Dana Carvey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dana Carvey
Carvey in 2009
Birth name	Dana Thomas Carvey
Born	(1955-06-02) June 2, 1955 (age 70) 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	Paula Zwagerman ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	2
Relative(s)	Brad Carvey (brother)

Dana Thomas Carvey, born on June 2, 1955, is a famous American comedian, actor, and producer. He is also a podcaster and helps write scripts.

He is most famous for his time on the TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 1986 to 1993. During these seven years, he was nominated for five Emmy Awards, which are big awards for TV shows. More recently, in 2024, he returned to SNL to do impressions of US President Joe Biden and businessman Elon Musk.

Carvey is also known for his roles in comedy movies. These include Moving (1988), Opportunity Knocks (1990), Trapped in Paradise (1994), and The Master of Disguise (2002). He also played Garth Algar in the popular SNL spin-off movies Wayne's World (1992) and Wayne's World 2 (1993).

Early Life and Comedy Beginnings

Growing Up in California

Dana Carvey was born in Missoula, Montana. He was the fourth of five children. His mother was a schoolteacher, and his father taught business in high school. Dana has some Irish family background. His brother, Brad Carvey, is an engineer who helped create the Video Toaster. The character Garth Algar, whom Dana played, was partly inspired by his brother Brad.

In 1957, when Dana was two years old, his family moved to Anderson, California. Later, when he was three, they moved to San Carlos, California, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area. He went to Tierra Linda Junior High and then Carlmont High School. In high school, he was part of the cross country team that won a championship.

Education and First Steps in Comedy

After high school, Dana attended College of San Mateo. He then earned his college degree in broadcast communications from San Francisco State University. In 1977, he won a stand-up comedy competition in San Francisco. This was an early sign of his talent for making people laugh.

Dana Carvey's Comedy Career

Starting Out in TV and Movies

Dana Carvey had a small part in the movie Halloween II in 1981. In 1982, he co-starred in a TV show called One of the Boys. This show also featured famous actors like Mickey Rooney and Meg Ryan. In 1984, Carvey had a small role in the movie This Is Spinal Tap, where he played a mime. He also appeared in a music video for the song "Lucky" in 1985. His big break came in 1986 when he acted alongside Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in the movie Tough Guys.

Before joining Saturday Night Live, Carvey was considered to host the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare. However, he decided to join SNL instead, and the hosting job went to Marc Summers.

Becoming a Star on Saturday Night Live

Carvey in 1989

In 1986, Dana Carvey became very well-known when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL). He, along with other new cast members like Phil Hartman and Kevin Nealon, helped make SNL popular again. One of his most famous characters was the Church Lady. This character was an uptight and smug host of a segment called Church Chat. Carvey said he based the character on women he knew from church when he was growing up.

Carvey created many other memorable characters on SNL. These included Garth Algar from Wayne's World, Hans from "Hans and Franz", and the Grumpy Old Man. He was also the main person to impersonate President George H. W. Bush during the president's time in office. This made him a key part of the political comedy sketches on SNL.

Carvey at the 1990 Emmy Awards

During the 1992 US presidential election, Carvey also did a great impression of independent candidate Ross Perot. He even played both George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot in a special debate sketch. Carvey left SNL in 1993 after seven successful years.

While on SNL, Carvey also starred in the Wayne's World movies. The first movie, Wayne's World, came out in 1992, and the sequel, Wayne's World 2, was released in 1993. He also appeared in other films like Moving (1988) and Opportunity Knocks (1990).

Carvey's work on SNL earned him an Emmy Award in 1993 for his outstanding performance. He has been nominated for a total of six Emmy Awards. He has returned to host SNL four times since leaving, and has made many guest appearances. In 2024, he made more regular appearances on SNL to play Joe Biden and Elon Musk.

Career After Saturday Night Live

In 1994, Carvey starred in the movies Clean Slate and Trapped in Paradise. The next year, he filmed his first stand-up comedy special for HBO called Critic's Choice. In this show, he performed many of his famous SNL impressions.

In 1996, Carvey brought back many of his SNL characters for The Dana Carvey Show. This was a short-lived variety show on ABC. The show is remembered for launching the cartoon "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" and helping start the careers of comedians Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert.

In 2002, he returned to movies in the spy comedy The Master of Disguise. This movie was not very popular with critics, but it did earn about $40 million at the box office. After this, Carvey took a break from movies until 2011. In 2004, he was ranked number 90 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.

Focusing on Family and Later Work

Carvey decided to step away from the spotlight for a while to focus on his family. He wanted to spend more time with his children as they grew up. He has said that he generally prefers doing stand-up comedy to acting in movies. He often performs at corporate events.

In 2008, Carvey filmed another HBO stand-up special called Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies. In 2010, he appeared in a comedy sketch called Presidential Reunion, where he played President George H. W. Bush.

Carvey has also done voice work for animated movies. He voiced Dana, the Camp Director, in Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015). He was also the voice of Pops in The Secret Life of Pets (2016) and its sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019).

In 2016, Carvey recorded a Netflix stand-up special called Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60. His two sons, Tom and Dex, opened the show for him. He has also been a guest on Conan O'Brien's podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.

Carvey regularly performs impressions on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, including his impressions of President Joe Biden.

Podcasts and Recent Projects

In 2021, Dana Carvey started hosting his own comedy podcast called "Fantastic! with Dana Carvey". This podcast features mini-sketches with his many celebrity impressions. It also includes interviews with his family and friends from the comedy world. That same year, Carvey brought back his character Garth Algar for a series of commercials for Uber Eats, alongside Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell.

In 2022, Carvey began co-hosting the "Fly on the Wall" podcast with fellow Saturday Night Live actor David Spade. They interview former SNL cast members and hosts. In 2024, they launched a video podcast spin-off called "Superfly."

Personal Life

Dana Carvey met Paula Zwagerman while performing comedy in San Francisco. They got engaged in 1981 and married in 1983. They have two sons, Dex, born in 1991, and Thomas, born in 1994. Sadly, his elder son, Dex, passed away in November 2023.

In 1998, Carvey had heart surgery. He later had another surgery to correct an issue. He took a break from 2002 to 2010 to focus on raising his two sons. Dana Carvey and his family live in Mill Valley, California.

Filmography

Comedy specials

Film

Television

Video games

Web

See also

In Spanish: Dana Carvey para niños