Martha Hart

Martha Joan Hart (née Patterson; born October 31, 1966) is a Canadian philanthropist and researcher who is the widow of professional wrestler Owen Hart.

After her husband's death in an accident at Over the Edge, Hart sued the World Wrestling Federation.

She later wrote a bestselling book about her husband's life and founded a charity in his name.

She has subsequently been involved in several legal cases involving her husband's image and has worked as a philanthropist and researcher.

Hart was born Martha Joan Patterson on October 31, 1966, the youngest of eleven children.

Her mother, Joan, battled breast cancer before Martha and her sister Virginia were born; her father left her mother when Martha was young.

She completed two degrees at the University of Calgary in Psychology (with distinction) and Sociology (1st-class honours) before moving to England to complete a master's degree and a PhD in Social and Development Psychology at Cambridge University.

She has since worked as a university researcher in the area of pediatrics.

In 1982, she met her husband Owen Hart at the age of 15, while they were both still in high school.

She attended a Stampede Wrestling event with a friend, and met Owen after recognizing him as one of the wrestlers who attended her school for a wrestling practice.

They married on July 1, 1989, and had two children together: Oje Edward Hart and Athena Christie Hart.

Owen died while performing a stunt on May 23, 1999, at the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)'s Over the Edge pay-per-view.

In December 2000, she announced the opening of the Owen Hart Foundation, a Calgary-based charity that provides university/college scholarships for children in need, as well as housing for low income families.

The Owen Hart Foundation also supports a number of other worthwhile charities in the Calgary community and provides "scholarships, housing and various forms of assistance to at-risk communities around the world, including doing food drives, backpack giveaways and Christmas projects".

Every year, as a tribute to Owen Hart, Martha hosts a high-profile fundraising event for the Owen Hart Foundation.

The 2000–2003 charity events were in support of YouVille Women's Residence, a shelter for abused women.

As a result of the charitable contributions achieved through the Owen Hart Foundation, Martha was named Individual Philanthropist of the Year in 2004 by the AFP.

Starting in 2004, the charity events have included a guest star; guest stars have included, Bob Newhart, 2004; Paul Anka, 2005; Neil Sedaka, 2006; Bill Cosby, 2007; Howie Mandel, 2008; Jerry Seinfeld, 2009–10th Anniversary; Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, 2010; Russell Brand, 2011; Robin Williams (with special guest David Steinberg), 2012; Steve Martin and Martin Short, 2013; Dane Cook, 2014–15th Anniversary.

She was Calgary's 2011 Champions of Learning.

Seth Meyers performed on October 2 for the 2015 event.

Elvis Costello performed on December 10, 2016, for the 17th anniversary of the OHF.

Hart was named the 2017 Goodwill Ambassador for the Monaco International Film Festival.

Hart has had a long-standing relationship with this non-profit international special interest film festival and is also the Monaco International Film Festival's Vice President of the Angel Film Awards.

In her spare time, she writes a popular movie blog, titled, "Movie Meanings – Main Messages" about how to find the meaning of life through the movies we watch.

Hart is a researcher at the University of Calgary/Alberta Children's Hospital.

Her present research includes co-creating and pilot testing the Attachment and Child Health (ATTACH) Intervention, which explores links between parental reflective function (RF) and parent/child attachment led by Nicole Letourneau.

Hart presented findings on the program at a number International Attachment Related Conferences in New York, London, Miami, Prague; and in Vancouver.

The ATTACH Program is funded by Harvard University's Centre for the Developing Child as one of their Frontiers of Innovation projects.

In 2017, for Canada's 150th birthday, The Owen Hart Foundation wanted to honor a Canadian artist and therefore featured Sarah McLachlan on December 1, 2017, to mark their 18th anniversary.

Famed actor and SNL superstar Alec Baldwin performed for the OHF's 19th anniversary annual event on November 30, 2018.

In 2019, Hart and Nicole Letourneau launched their ATTACH™ Program online.

Hart completed two degrees at the University of Calgary before moving to England to join the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge where she completed her master's degree and Ph.D. programs in Social & Developmental Psychology under supervisor Claire Hughes.

Hart worked as a researcher at the University of Cambridge with Ruth Gaunt for several years researching the division of labor in the family and parents’ child care choices before joining the team at the University of Calgary.

Hart's past research also consisted of working on a University of Cambridge-based longitudinal project investigating the early origins of children's problem behaviour/self-esteem within a diverse sample, and how social correlates predicts such characteristics, while focusing on children's friendship/sibling/teacher relationships, as well as mother's parenting style and mental states (e.g. self-esteem, depression) and the impact on children's social (problem) behaviour and mental states (e.g. self-esteem) and prosocial behaviour in single/non-single mother households.

She has published various peer-reviewed papers, including a top cited article in the 2020–2021 Infant Mental Health Journal on the effect of parental reflective function and has co-edited Development and Adaptation: Seminal Papers on the Dynamic-Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation, published by Waterside Press, and she has also co-authored with another book in publication titled Parenting and Child Development.

Hart was trained to administer the PDI at Yale University and the AAI by Howard Steele and Miriam Steele at the New School University New York, as well as Erik Hesse and Mary Main at Berkeley University.

Hart is also trained by Howard Steele in RF (PDI), and in Reflective Family Play by Dianne Philip – at The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre Toronto.

In addition, Hart trained with Alan Sroufe, and Elizabeth Carlson at the University of Minnesota, and Marinus van IJzendoorn at Cambridge University in the ABCD model of attachment, William Whelan in the MAC attachment measure at University of Virginia, as well as Patricia Crittenden in the DMM; she is a certified reliable coder in various attachment measures, RF measures, as well as a number of other parent/child interaction measures.

She is also trained and certified in Suicide Prevention.

Hart is also a past recipient of the University of Calgary's Eyes High Post-Doctoral Award.