Martin was born in the United Kingdom. He trained at The Guildford School of Acting during which time he was selected to appear in professional repertory at The Redgrave Theatre, Farnham and subsequently several workshops at The Globe Theatre. 1980s Television engagements in the UK included The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (TVS), The Great Wall of Iron (BBC) and The Les Dennis Laughter Show (BBC).

As a British voice talent, he could be heard in the BBC Radio 4 Drama series Fear on Four, the BBC/Miramax film Captives and, later, various commercials for radio in San Francisco. He recently narrated Mick Fleetwood's best-selling autobiography Play On, as well as numerous audio book titles for various international publishers.

Martin worked as an executive in the film industry for many years, having moved to California in 1995 to join a division of Lucasfilm Ltd. His return to acting has included roles in Steven Spielberg's War Horse (2011), and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master (2012) and Inherent Vice (2014). He has also co-starred in TV shows Mad Men (2013), Conan (2012) and Filthy Preppy Teens (2015), and can be seen as a regular performer with Will Ferrell's online comedy troupe Funny or Die.