Dianne Wiest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dianne Wiest
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Wiest in 2009
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Dianne Evelyn Wiest
March 28, 1948 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Maryland |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Dianne Wiest, born on March 28, 1948, is a talented American actress. She is famous for her amazing performances in many movies and TV shows. Dianne has won two Academy Awards, which are like the biggest prizes in movies! She won for her roles in Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway.
She has also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her work on television, for Road to Avonlea and In Treatment. You might also know her from movies like Edward Scissorhands, The Birdcage, and Practical Magic. Dianne Wiest has had a long and successful career, bringing many different characters to life on screen and stage.
Contents
Early Life and Dreams
Dianne Wiest was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her mom, Anne, was a nurse, and her dad, Bernard, was a college dean. Her parents met in a place called Algiers. Dianne has two brothers, Greg and Don.
When she was younger, Dianne went to high school in Germany. Her big dream was to become a ballet dancer! But during her last year of high school, she decided to switch her focus to acting. She later graduated from the University of Maryland in 1969 with a degree in Arts and Sciences.
A Career on Stage and Screen
Dianne Wiest's acting journey began in the theater. She loved performing live and worked hard to become a great actress.
Starting on Stage
Dianne left her studies early to travel with a group that performed plays by William Shakespeare. She also acted in many plays in New York and other cities. She even played the main character in a play called Hedda Gabler.
She made her first appearance on Broadway, which is the highest level of theater in New York, in 1971. Dianne spent four years acting at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.. She played many different roles, showing how versatile she was. She even toured the USSR with the Arena Stage group!
Dianne won several awards for her theater work, including an Obie Award in 1980. This award is given to actors for excellent performances in off-Broadway plays. She also won the Theatre World Award and the Clarence Derwent Award. As she became more famous in movies, she still found time to perform on stage, appearing in plays like Salome with Al Pacino.
Becoming a Film and TV Star
Dianne Wiest started her film career with smaller roles. In 1984, she appeared in the popular movie Footloose.
She became very well-known for her work with director Woody Allen. She won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Hannah and Her Sisters in 1987. She won her second Oscar for Bullets Over Broadway in 1995. These awards showed how talented she was at playing different characters.
Dianne also starred in other memorable films like The Lost Boys (1987) and Bright Lights, Big City (1988). She received another Oscar nomination for her role in Parenthood. She also appeared in Tim Burton's magical movie Edward Scissorhands (1990) and The Birdcage (1996).
On television, Dianne won her first Primetime Emmy Award in 1997 for her guest role in Road to Avonlea. From 2000 to 2002, she played a lawyer named Nora Lewin in the popular crime show Law & Order. She also appeared in its spin-off shows.
In 2008, she won her second Emmy Award for her role as a therapist in the HBO series In Treatment. More recently, she has appeared in movies like Rabbit Hole (2010), Let Them All Talk (2020), and I Care a Lot (2020). Since 2021, she has been starring in the TV series Mayor of Kingstown.
Personal Life
Dianne Wiest has two adopted daughters named Emily and Lily. She keeps her personal life private.
Filmography
Film
| 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 | |
| 2026 | Practical Magic 2 | Aunt Bridget 'Jet' Owens | Filming |
Television
| 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 |
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Happy Birthday, Wanda June | Understudy: Penelope Ryan, Mildred | Edison Theatre |
| 1971 | Solitaire / Double Solitaire | Daughter | John Golden Theatre |
| 1977 | Agamemnon | Cassandra | Delacorte Theatre |
| 1979 | The Art of Dining | Elizabeth Barrow Colt | Joseph Papp Public Theatre |
| 1981 | Frankenstein | Elizabeth Lavenza | Palace Theatre |
| Hedda Gabler | Hedda Gabler | Yale Repertory Theatre | |
| 1982 | Othello | Desdemona | Winter Garden Theatre |
| Beyond Therapy | Prudence | Brooks Atkinson Theatre | |
| Three Sisters | Masha | Manhattan Theatre Club | |
| 1983 | Ivanov | Anna Petrovna | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
| 1984 | Serenading Louie | Gaby | Second Stage |
| After the Fall | Maggie | Playhouse 91 | |
| A Kind of Alaska | Deborah | Manhattan Theatre Club | |
| 1987 | Hunting Cockroaches | Anka | Manhattan Theatre Club |
| 1988 | Les Liaisons Dangereuses | La Marquise de Merteuil | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
| 1993 | In the Summer House | Gertrude Eastman Cuevas | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
| 1997 | One Flea Spare | Mrs. Darcy Snelgrave | The Public Theater |
| 2003 | Salome | Herodias | Ethel Barrymore Theatre |
| 2005 | Memory House | Maggie | Playwrights Horizons |
| Third | Laurie Jameson | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre | |
| 2008–2009 | All My Sons | Kate Keller | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre |
| 2008 | The Seagull | Arkadina | CSC Theatre |
| 2010 | The Forest | Raisa Pavlovna Gurmyzhskaya | |
| 2011 | The Cherry Orchard | Madame Ranevskaya | |
| 2015 | Rasheeda Speaking | Ileen | The New Group |
| 2016–2019 | Happy Days | Winnie | Yale Repertory Theatre |
| Theatre for a New Audience | |||
| Mark Taper Forum | |||
| 2023 | Scene Partners | Meryl Kowalski | Vineyard Theatre |
Awards and Honors
Dianne Wiest has won many awards for her acting. She has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and won two of them. These wins were for her roles in Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway.
She has also been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for her TV work, winning two. These Emmy wins were for Road to Avonlea and In Treatment. She has also received nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award.
See also
In Spanish: Dianne Wiest para niños
