Soap: Actress Nancy Dolman Dies at Age 58

Former actress Nancy Dolman, the wife of fellow Canadian Martin Short for 30 years, has died. She was 58 years old and passed away at their home in Pacific Palisades on Saturday, August 21st. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a medical emergency call at 8:30am. No further details have been released but she was reportedly diagnosed with cancer in 2007.

Dolman performed in the Canadian Rock Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar in the early 1970s. They traveled to Las Vegas and Los Angeles and recorded an album with the group at MGM while they were in L.A.

She later understudied Gilda Radner in a production of Godspell. Others in the production included Victor Garber, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas and Andrea Martin, with Paul Shaffer as musical director.

She worked on a few TV shows in the 1980s. Most notable was Dolman’s role as Annie Selig on ABC’s Soap. Annie was the girlfriend and later wife of patriarch Chester Tate (Robert Mandan) in the sitcom’s final season. The character was caught in bed with step-son Danny Dallas (Ted Wass) and was held at gunpoint in one of Soap’s memorable and unresolved last episode cliffhangers.

Short and Dolman met during the run of Godspell and married in 1980. She gave up her career in 1985 to be a homemaker and mother. They had three children together; Katherine (27), Oliver (24), and Henry (20).