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The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
American actress
A.K.A.
Dianne Evelyn Wiest
Gender
Female
Place of birth
Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, USA
Age
76 years
Stats
Height:
1.6383 m
Education
University of Maryland
College Park, Prince George's County, USA
Nurnberg American High School
Germany
Awards
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
(1986)
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
(1994)
Theatre World Award
(1980)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
(2008)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
(1997)
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
(1995)
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Dianne Evelyn Wiest (/wst/; born March 28, 1948) is an American actress. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress for 1986's Hannah and Her Sisters and 1994's Bullets Over Broadway (both directed by Woody Allen), one Golden Globe Award for Bullets Over Broadway, the 1997 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Road to Avonlea, and the 2008 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for In Treatment. In addition, she was nominated for an Academy Award for 1989's Parenthood.

Other film appearances by Wiest include Footloose (1984); Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Radio Days (1987), and September (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) and I Care a Lot (2020). She also appeared in the television series Law & Order (2000–2002), and the CBS comedy Life in Pieces (2015–2019).

Early life

Wiest was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her mother, Anne Stewart (née Keddie), was a nurse. Her father, Bernard John Wiest, was a college dean and former psychiatric social worker for the U.S. Army. Her parents met in Algiers. Wiest has two brothers, Greg and Don. She attended high school at Nurnberg American High School in Germany. Her ambition was to be a ballet dancer, but she switched her goal to theater during her senior year. Wiest graduated from the University of Maryland in 1969 with a degree in Arts and Sciences.

Career

Stage

Dianne Wiest
Wiest at the 1990 Academy Awards

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 a New York Shakespeare Festival production of Ashes. She also acted at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, playing the title role in Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. She was an understudy both off-Broadway and on Broadway, in Kurt Vonnegut's Happy Birthday, Wanda June in 1970.

She made her Broadway debut in Robert Anderson's Solitaire/Double Solitaire, taking over in the role of the daughter in 1971. She landed a four-year job as a member of the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in such roles as Emily in Our Town, Honey in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and leading roles in S. Ansky's The Dybbuk, Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths and George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House. She toured the USSR with the Arena Stage. In 1976, Wiest attended the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and starred in leading roles in Amlin Gray's Pirates and Christopher Durang's A History of the American Film. At Joe Papp's Public Theater she took over the lead in Ashes, and played Cassandra in Agamemnon, directed by Andrei Șerban. In 1979, she originated the role of Agnes in Agnes of God in its first production in Waterford, Connecticut.

She appeared in two plays by Tina Howe: Museum and The Art of Dining. In the latter, Wiest's performance as the shy and awkward author Elizabeth Barrow Colt won three off-Broadway theater awards: an Obie Award (1980), a Theatre World Award (1979–1980), and the Clarence Derwent Award (1980), given yearly for the most promising performance in New York theatre.

On Broadway she appeared in Frankenstein (1981), directed by Tom Moore, portrayed Desdemona in Othello (1982) opposite James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer and co-starred with John Lithgow in Christopher Durang's romantic screwball comedy Beyond Therapy (1982), directed by John Madden. (She played opposite Lithgow again in the Herbert Ross film Footloose). During the 1980s, she also performed in Hedda Gabler, directed by Lloyd Richards at Yale Repertory Theatre, and in Harold Pinter's A Kind of Alaska (1984, Manhattan Theatre Club), Lanford Wilson's Serenading Louie (1984), and Janusz Glowacki's Hunting Cockroaches (1987, Manhattan Theater Club). As Wiest became established as a film actress through her work in Woody Allen's films, she was less frequently available for stage roles. However, she did appear onstage during the 1990s, in In the Summer House, Square One, Cynthia Ozick's The Shawl, and Naomi Wallace's One Flea Spare. In 2003, she appeared with Al Pacino and Marisa Tomei in Oscar Wilde's Salome. In 2005, she starred in Kathleen Tolan's Memory House. She also starred in a production of Wendy Wasserstein's final play Third (directed by Daniel Sullivan) at Lincoln Center.

Later New York theater roles include performances as Arkadina in an off-Broadway revival of The Seagull (opposite Alan Cumming's Trigorin) and as Kate Keller in a Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, opposite John Lithgow, Patrick Wilson, and Katie Holmes. In 2009, Wiest appeared in the National Memorial Day Concert on 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. Wiest spent September 2010 as a visiting teacher at Columbia University's Graduate Acting Program, working with a group of 18 first-year MFA Acting students on selected plays by Anton Chekhov and Arthur Miller.

In 2016, Wiest took on the role of "Winnie" in The Yale Repertory Theatre's production of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days. She reprised the role for Theatre for a New Audience in downtown Brooklyn, New York, in the spring of 2017, and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2019.

Film and television

Her early screen roles include small roles in It's My Turn (credited onscreen as Diane Wiest) and I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, both starring Jill Clayburgh in the lead roles. In 1984, she starred in Footloose, as the reverend's wife and Ariel's mother. Under Woody Allen's direction, Wiest won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Hannah and Her Sisters in 1987 and Bullets Over Broadway in 1995. She also appeared in three other Woody Allen films: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Radio Days (1987) and September (1987).

Dianne Wiest
Wiest (left) in 2011

She followed her first Oscar success with performances in The Lost Boys (1987) and Bright Lights, Big City (1988). She also starred with Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards, Keanu Reeves and Martha Plimpton in Ron Howard's Parenthood, for which she received her second Oscar nomination. Other major film roles include Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (1990), Jodie Foster's Little Man Tate (1991) and The Birdcage (1996), Mike Nichols' remake of La Cage aux Folles.

On television, her performance on the series Road to Avonlea in 1997 brought her her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Dramatic Series. She received another nomination for her performance in the 1999 telefilm The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn, co-starring Sidney Poitier. She starred in the television mini-series The 10th Kingdom in 2000. From 2000 to 2002, Wiest portrayed interim District Attorney Nora Lewin in the NBC crime drama Law & Order. She also played the character in two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the pilot episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Wiest starred alongside Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche in Dan in Real Life (2007) and had a key supporting role in Charlie Kaufman's 2008 film Synecdoche, New York. In 2008, she also appeared as Gabriel Byrne's therapist, Gina Toll, on the HBO television series In Treatment, for which she received her second Emmy 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 alongside Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole (2010), whom she worked with on Practical Magic. Rabbit Hole debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. Wiest also co-starred in Lawrence Kasdan's 2012 comedy Darling Companion, alongside Kevin Kline and Diane Keaton. In 2020, Wiest starred in Steven Soderbergh's drama Let Them All Talk alongside Meryl Streep, and Candice Bergen. That same year she also starred opposite Rosamund Pike in the action thriller I Care a Lot.

Personal life

Wiest was in a relationship with her talent agent Sam Cohn for three years in the mid-1980s. She adopted two daughters: Emily and Lily.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980It's My TurnGailCredited as Diane Wiest
1982I'm Dancing as Fast as I CanJulie Addison
1983Face of RageRebecca Hammil
Independence DayNancy Morgan
1984Falling in LoveIsabelle
FootlooseVi Moore
1985The Purple Rose of CairoEmma
1986Hannah and Her SistersHolly
1987Radio DaysBea
SeptemberStephanie
The Lost BoysLucy Emerson
1988Bright Lights, Big CityMrs. Conway
1989ParenthoodHelen Buckman
CookieLenore Voltecki
1990Edward ScissorhandsPeg Boggs
1991Little Man TateJane Grierson
1994Bullets Over BroadwayHelen Sinclair
Cops & RobbersonsHelen Robberson
The ScoutDoctor H. Aaron
1995DrunksRachel
1996The AssociateSally Dugan
The BirdcageLouise Keeley
1998Practical MagicAunt Bridget 'Jet' Owens
The Horse WhispererDiane Booker
2001I Am SamAnnie Cassell
2002Merci Docteur ReyElisabeth Beaumont
2005RobotsLydia CopperbottomVoice
2006A Guide to Recognizing Your SaintsFlori Montiel
2007DedicationCarol
Dan in Real LifeNana Burns
2008PassengersToni
Synecdoche, New YorkEllen Bascomb/Millicent Weems
2009RageMiss Roth
2010Rabbit HoleNat
2011The Big YearBrenda Harris
2012Darling CompanionPenny Alexander
The Odd Life of Timothy GreenMs. Crudstaff
2014The HumblingCarol Stapleford
2015Five Nights in MaineLucinda
SistersDeana Ellis
2018The MuleMary Stone
2020I Care a LotJennifer Peterson
Let Them All TalkSusan
2022My Father's DragonIris the RhinocerosVoice
2024Apartment 7AMinnie Castevet

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1975Zalmen: or, The Madness of GodNinaTelevision film
1978Great Performances: Out of Our Father's HouseElizabeth Gertrude Stern
1997Road to AvonleaLillian Hepworth1 episode
1999The Simple Life of Noah DearbornSarah McClellanTelevision film
2000The 10th KingdomThe Evil Queen/Christine WhiteMiniseries, 5 episodes
2000–02Law & OrderD.A. Nora LewinLead role, 46 episodes
2001Law & Order: Criminal Intent1 episode
2001–02Law & Order: Special Victims Unit2 episodes
2004The Blackwater LightshipLily Devereux BreenTelevision film
Category 6: Day of DestructionSecretary of Energy Shirley Abbott2 episodes
2008–09In TreatmentDr. Gina TollMain role, 17 episodes
2008The Return of Jezebel JamesTalia Tompkins2 episodes
2011Woody Allen: A DocumentaryHerself
2014The BlacklistRuth Kipling1 episode
2015–19Life in PiecesJoan ShortMain role, 79 episodes
2021–23Mayor of KingstownMariam McLuskyMain role, 19 episodes
Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

Stage

YearTitleRoleVenue
1970Happy Birthday, Wanda JuneUnderstudy: Penelope Ryan, MildredEdison Theatre
1971Solitaire / Double SolitaireDaughterJohn Golden Theatre
1977AgamemnonCassandraDelacorte Theatre
1979The Art of DiningElizabeth Barrow ColtJoseph Papp Public Theatre
1981FrankensteinElizabeth LavenzaPalace Theatre
Hedda GablerHedda GablerYale Repertory Theatre
1982OthelloDesdemonaWinter Garden Theatre
Beyond TherapyPrudenceBrooks Atkinson Theatre
Three SistersMashaManhattan Theatre Club
1983IvanovAnna PetrovnaWilliamstown Theatre Festival
1984Serenading LouieGabySecond Stage
After the FallMaggiePlayhouse 91
A Kind of AlaskaDeborahManhattan Theatre Club
1987Hunting CockroachesAnkaManhattan Theatre Club
1988Les Liaisons DangereusesLa Marquise de MerteuilWilliamstown Theatre Festival
1993In the Summer HouseGertrude Eastman CuevasVivian Beaumont Theater
1997One Flea SpareMrs. Darcy SnelgraveThe Public Theater
2003SalomeHerodiasEthel Barrymore Theatre
2005Memory HouseMaggiePlaywrights Horizons
ThirdLaurie JamesonMitzi E. Newhouse Theatre
2008–2009All My SonsKate KellerGerald Schoenfeld Theatre
2008The SeagullArkadinaCSC Theatre
2010The ForestRaisa Pavlovna Gurmyzhskaya
2011The Cherry OrchardMadame Ranevskaya
2015Rasheeda SpeakingIleenThe New Group
2016–2019Happy DaysWinnieYale Repertory Theatre
Theatre for a New Audience
Mark Taper Forum
2023Scene PartnersMeryl KowalskiVineyard Theatre

Awards and honors

Wiest has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress receiving two wins for her performances in the Woody Allen films Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Bullets Over Broadway (1994). She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on television, winning two awards for Road to Avonlea (1996) and In Treatment (2008). She has also received two Golden Globe Award nominations and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

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