Twitter

Today Steve Martin turns 69, and we’ll do our best not to make a joke about that in honor of the comic actor’s birthday. But while plenty of people know him as the guy who delivers all of the jokes in his movies, he’s also the guy who wrote a lot of them, having penned numerous scripts ranging from wacky comedies like The Jerk to more serious films like Shopgirl. Here’s a run-down of his screenwriting career.

The Jerk (1979)

Carl Reiner directs Steve Martin in this comedy classic about complete moron Navin R. Johnson, the adopted son of a family of black sharecroppers who sets out on his own, strikes it rich, and falls in love. [GoWatchIt]

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)

Reiner directs Martin again (and stars alongside him) in this film noir parody starring Martin as a private eye who encounters a team of criminals from actual thrillers of the ’40s and ’50s. [GoWatchIt]

The Man With Two Brains (1983)

Martin stars as Dr. Michael Hfuhruhrr, a brain surgeon who falls in love with a patient (played by Kathleen Turner), who is only interested in his money. Then he travels to Vienna, gets involved with a serial murderer known as the Elevator Killer, and develops feelings for a bottle brain. [GoWatchIt]

Three Amigos! (1986)

Martin stars alongside Martin Short and Chevy Chase; the three play out-of-work actors who accept a gig in Mexico as heroes protecting a small town from a band of outlaws. As it turns out, however, that it’s no simple role, and the fate of the village is resting upon their shoulders. [GoWatchIt]

Roxanne (1987)

Martin stars in this modern-day update of Cyrano de Bergerac — complete with the comically large nose. [GoWatchIt]

L.A. Story (1991)

Playing “wacky weatherman” Harris K. Telemacher, Martin’s film paints a portrait of West Coast ennui in this early-’90s comedy. [GoWatchIt]

A Simple Twist of Fate (1994)

Martin plays Michael McCann a lonely divorcé who becomes the unlikely father of a young orphaned girl. When the girl’s real father shows up, he must fight for custody. Martin based the film loosely on George Eliot’s Silas Marner. [GoWatchIt]

Bowfinger (1999)

Martin plays a washed-up director who finds the perfect script to revitalize his career — but his producer will only finance the film if it stars a big-name star (played by Eddie Murphy), who refuses to act in it. Instead, the director secretly films the movie around the actor in order to complete his dream. [GoWatchIt]

Shopgirl (2005)

Based on Martin’s novella of the same name, Claire Danes stars as a lonely department store clerk who is torn between two men — an older businessman (played by Martin) and a hapless young musician (played by Jason Schwartzman). [GoWatchIt]

The Pink Panther (2006)

Martin stars as the bumbling Jacques Clouseau in this update of the classic Peter Sellers comedy series. [GoWatchIt]

Like what you see? Follow Decider on Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation, and sign up for our email newsletters to be the first to know about streaming movies and TV news!

Photos courtesy Everett Collection