Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest | |
---|---|
Born | Dianne Evelyn Wiest March 28, 1948 |
Alma mater | University of Maryland |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1970–present |
Children | 2 |
Awards | Full list |
Dianne Evelyn Wiest[1](/wiːst/;[2]born March 28, 1948)[3][4][5][6]is an American actress. She has won twoAcademy Awards for Best Supporting Actressfor 1986'sHannah and Her Sistersand 1994'sBullets Over Broadway(both directed byWoody Allen), oneGolden Globe AwardforBullets Over Broadway,the 1997Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama SeriesforRoad to Avonlea,and the 2008Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesforIn Treatment.In addition, she was nominated for anAcademy Awardfor 1989'sParenthood.
Other film appearances by Wiest includeFootloose(1984); Woody Allen'sThe Purple Rose of Cairo(1985),Radio Days(1987), andSeptember(1987);The Lost Boys(1987),Bright Lights, Big City(1988),Edward Scissorhands(1990),Little Man Tate(1991),The Birdcage(1996),Practical Magic(1998),Dan in Real Life(2007),Synecdoche, New York(2008),Rabbit Hole(2010),The Mule(2018),Let Them All Talk(2020) andI Care a Lot(2020). She also appeared in the television seriesLaw & Order(2000–2002), and theCBScomedyLife in Pieces(2015–2019).
Early life
[edit]Wiest was born inKansas City, Missouri.Her mother, Anne Stewart (néeKeddie), was a nurse. Her father, Bernard John Wiest, was a college dean and former psychiatric social worker for theU.S. Army.Her parents met inAlgiers.[7][8][9]Wiest has two brothers, Greg and Don. She attended high school atNurnberg American High Schoolin Germany. Her ambition was to be a ballet dancer, but she switched her goal to theater during her senior year.[10]Wiest graduated from theUniversity of Marylandin 1969 with a degree in Arts and Sciences.[11]
Career
[edit]Stage
[edit]Wiest left her theater studies in Maryland after the third term in order to tour with a Shakespearean troupe. Later, she had a supporting role in aNew York Shakespeare Festivalproduction ofAshes.[12]She also acted at theYale Repertory Theatrein New Haven, Connecticut, playing the title role inHenrik Ibsen'sHedda Gabler.She was an understudy both off-Broadway and on Broadway, inKurt Vonnegut'sHappy Birthday, Wanda Junein 1970.[13][14]
She made her Broadway debut inRobert Anderson'sSolitaire/Double Solitaire,taking over in the role of the daughter in 1971.[15]She landed a four-year job as a member of theArena StageinWashington, D.C.,[16]in such roles as Emily inOur Town,Honey inWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,and leading roles inS. Ansky'sThe Dybbuk,Maxim Gorky'sThe Lower DepthsandGeorge Bernard Shaw'sHeartbreak House.She toured theUSSRwith the Arena Stage.[17]In 1976, Wiest attended theEugene O'NeillNational Playwrights Conference and starred in leading roles in Amlin Gray'sPiratesandChristopher Durang'sA History of the American Film.AtJoe Papp'sPublic Theatershe took over the lead inAshes,and playedCassandrainAgamemnon,directed byAndrei Șerban.In 1979, she originated the role of Agnes inAgnes of Godin its first production in Waterford, Connecticut.[18]
She appeared in two plays byTina Howe:MuseumandThe Art of Dining.In the latter, Wiest's performance as the shy and awkward author Elizabeth Barrow Colt won three off-Broadway theater awards: anObie Award(1980), aTheatre World Award(1979–1980), and theClarence Derwent Award(1980), given yearly for the most promising performance in New York theatre.[19][20][21][22]
On Broadway she appeared inFrankenstein(1981), directed by Tom Moore, portrayedDesdemonainOthello(1982) oppositeJames Earl JonesandChristopher Plummerand co-starred withJohn Lithgowin Christopher Durang's romantic screwball comedyBeyond Therapy(1982), directed byJohn Madden.[15](She played opposite Lithgow again in theHerbert RossfilmFootloose). During the 1980s, she also performed inHedda Gabler,directed byLloyd RichardsatYale Repertory Theatre,[23]and inHarold Pinter'sA Kind of Alaska(1984, Manhattan Theatre Club),[24]Lanford Wilson'sSerenading Louie(1984),[25]andJanusz Glowacki'sHunting Cockroaches(1987, Manhattan Theater Club).[26]As Wiest became established as a film actress through her work inWoody Allen's films, she was less frequently available for stage roles. However, she did appear onstage during the 1990s, inIn the Summer House,Square One,Cynthia Ozick'sThe Shawl,andNaomi Wallace'sOne Flea Spare.In 2003, she appeared withAl PacinoandMarisa TomeiinOscar Wilde'sSalome.In 2005, she starred in Kathleen Tolan'sMemory House.She also starred in a production ofWendy Wasserstein's final playThird(directed byDaniel Sullivan) atLincoln Center.[27]
Later New York theater roles include performances as Arkadina in an off-Broadway revival ofThe Seagull(oppositeAlan Cumming's Trigorin) and as Kate Keller in a Broadway revival ofArthur Miller'sAll My Sons,oppositeJohn Lithgow,Patrick Wilson,andKatie Holmes.[28]In 2009, Wiest appeared in theNational Memorial Day Concerton the Mall in Washington, D.C. in a dialogue with Katie Holmes celebrating the life of an American veteran seriously wounded in Iraq, José Pequeño.[29]Wiest spent September 2010 as a visiting teacher at Columbia University's Graduate Acting Program,[30]working with a group of 18 first-year MFA Acting students on selected plays byAnton ChekhovandArthur Miller.
In 2016, Wiest took on the role of "Winnie" in TheYale Repertory Theatre's production ofSamuel Beckett'sHappy Days.[31]She reprised the role forTheatre for a New Audienceindowntown Brooklyn,New York, in the spring of 2017,[32]and theMark Taper Forumin Los Angeles in 2019.[33]
Film and television
[edit]Her early screen roles include small roles inIt's My Turn(credited onscreen as Diane Wiest) andI'm Dancing as Fast as I Can,both starringJill Clayburghin the lead roles. In 1984, she starred inFootloose,as the reverend's wife and Ariel's mother. Under Woody Allen's direction, Wiest won anAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActressforHannah and Her Sistersin 1987 andBullets Over Broadwayin 1995.[16][34]She also appeared in three other Woody Allen films:The Purple Rose of Cairo(1985),Radio Days(1987) andSeptember(1987).[35]
She followed her first Oscar success with performances inThe Lost Boys(1987) andBright Lights, Big City(1988). She also starred withSteve Martin,Mary Steenburgen,Jason Robards,Keanu ReevesandMartha PlimptoninRon Howard'sParenthood,for which she received her second Oscar nomination. Other major film roles includeTim Burton'sEdward Scissorhands(1990),Jodie Foster'sLittle Man Tate(1991) andThe Birdcage(1996),Mike Nichols' remake ofLa Cage aux Folles.
On television, her performance on the seriesRoad to Avonleain 1997 brought her her firstEmmy AwardforOutstanding Guest Actress in a Dramatic Series.She received another nomination for her performance in the 1999 telefilmThe Simple Life of Noah Dearborn,co-starringSidney Poitier.She starred in thetelevisionmini-seriesThe 10th Kingdomin 2000. From 2000 to 2002, Wiest portrayed interim District AttorneyNora Lewinin theNBCcrime dramaLaw & Order.She also played the character in two episodes ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitand thepilot episodeofLaw & Order: Criminal Intent.
Wiest starred alongsideSteve CarellandJuliette BinocheinDan in Real Life(2007) and had a key supporting role inCharlie Kaufman's 2008 filmSynecdoche, New York.In 2008, she also appeared asGabriel Byrne's therapist,Gina Toll,on theHBOtelevision seriesIn Treatment,for which she received her secondEmmy Award,for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She received another nomination (in the same category) for the second season, in 2009, but did not win.
She starred alongsideNicole KidmaninRabbit Hole(2010), whom she worked with onPractical Magic.Rabbit Holedebuted at theToronto International Film Festival.Wiest also co-starred inLawrence Kasdan's 2012 comedyDarling Companion,alongsideKevin KlineandDiane Keaton.In 2020, Wiest starred inSteven Soderbergh's dramaLet Them All TalkalongsideMeryl Streep,andCandice Bergen.That same year she also starred oppositeRosamund Pikein the action thrillerI Care a Lot.[36]
Personal life
[edit]Wiest was in a relationship with her talent agentSam Cohnfor three years in the mid-1980s.[37][38]She adopted two daughters: Emily and Lily.[17]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1980 | It's My Turn | Gail | Credited as Diane Wiest |
1982 | I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can | Julie Addison | |
1983 | Face of Rage | Rebecca Hammil | |
Independence Day | Nancy Morgan | ||
1984 | Falling in Love | Isabelle | |
Footloose | Vi Moore | ||
1985 | The Purple Rose of Cairo | Emma | |
1986 | Hannah and Her Sisters | Holly | |
1987 | Radio Days | Bea | |
September | Stephanie | ||
The Lost Boys | Lucy Emerson | ||
1988 | Bright Lights, Big City | Mrs. Conway | |
1989 | Parenthood | Helen Buckman | |
Cookie | Lenore Voltecki | ||
1990 | Edward Scissorhands | Peg Boggs | |
1991 | Little Man Tate | Jane Grierson | |
1994 | Bullets Over Broadway | Helen Sinclair | |
Cops & Robbersons | Helen Robberson | ||
The Scout | Doctor H. Aaron | ||
1995 | Drunks | Rachel | |
1996 | The Associate | Sally Dugan | |
The Birdcage | Louise Keeley | ||
1998 | Practical Magic | Aunt Bridget 'Jet' Owens | |
The Horse Whisperer | Diane Booker | ||
2001 | I Am Sam | Annie Cassell | |
2002 | Merci Docteur Rey | Elisabeth Beaumont | |
2005 | Robots | Lydia Copperbottom | Voice |
2006 | A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints | Flori Montiel | |
2007 | Dedication | Carol | |
Dan in Real Life | Nana Burns | ||
2008 | Passengers | Toni | |
Synecdoche, New York | Ellen Bascomb/Millicent Weems | ||
2009 | Rage | Miss Roth | |
2010 | Rabbit Hole | Nat | |
2011 | The Big Year | Brenda Harris | |
2012 | Darling Companion | Penny Alexander | |
The Odd Life of Timothy Green | Ms. Crudstaff | ||
2014 | The Humbling | Carol Stapleford | |
2015 | Five Nights in Maine | Lucinda | |
Sisters | Deana Ellis | ||
2018 | The Mule | Mary Stone | |
2020 | I Care a Lot | Jennifer Peterson | |
Let Them All Talk | Susan | ||
2022 | My Father's Dragon | Iris the Rhinoceros | Voice |
2024 | Apartment 7A | Minnie Castevet |
Television
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | Zalmen: or, The Madness of God | Nina | Television film |
1978 | Great Performances: Out of Our Father's House | Elizabeth Gertrude Stern | |
1997 | Road to Avonlea | Lillian Hepworth | 1 episode |
1999 | The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn | Sarah McClellan | Television film |
2000 | The 10th Kingdom | The Evil Queen/Christine White | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
2000–02 | Law & Order | D.A.Nora Lewin | Lead role, 46 episodes |
2001 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | 1 episode | |
2001–02 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 2 episodes | |
2004 | The Blackwater Lightship | Lily Devereux Breen | Television film |
Category 6: Day of Destruction | Secretary of Energy Shirley Abbott | 2 episodes | |
2008–09 | In Treatment | Dr. Gina Toll | Main role, 17 episodes |
2008 | The Return of Jezebel James | Talia Tompkins | 2 episodes |
2011 | Woody Allen: A Documentary | Herself | |
2014 | The Blacklist | Ruth Kipling | 1 episode |
2015–19 | Life in Pieces | Joan Short | Main role, 79 episodes |
2021–23 | Mayor of Kingstown | Mariam McLusky | Main role, 19 episodes |
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Stage
[edit]Awards and honors
[edit]Wiest has been nominated for threeAcademy AwardsforBest Supporting Actressreceiving two wins for her performances in theWoody AllenfilmsHannah and Her Sisters(1986) andBullets Over Broadway(1994). She has received fourPrimetime Emmy Awardnominations for her work on television, winning two awards forRoad to Avonlea(1996) andIn Treatment(2008). She has also received twoGolden Globe Awardnominations and twoScreen Actors Guild Awardnominations.
References
[edit]- ^"Deaths: Wiest, Dr. Bernard".The Advocate (Louisiana).NewsBank.May 3, 1986.RetrievedDecember 29,2013.
- ^Dianne Wiest winning Best Supporting Actress for "Hannah and Her Sisters"onYouTube,presenters' announcing her win at the 1987 awards confirm pronunciation, accessed August 20, 2014
- ^"DIANNE WIEST TRYING TO AVOID YET ANOTHER ROLE TRAP".Chicago Tribune.December 28, 1990.RetrievedMarch 3,2021.
- ^"Oscar Winner Dianne Wiest: I'm Struggling to Pay My Rent".The Hollywood Reporter.January 25, 2015.RetrievedMarch 3,2021.
- ^"Dianne Wiest".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedMarch 3,2021.
- ^"Dianne Wiest - Turner Classic Movies".
- ^Bennetts, Leslie (March 18, 1987)."Dianne Wiest Makes Neurosis A Success Story".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 1,2010.
- ^"NewsLibrary Search Results".nl.newsbank.com.
- ^"NewsLibrary Search Results".nl.newsbank.com.
- ^"Dianne Wiest Lauded in German Press for Role in Senior Play 'Pygmalion,'NHS Trichter,Vol 15, No 3, fall 2003, p. 19.
- ^The Women of Maryland: Alumni Who Have Made A DifferenceArchived2013-01-19 at theWayback Machine.University of Maryland Women Alumni.
- ^Dianne Wiest ProfileArchived2007-10-27 at theWayback Machine.E!Online.
- ^Happy Birthday, Wanda Junelisting at the Internet Broadway Database.Internet Broadway Database, accessed October 30, 2010
- ^Happy Birthday, Wanda Junelisting, Internet Off-Broadway Database listingArchived2011-11-15 at theWayback Machine.Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed October 30, 2010
- ^abDianne Wiestat theInternet Broadway Database
- ^abDianne Wiest Biography.Yahoo! Movies.
- ^abBiography.tcm.com, accessed October 30, 2010
- ^Agnes of God A Dramaaccessed 11/23/2106
- ^The Art of Dininglisting, Internet Off-Broadway DatabaseArchived2011-11-15 at theWayback Machine.Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed October 30, 2010
- ^Wiest Obie AwardsArchived2013-05-30 at theWayback Machine.villagevoice.com, accessed October 30, 2010
- ^Theatre World Awards History.theatreworldawards.org, accessed October 30, 2010
- ^Derwent AwardsArchivedOctober 25, 2010, at theWayback Machine.actorsequity.org, accessed October 30, 2010
- ^Gussow, Mel.Review: 'HEDDA GABLER' BY YALE REP ".New York Times,March 11, 1981
- ^New York Magazinelisting.New York Magazine,April 30, 1984
- ^Rich, Frank."Review:'Serenading Louie'.The New York Times,February 3, 1984
- ^Rich, Frank.Review, 'Hunting Cockroaches'.New York Times,March 4, 1987
- ^Bacalzo, Dan."Review: 'Third.
- ^The New York Times,"Two Fathers Are Learning Lessons of 'All My Sons'." Cohen, Patricia. November 12, 2008
- ^"The Concert 2009 Features Families of Disabled Vets"PBS.org
- ^FacultyArchived2010-12-06 at theWayback Machine.columbia.edu, accessed October 30, 2010
- ^Isherwood, Charles (May 9, 2016)."Review: 'Happy Days,' an Unsettling Glimpse Into the Existential Abyss".The New York Times.
- ^"Overview".November 10, 2010.
- ^"Happy Days".Center Theatre Group.RetrievedMay 23,2019.
- ^Wiest Academy Award wins and nominations[permanent dead link].awardsdatabase.oscars.org, accessed October 31, 2010
- ^Bauer, Patricia."Dianne Wiest Biography".Encyclopaedia Britannica.RetrievedMarch 20,2019.
- ^Catsoulis, Jeannette (February 18, 2021)."'I Care a Lot' Review: The Art of the Steal ".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 2,2021.
- ^Weber, Bruce (May 6, 2009)."Sam Cohn, Powerful Talent Broker, Dies at 79".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 7,2009.
- ^"Dianne Wiest -- Hannah's Fragile Sister".Orlando Sentinel.April 6, 1987.
- ^"Happy Birthday, Wanda June – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB".www.ibdb.com.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^"Solitaire / Double Solitaire – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB".www.ibdb.com.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^"Ivanov".Williamstown Theatre Festival.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^Rich, Frank (February 3, 1984)."STAGE: 'SERENADING,' BY LANFORD WILSON".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^"'Hunting Cockroaches' Starring Ron Silver and Dianne Wiest Opens Off-Broadway ".AP NEWS.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^"Les Liaisons Dangereuses".Williamstown Theatre Festival.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^"In the Summer House – Broadway Play – 1993 Revival | IBDB".www.ibdb.com.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^"Memory House".Playwrights Horizons.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^BWW News Desk."Classic Stage Company Presents Dianne Wiest in THE FOREST".BroadwayWorld.com.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
- ^Isherwood, Charles (February 12, 2015)."Review: 'Rasheeda Speaking' Finds a Chilling Place to Work".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedApril 4,2021.
External links
[edit]- 1948 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Kansas City, Missouri
- American film actresses
- American people of Croatian descent
- American people of German descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners
- Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Clarence Derwent Award winners
- Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female winners
- Obie Award recipients
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Sundance Film Festival award winners
- University of Maryland, College Park alumni