with sexual harassment on the job, and her troubled home life.


Sparkler
1997 · 1h 36m
country: Unknown
Melba is a Californian trailer-park girl who is told to look for three kings by a phone psychic, and when she meets three guys - Trent, Brad and Joel traveling to Las Vegas, she decides they are those kings and joins them on their trip.


Female Perversions
1996 · 1h 57m
country: Germany
An ambitious female attorney wallows in excess and meaningless sex with both male and female partners, while dealing with her personal life problems including helping her kleptomaniac sister.


Speed
1994 · 1h 56m
country: United States
Tensions run high when a crazed bomber rigs a Los Angeles bus with a device that will kill everyone on board if the vehicle's speed dips below fifty miles per hour.


China Moon
1994 · 1h 39m
country: United States
Detective Kyle Bodine falls for Rachel Munro who is trapped in a violent marriage. After she shoots her husband, Kyle relucantly agrees to help hide the body, but his partner is showing an unusual flair for finding clues.


Prison Stories: Women on the Inside
1991 · 1h 19m
country: United States
Three novels - three dramatic stories in the walls of the women's prison. The first story - a brand new, first went to prison inmates. The second - about a mother whose son has ceased to go to prison for visits. The third - about the experiences of women on the eve of its release.


Testing Dirty
1990 · 1h
country: United States
Having never used drugs in his life, a teenage boy is shocked to test positive for drugs.


Little Girl Lost
1988 · 1h 25m
country: United States
This heart-wrenching story inspired by real events depicts the trials of the Brady family, who are trying desperately to adopt a helpless little girl they took in when she was in a foster care program. Clara and Tim Brady are in for the fight of their lives as they find that adopting Tella will not be so easy -- especially when social services puts her back into the care of her abusive father.


The Gambler: The Legend Continues
1987 · 3h 10m
country: United States
Brady Hawkes and Billy Montana join forces once again in this new adventure. This time around their goal is to help the Sioux fight the government and get the supplies they need. They also uncover corruption within a government outpost and find themselves in a dangerous position.


Barfly
1987 · 1h 40m
country: United States
Downtrodden writer Henry and distressed goddess Wanda aren't exactly husband and wife: they're wedded to their bar stools. But, they like each other's company—and Barfly captures their giddy, gin-soaked attempts to make a go of life on the skids.


Daddy
1987 · 1h 40m
country: United States
Two high schoolers are unprepared for the reality of parenthood when the girl becomes pregnant.


Vendetta
1986 · 1h 29m
country: United States
A sexy stuntwoman gets herself thrown into prison to avenge the death of her sister.


Extremities
1986 · 1h 29m
country: United States
A woman escapes from the man who is about to rape her, but leaves her purse behind. Afraid that her attacker might come after her, she goes to the police, but with no proof of the incident, they can do nothing. In fact, the man does use the information in her bag and comes to her apartment with the intent of rape, but she sprays him in the face with insect repellent, and then holds him captive. She is then faced with deciding whether to go to the police who might not believe her and release him, or to kill him.


Real Genius
1985 · 1h 46m
country: United States
When teenage geniuses Mitch Taylor and Chris Knight, working on an advanced laser project, learn that the military wants to use it as a weapon, they decide to thwart the plan.


Carpool
1983 · 1h 40m
country: United States
Four strangers are thrown together in a carpool when a bag of money, almost a million dollars, falls from a Brinks truck into their path. Because of circumstances, they are unable to turn in the money, and they struggle over what to do. They are pursued by thieves, the mob, and the police.


48 Hrs.
1982 · 1h 36m
country: United States
A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.


One Shoe Makes it Murder
1982
country: United States
Robert Mitchum stars as a down-and-out ex-cop whose entanglement with a shady casino owner leaves him one step behind a killer.


Farrell: For the People
1982 · 1h 36m
country: United States
Adventures of the DA's new lady assistant.


The Patricia Neal Story
1981 · 1h 40m
country: United States
The dramatic account of actress Patricia Neal's miraculous recovery from a near-fatal stroke in 1966 with the help of her then-husband, author Roald Dahl, and their close friend, veteran actress Mildred Dunnock.


Sizzle
1981 · 1h 44m
country: United States
A sultry nightclub singer, a small-town girl in the big city, sets out to avenge her boyfriend's murder after he is killed while running illegal booze for the mob.


The Gift of Love
1978 · 1h 38m
country: United States
Inspired by O. Henry's short story about a young bride and groom, each of whom foolishly--but quite lovingly--sacrifices a treasured possession to buy the perfect Christmas gift for their mate.


False Face
1977 · 1h 35m
country: United States
A psychopathic plastic surgeon transforms a young accident victim into the spitting image of his missing daughter.