Dana Carvey

Dana Carvey
Carvey in 2001
Birth name	Dana Thomas Carvey
Born	(1955-06-02)June 2, 1955 Missoula, Montana,U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Education	College of San Mateo San Francisco State University(BA)
Years active	1978–present
Genres	Improvisational comedy,sketch comedy,character comedy,impressions,surreal humor,satire
Spouse	Leah Carvey ​ ​ (m.1979;div.1980)​ Paula Zwagerman ​ (m.1983)​
Children	2
Website	www.danacarvey.com

Dana Thomas Carvey(born June 2, 1955) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, screenwriter and producer.

Carvey is best known for his seven seasons onSaturday Night Live,from 1986 to 1993, which earned him five consecutivePrimetime Emmy Awardnominations.

Carvey is also known for his film roles in comedies such asTough Guys(1986),Opportunity Knocks(1990),Trapped in Paradise(1994), andThe Master of Disguise(2002), as well as reprising his role ofGarth Algarin theSNLspin-off filmWayne's World(1992) and its sequelWayne's World 2(1993).

Early life

Carvey was born inMissoula, Montana,the fourth of five (with three older brothers and one younger sister) born to Billie Dahl,a schoolteacher, and William John (Bud) Carvey,a high school business teacher.Carvey is the brother ofBrad Carvey,the engineer/designer of theVideo Toaster.The character Garth Algar is loosely based on Brad. Carvey was raisedLutheran.

In 1957, his family moved toAnderson, California,where his father got a teaching job.When he was three years old, his family moved toSan Carlos, California,in theSan Francisco Bay Area.He attended Tierra Linda Junior High in San Carlos,Carlmont High SchoolinBelmont, California(where he was a member of theCentral Coast Sectionchampion cross country team),College of San MateoinSan Mateo, California,and received hisbachelor's degreein broadcast communications fromSan Francisco State University.In 1977, he won the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition.

Career

Early career

Carvey had a minor role inHalloween IIin 1981, and co-starred inOne of the Boysin 1982, a short-lived television sitcom that also starredMickey Rooney,Nathan Lane,andMeg Ryan.In 1984, Carvey had a small role inRob Reiner's filmThis Is Spinal Tap,in which he played amime,with fellow comedianBilly Crystal(who tells him "Mime is money!"). He appeared in the music video for theGreg Kihnsong "Lucky" in 1985. He also appeared in the short-lived film-based action television seriesBlue Thunder.His big break came in 1986, when he co-starred oppositeKirk DouglasandBurt LancasterinTough Guys.As a lifelong Douglas fan, Carvey threw in an affectionate impression of his mentor, while describing a hairy scene they did together on a moving train.

Carvey was a finalist for the hosting role on theNickelodeonTV game showDouble Dare.He ultimately withdrew his name from consideration after he was cast onSaturday Night Live.The job would go toMarc Summers.

Saturday Night Live

Carvey in 1989

In 1986, Carvey became a household name when he joined the cast ofNBC'sSaturday Night Live.He, along with newcomersPhil Hartman,Kevin Nealon,Jan Hooks,andVictoria Jackson,helped to reverse the show's declining popularity and madeSNL"must-see" TV once again. An important part of the show's revival was Carvey's breakout character,the Church Lady,the uptight, smug, and pious host ofChurch Chat.Carvey said he based the character on women he knew from church while growing up, who would keep track of other churchgoers' attendance. He became so associated with the character that later cast members such asChris Farleyreferred to Carvey simply as "The Lady". The Church Lady's discontinuation was mentioned in a sketch which satirized the filmMiserywith hostRoseanne Barrplaying the role ofAnnie Wilkes.

Carvey's other original characters included Garth Algar (fromWayne's World), who was based on his brother;Hans (from "Hans and Franz"); the Grumpy Old Man (fromWeekend Updateappearances); and Ching Chang, a Chinese poultry store owner. Throughout the election and presidency ofGeorge H. W. Bush,he was the designated impersonator of the president, making him the lead actor of the regular political sketches onSNL.

Carvey at the 1990 Emmy Awards

During the1992 US presidential election campaign,Carvey also did an impression of independent candidateRoss Perot;in a prime-time special before the election, Carvey played both George H. W. Bush and Perot in a three-way debate withBill Clinton,played byPhil Hartman.As Perot—recorded and timed to give the appearance of interacting with the live Bush and Clinton—Carvey eschewed the show's signature "Live from New York" opening line, telling Bush "Why don't you do it, live-boy?" Carvey leftSNLin 1993.

In 1992, Carvey joinedMike MyersinWayne's World,the film. A sequel,Wayne's World 2,was filmed and released in 1993.

Carvey'sSNLwork won him anEmmy Awardin 1993 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. He has a total of six Emmynominations. Carvey has returned to hostSNLfour times, in 1994, 1996, 2000, and 2011 in addition to numerous cameo appearances.

AfterSNL

In 1994, Carvey starred in the filmClean Slate.The following year, Carvey filmed his firstHBOstand-up specialCritic's Choice.The show featured Carvey doing many of hisSNLimpersonations, as well as making fun of the premium channel's name, pronouncing it "hobo".

He had to turn down a role inBad Boysbecause he felt overwhelmed as a new father.

He reprised many of hisSNLcharacters in 1996 forThe Dana Carvey Show,a short-lived prime-time variety show onABC.The show was most notable for launchingRobert Smigel's cartoon "The Ambiguously Gay Duo",as well as the careers ofSteve CarellandStephen Colbert.

In 2002, he returned to films in the spy comedyThe Master of Disguise.Released a week after former colleague Mike Myers' successful filmAustin Powers in Goldmember,most critics compared the movies and panned Carvey's effort. However, the movie did manage about $40 million at the North American box office. In March 2007, review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoesranked the film as the 18th worst-reviewed movie of the 2000s decade, with an approval rating of 1% based on 103 reviews.Comedian and formerMystery Science Theater 3000hostMichael J. Nelsonnamed the film thethird-worst comedy ever made.Carvey did not appear in a film again until 2011'sJack and Jill.

In 2004, he ranked number 90 onComedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.

AfterThe Master of Disguise

Video: Carvey in conversation withJon Lovitzat theLaugh Factoryin Hollywood, August 2015

Carvey eventually withdrew from the limelight to focus on his family. He later said in an interview that he did not want to be in a career in which his kids would already be grown with him having neglected spending time with them, a major reason for his declining the hosting spot forLate Nightthat ultimately went to Conan O'Brien. Carvey has said that he generally prefers stand-up comedy to acting in movies and regularly performs lucrative corporate dates, boasting of "a few million-dollar months" during a 2016 Howard Stern interview.

Carvey made an appearance at the2008 MTV Movie Awards,reprising hisSNLcharacter Garth Algar with host Mike Myers for a "Wayne's World" sketch. On June 14, 2008, Carvey filmed a second HBO stand-up special, the first in 13 years, entitledSquatting Monkeys Tell No Lies.

In 2010, Carvey appeared in theFunny or Dieoriginal comedy sketchPresidential Reunion.He played the role of President George H. W. Bush alongside other current and formerSNLpresident impersonators.

In early 2010, Carvey and comedian/writerSpike Ferestencreated and starred together inSpoof,a sketch comedy pilot forFox.This included a sketch of a trailer for "Darwin", a mock film in which he played the evolutionary biologist, as well as a spoof of the hit TV seriesLost.Both of these sketches can be seen onYouTube.On the animated TV seriesThe Fairly OddParents,Carvey voicedCosmo Cosma's con artist brother Schnozmo.

On April 29 and 30, 2016, Carvey recorded two live performances at theWilbur Theatrein Boston, Massachusetts for a Netflix special released later in the year. His two sons, Tom and Dex, opened the show for him.

Carvey was a guest onConan O'Brien's podcast,Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend,on January 27, 2019.Carvey was subsequently featured in a six episode mini-series of the podcast titled "Deep Dive with Dana Carvey",released in August 2019.

Carvey has regularly done sketch impressions onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertplaying, among others,President Joe Bidenand former national security advisorJohn Bolton.

On August 1, 2019, Carvey appeared on the guest panel of the fourth episode ofLights Out with David Spadeand also in costume asTony Montanain a number of later episodes.

Podcasts

In 2021, Carvey began hosting the comedy podcast "Fantastic! with Dana Carvey". The podcast features mini sketches involving Carvey's many celebrity impressions, as well as interview segments with Carvey's family members and other friends from the stand-up comedy world. That same year, Carvey reprised his role of Garth Algar alongside Myers' Wayne Campbell in a series of commercials forUber Eats.The original spot first ran duringSuper Bowl LV.

In 2022, Carvey began co-hosting the Fly on the Wall podcast with fellowSaturday Night LivealumDavid Spade.Guests include former cast members and hosts ofSNL.

In 2024, theSuperflyvideo podcast (a spinoff ofFly on the Wall) co-hosted by Spade was launched.

Personal life

In 1979, Carvey married his childhood sweetheart Leah. During his marriage, while performing at The Other Cafe inSan Francisco,Carvey met and became romantically involved with Paula Zwagerman. Subsequently, Leah and Dana divorced in 1980. Dana and Paula became engaged in 1981 and married in 1983. The couple has had two children. The elder son, Dex, died from an accidental drug overdose on November 15, 2023, at the age of 32.

In 1995, Carvey had a home in theSan Fernando Valley,and his parents relocated toMurrieta, California,to be near his mother's sister, Shirley Miller.

In 1997, Carvey underwentheart bypass surgery for a blocked coronary artery.The artery was buried deep inmyocardiumand difficult to find; the surgeon mistakenlyperformed the bypass on another accessible artery that was unblocked. As a result, Carvey continued to suffer fromangina pectorisand successfully sued for $7.5 million in damages, which he donated to charity;he later underwent additional corrective surgery.He toldNewsdaythat, while he was in the hospital for his final angioplasty,Frank Sinatradied in the room adjacent to his.In the late 1990s, Carvey took a break to raise his two sons.

Carvey and his family live inMill ValleyinMarin County, California.

Filmography

Comedy specials

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Dana Carvey: Critics' Choice	Himself	Stand-up special
2008	Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies		Stand-up special

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Halloween II	Assistant Barry McNichol
1984	This Is Spinal Tap	Mime Waiter
	Racing with the Moon	Baby Face
1986	Tough Guys	Richie Evans
1988	Moving	Brad Williams
1990	Opportunity Knocks	Eddie Farrell
1992	Wayne's World	Garth Algar
1993	Wayne's World 2
1994	Clean Slate	Maurice L. Pogue
	The Road to Wellville	George Kellogg
	Trapped in Paradise	Alvin Firpo
1996	The Shot	Himself	Cameo
	Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story	Himself	Documentary
2000	Little Nicky	Referee	Cameo
2002	The Master of Disguise	Pistachio Disguisey	Also co-writer
2010	Presidential Reunion	George H. W. Bush	Short film
2011	Jack and Jill	Crazy Puppeteer	Cameo
2015	Hotel Transylvania 2	Dana the Camp Director	Voice
2016	The Secret Life of Pets	Pops	Voice
2017	Sandy Wexler	Himself
	Becoming Bond	Johnny Carson	Documentary
	Too Funny to Fail	Himself	Documentary
2019	The Secret Life of Pets 2	Pops	Voice

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	One of the Boys	Adam Shields	Main cast
1984	Blue Thunder	Clinton Wonderlove	Main cast
1986–1993	Saturday Night Live	Various Roles	Main cast Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program(1993) Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program(1989–1992)
1988	Superman Fiftieth Anniversary	Host/Himself	Special
1992, 1993 1997	The Larry Sanders Show	Himself	3 episodes Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
1994, 1996 2000, 2011	Saturday Night Live	Himself (host)	4 episodes
1996	The Dana Carvey Show	Himself / various roles	Title role; also co-creator, writer and executive producer
1998	Just Shoot Me!	Oskar Milos	Episode: "The Emperor"
1998–1999	LateLine	Senator Crowl Pickens	2 episodes
2010	The Fairly OddParents	Schnozmo Cosma	Voice Episode: "Double Oh Schnozmo"
2011	Good Vibes	Claw Jones	Voice Episode: "Tech Rehab"
	Spoof	Various	Pilot
2012	Live with Kelly	Himself (guest host)	3 episodes
2013	Rick and Morty	Leonard	Voice Episode: "Anatomy Park"
2014	The Birthday Boys	Laurence Eastman	Episode: "Snobs and Slobs"
2016	First Impressions	Himself	Host
	Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60	Himself	Stand-up special
2018	Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee	Himself	Episode: "Na.. Ga.. Do.. It"
2019	Bajillion Dollar Propertie$	Prince Borislav	Episode: "Royale Pains"
2023	Mulligan	Senator Cartwright LaMarr	Voice Main Cast

Web

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2021–present	Fantastic! with Dana Carvey	Himself/Host
2022–present	Fly on the Wall		David Spade(Co-host)
2024–present	Superfly

External links

• Official website
• Dana CarveyatIMDb
• Dana CarveyatEmmys.com
• "Maxim Rated Top SNL performer".Archived fromthe originalon June 14, 2009.RetrievedNovember 22,2009.
• "Interview on FOX News Radio (6 mins.)".Archived fromthe originalon May 16, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 18,2008.
• "WTF Podcast, Episode 765 - Dana Carvey".wtfpod.com. December 5, 2016.RetrievedMarch 11,2017.