Editing Demetri Martin (section)

== Early life ==
Martin was born into a [[Greek Americans|Greek-American]] family in [[New York City]] on May 25, 1973,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/demetri-martin-the-joker-in-the-pack-556879.html | location=London | work=The Independent | title=Demetri Martin: The joker in the pack | date=August 17, 2004}}</ref> the son of Lillian (1951–2019)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/amp/obituaries/mycentraljersey/192920684|title=Lillian Martin Obituary (1951 - 2019) - 67, Seaside Park, NJ - MyCentralJersey|website=[[Legacy.com]] }}</ref> and [[Greek Orthodox]] priest Dean C. Martin (1948–1994).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/02/sepinwall_on_tv_important_thin.html |title=Sepinwall on TV: 'Important Things with Demetri Martin' Interview | publisher=New Jersey Entertainment | work = TV & Film |date=10 February 2009 |access-date=January 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-106769338 |title=Article: 'I know men who can far outgeek me'; Demetri Martin is obsessed with word games and maths, and sets himself bizarre challenges. He's also a favourite to win this year's Perrier Award |work=[[The Evening Standard]] |date=August 21, 2003 |access-date=January 25, 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> His grandparents migrated from [[Sparta, Laconia|Sparta]] and [[Crete]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stamocostas|first=Con|date=22 May 2019|title=Demetri Martin: 'My sense of humour is from Greek School and as an Altar boy'|url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/137508/demetri-martin-my-sense-of-humour-is-from-greek-school-and-as-an-altar-boy/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-28|website=NEOS KOSMOS|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522073232/https://neoskosmos.com/en/137508/demetri-martin-my-sense-of-humour-is-from-greek-school-and-as-an-altar-boy/ |archive-date=2019-05-22 }}</ref> He grew up in [[Toms River, New Jersey]], and has a younger brother named Spyro and a younger sister named Christene. As a teenager, he worked at his family’s diner in [[Beachwood, New Jersey|Beachwood]] near the Jersey Shore.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://greekreporter.com/ideas4greece/demetri-martin/|title=Demetri Martin}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/demetri-martin-hated-high-school-as-much-as-you-did/|title = Demetri Martin Hated High School as Much as You Did - VICE| date=31 May 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Off to College |work= The Star-Ledger |location= Newark, New Jersey |date= August 29, 1994 |first= David |last= Schwab |url= http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=12248B8AC2FAEC98&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=5 |quote="Demetri said his major regret is that he will be graduating at the end of the school year. He said he's thinking of taking a year off or even trying to become a standup comic. 'I'd rather avoid the real world as long as possible – I am going to law school – and continue to party,' he said, flashing a broad smile." }}</ref> He attended [[Toms River High School North]] and graduated in 1991.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/delightfully-scrambled-egghead-demetri-martin/|title=Comedian Demetri Martin-www.njmonthly.com|date=2009-06-08|work=New Jersey Monthly|access-date=2018-08-11|language=en-US}}</ref>

Martin graduated from [[Yale University]] in 1995 with a B.A in [[History]]. During his time there, he wrote a 224-word poem<ref>{{cite web|title=Demetri Martin's Palindrome|url=http://users.math.yale.edu/public_html/People/frame/Fractals/Panorama/Literature/Martin/MartinPalindrome.html|work=Yale University|publisher=Mathematics Department|access-date=13 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= If it's hip to be square, then comedian Demetri Martin must be the coolest man on the planet |work= The Sunday Times |location= London, England |date= October 19, 2003 |first= Stephen |last= Armstrong |url= http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=10035F27D969F85C&p_docnum=124&p_queryname=11 }}</ref> as a project for a [[fractal geometry]] class, which became a well-known [[palindrome|palindromic]] poem. He was also a member of the Anti-Gravity Society, whose members juggle objects on Sunday evenings on Yale's Old Campus.<ref>{{cite news |title= The Fun of Testing Gravity |work= New Haven Register |location= New Haven, Connecticut |date= September 2, 1992 |first= Arnold |last= Gold |page= 1 |url= http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=108C18B3BB09AE95&p_docnum=3&p_queryname=4 }}</ref>

Although Martin was admitted to [[Harvard Law School]], he instead decided to attend [[New York University School of Law]] upon receiving a full scholarship.<ref name="WTFPod">{{cite web|url=http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_195_-_demetri_martin |title=WTF with Marc Maron Podcast – episode 195 – Demetri Martin |date=25 July 2011 |publisher=Wtfpod.com |access-date=2012-06-01}}</ref> Martin withdrew from law school before the start of his final year, opting to pursue comedy over obtaining his [[Juris Doctor]] degree.<ref>{{cite news |title= Harvard graduate changing the face of comedy |work= Badger Herald |location= Madison, Wisconsin |publisher= University of Wisconsin |date= May 4, 2004 |first= Rick |last= Stoner |url= https://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2004/05/04/harvard-graduate-cha/ |quote="Although his success in comedy came quick, achieving is nothing new to Martin, as the second-generation Greek-American grew up as an academic prodigy in an upscale New York suburb. After graduating high school as the valedictorian, Martin enrolled at Yale and graduated with grades that landed him a scholarship at NYU. While at law school, Martin became bored with the life of class by day and library by night and decided to spice things up. He began to neglect his studies and attend class in bizarre fashion, one time suiting up in a full gorilla costume. As his interest in comedy grew, Martin began to debate dropping out of school. His parents encouraged him to stay in school, but Martin's father told Demetri to do what he was most passionate about. His father died shortly thereafter in 1994, and Martin then decided to give comedy a chance. What has ensued so far has been a remarkable start in the comedy field thanks to a perspective that the world has never seen before." }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Is the rest of the world any better? |work= The Times |location= London, England |date= August 21, 2003 |first= Alex |last= O'Connell |page= 5 |url= http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0FD16583C89B5EA2&p_docnum=71&p_queryname=9 }}</ref>