Sandy Martin


Sandy Martin is an American actress, playwright, theater director, and producer. She is best known for her roles in the film Napoleon Dynamite and the TV series Ray Donovan, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Big Love.

Career

Martin has been acting professionally since she was 15 years old, and has been a founding member of several successful theatrical companies in New York City and Los Angeles. She has adapted the screenplays of several theatrical plays and served as associate producer of several TNT productions including the 1993 film Gettysburg.
Martin's television roles include playing Mickey Donovan's sister-in-law Sandy Patrick in Ray Donovan, a policewoman in 48 Hrs., Mrs. Meredith in Real Genius, a dying burn victim in Nip/Tuck, Janice in Barfly, and Mac's mom in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She has appeared in the films Defenseless, China Moon, Speed, Napoleon Dynamite, and Hot Tamale and Marley & Me. Martin portrayed as Grandma Dynamite in Napoleon Dynamite and in the animated TV adaptation of the film. In Marley & Me, Martin played the woman who sold Marley as "Clearance Puppy". Martin portrayed the mother of Sam Rockwell's character, Officer Dixon, in 2017's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Martin's most recent film role is portraying Verna The Secretary in Dumbo. According to Martin, she met Dumbo director Tim Burton back in the Beetlejuice days as her friend, Glenn Shadix, played Otho in the film. The two reconnected when Ben Davis, the director of photography for both Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Dumbo, suggested Martin to Burton for the role of Verna.
In the HBO series Big Love, Martin's character, Selma Green, is the transgender brother of polygamous cult leader Roman Grant and first wife of Grant's rival polygamous cult leader, Hollis Green. The character of Green sparked much discussion on fan forums due to their masculine gender presentation and expression, and unusual relationship with their husband.