Dana Wheeler-Nicholson

Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (born October 9, 1960) is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in the films Fletch (1985), Circuitry Man (1990), Tombstone (1993), Denise Calls Up (1995), Fast Food Nation (2006), Parkland (2013), and 6 Years (2015). She is also known for her recent roles on television series such as Friday Night Lights, and Nashville.

Wheeler-Nicholson was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of Joan (née Weitemeyer) and Douglas Wheeler-Nicholson. She is the granddaughter of pioneering American comic book publisher Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who founded DC Comics under the original company name National Allied Publications. Wheeler-Nicholson is married to film director Alex Smith and lives in Austin, Texas.

Sometimes credited as Dana Wheeler Nicholson, she has appeared in numerous feature films, but is perhaps best known for her role in Fletch as Gail Stanwyk, the wife of the villain, and love interest of the title character (Chevy Chase). She is well known for her performance in Tombstone (1993) as Mattie Blaylock, Wyatt Earp's common law wife. Wheeler-Nicholson has also appeared in the films Bye Bye Love (1995), Denise Calls Up (1995), Fast Food Nation (2006), and Parkland (2013).

On television, Wheeler-Nicholson has guest-starred in Seinfeld, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Sex and the City, Boston Public, and Boston Legal. She starred in short-lived NBC comedy Beverly Hills Buntz from 1987 to 1988, and in 2001 was cast on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children. In the mid-2000s, Wheeler-Nicholson moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas. From 2007 to 2011, she had a recurring role in the NBC drama Friday Night Lights as Angela Collette. In 2014, Wheeler-Nicholson played the role of Scarlett O'Connor's abusive mother on ABC's musical drama series Nashville. In 2015, she had a supporting role in Hannah Fidell's independent drama film 6 Years, portraying the mother of Ben Rosenfield.

Film

Television