Dinah Manoff
Encyclopedia
Dinah Beth Manoff is an American stage, film and television actress and television director
best known for her roles as Elaine Lefkowitz on Soap
, Marty Maraschino in the film Grease
, Libby Tucker in both the stage and film adaptations
of I Ought to Be in Pictures
, for which she won a Tony award
, and Carol Weston on Empty Nest
. Manoff has also starred in numerous television movies and guest starred on various television programs in this timespan. Her film career cooled down during the 1990s but has come back in the 2000s with movies such as The Amati Girls
and Bart Got a Room
and a co-starring role on State of Grace.
Manoff is daughter to actress Lee Grant
and screenwriter Arnold Manoff
. Her career has spanned over three decades. Since 1997, Manoff has been married to Arthur Mortell and currently resides in Bainbridge Island, Washington. She had previously resided in Los Angeles
, California
and New York City
, New York.
(née
Lyova Rosenthal) and screenwriter Arnold Manoff
. Her brother, Tom Manoff, is the Classical Music Critic for NPR
's All Things Considered and a notable composer. After a divorce in 1960, Grant married Joseph Feury in 1962, who thus became Manoff's stepfather. She spent most of her childhood and teenage years in New York. In 1975, at the age of 17, Manoff was accepted into the Actors Studio
also in New York City.
, providing one of the voices. In 1976, Manoff made her first television appearance on the PBS
production of The Stronger. This was followed by a guest appearance on Welcome Back, Kotter
in an episode entitled "Sadie Hawkins Day." She made a guest appearance on another show, Visions. In 1977 she made a cameo appearance in her first TV movie, Raid on Entebbe
. In 1978, Manoff got the role of Elaine Lefkowitz Dallas on the ABC
sitcom Soap
and remained on the show until the end of the year. Manoff, along with four other Soap actors and actresses, faced off against Three's Company
on Richard Dawson's Family Feud
that May, her only game show appearance.
After that, Manoff took her first film role as Marty Maraschino, one of the Pink Ladies in the movie version of Grease
(filmed the previous summer). Her post-Grease appearances in 1979 include $weepstake$, Lou Grant
and Mork & Mindy.
's Broadway
play, I Ought to Be in Pictures
and won the Tony Award
for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play as well as the Theatre World Award
. She reprised that role for the film version
in 1982, with Walter Matthau
and Ann-Margret
, one of the rare projects in her career in which she had a starring role.
At that same time, she married Jean-Marc Joubert and also played the small but pivotal role of Karen in the multiple Oscar-winning Ordinary People
. In other parts of the decade, Manoff worked on several small projects.
In 1985, Manoff portrayed songwriter Ellie Greenwich
in the Broadway jukebox musical
Leader of the Pack
and sang a few songs in it, but she and Jean-Marc Joubert divorced. In 1988, Manoff played Maggie Peterson in Child's Play, the first character to be killed by the murderous doll Chucky. Manoff then started a seven year stint as Carol Weston on the NBC
sitcom and Golden Girls
spinoff Empty Nest
, a role she is best known for on television and has appeared on every episode of the series. In 1989, Manoff appeared in minor roles in two films late in the year: Bloodhounds of Broadway
and Staying Together
.
, starring Winona Ryder
and Jeff Daniels
. After this, Manoff focused primarily on television work, appearing in an episode of Blossom
entitled "Rockumentary" and TV movies such as Babies and Maid for Each Other
, as well as continuing on Empty Nest as actress and director on two episodes until its ending in 1995; she also appeared on The Golden Girls twice as Carol Weston in this period. Manoff's subsequent TV appearances included Touched by an Angel
, Cybill
and George & Leo
.
In 1997, she married Arthur Mortell, and had a baby boy, Dasheil, shortly after. In 1999, Manoff directed the 82nd episode of the television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, titled "Prelude to a Kiss."
. Just a few months later in 2001, Manoff returned to film work by starring in The Amati Girls
, the sole movie released theatrically that she and her mother Lee Grant
have appeared in together. The film also featured Mercedes Ruehl, Sean Young
and Lily Knight. Manoff appeared in a second 2001 movie, Zigs
, starring Beverly Hills, 90210
s Jason Priestley
. From 2001 to 2002, Manoff co-starred in the cable television series State of Grace. In early 2002, she took a leave of absence from State of Grace when she gave birth to twin boys. In 2003, Manoff played Aunt Marla in A Carol Christmas
, a variation on Charles Dickens
' classic story
.
In celebration of the poet Oscar Wilde
's 150th birthday in 2004, Manoff read some of his works in the documentary Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde
. After a four-year hiatus, Manoff appeared in the film Bart Got a Room
in 2008, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
but would not be released widely until the following year in which Dinah appeared in two episodes of Lose Yourself on Strike.TV
.
In 2010, Grease was re-released a second time as a sing-along. Coinciding with its release, Manoff appeared at the Seattle International Film Festival
. She was in the process of writing a novel as of 2011.
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
best known for her roles as Elaine Lefkowitz on Soap
Soap (TV series)
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...
, Marty Maraschino in the film Grease
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
, Libby Tucker in both the stage and film adaptations
I Ought to Be in Pictures (film)
Neil Simon's I Ought to Be in Pictures is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Herbert Ross and based on Neil Simon's play of the same name. The film stars Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, and Dinah Manoff...
of I Ought to Be in Pictures
I Ought to Be in Pictures
I Ought to Be in Pictures is a play by Neil Simon.The three-character comedy-drama focuses on Herbert Tucker, a struggling, writer's-blocked screenwriter who abandoned his New York family 16 years earlier...
, for which she won a Tony award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
, and Carol Weston on Empty Nest
Empty Nest
Empty Nest is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. The series was created as a spin-off of The Golden Girls by creator and producer Susan Harris. For its first three seasons, Empty Nest was one of the year's top 10 most-watched programs...
. Manoff has also starred in numerous television movies and guest starred on various television programs in this timespan. Her film career cooled down during the 1990s but has come back in the 2000s with movies such as The Amati Girls
The Amati Girls
The Amati Girls is a 2001 drama film written and directed by Anne De Salvo. It stars Cloris Leachman, Mercedes Ruehl, Dinah Manoff, Sean Young, Lily Knight, Lee Grant, and Edith Fields....
and Bart Got a Room
Bart Got a Room
Bart Got a Room is a 2009 comedy film written and directed by Brian Hecker, and stars Steven Kaplan, Alia Shawkat, William H. Macy, and Cheryl Hines. Also appearing in the film are Ashley Benson, Brandon Hardesty, Kate Micucci, Jennifer Tilly, Dinah Manoff and Chad Jamian Williams as Bart. The film...
and a co-starring role on State of Grace.
Manoff is daughter to actress Lee Grant
Lee Grant
Lee Grant is an American stage, film and television actress, and film director. She was blacklisted for 12 years from film work beginning in the mid-1950s, but worked in the theatre, and would eventually win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Felicia Carp in the...
and screenwriter Arnold Manoff
Arnold Manoff
Arnold Manoff was an American screenwriter who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s....
. Her career has spanned over three decades. Since 1997, Manoff has been married to Arthur Mortell and currently resides in Bainbridge Island, Washington. She had previously resided in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York.
Early life
Manoff was born on January 25, 1958 in New York City, New York. Her parents are actress, director, and writer Lee GrantLee Grant
Lee Grant is an American stage, film and television actress, and film director. She was blacklisted for 12 years from film work beginning in the mid-1950s, but worked in the theatre, and would eventually win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Felicia Carp in the...
(née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Lyova Rosenthal) and screenwriter Arnold Manoff
Arnold Manoff
Arnold Manoff was an American screenwriter who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s....
. Her brother, Tom Manoff, is the Classical Music Critic for NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's All Things Considered and a notable composer. After a divorce in 1960, Grant married Joseph Feury in 1962, who thus became Manoff's stepfather. She spent most of her childhood and teenage years in New York. In 1975, at the age of 17, Manoff was accepted into the Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
also in New York City.
1970s
Manoff's very first project was the independent film Everybody Rides the CarouselEverybody Rides the Carousel
Everybody Rides the Carousel is a 1975 independent animated film about the stages of life. It was directed by John Hubley and written and produced by Hubley and his wife Faith...
, providing one of the voices. In 1976, Manoff made her first television appearance on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
production of The Stronger. This was followed by a guest appearance on Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter was an American television sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan and featuring a young John Travolta.It originally aired on the ABC network from September 9, 1975 to June 8, 1979.-Premise:...
in an episode entitled "Sadie Hawkins Day." She made a guest appearance on another show, Visions. In 1977 she made a cameo appearance in her first TV movie, Raid on Entebbe
Raid on Entebbe (film)
Raid on Entebbe is a 1977 TV movie directed by Irvin Kershner. It is based on an actual event: Operation Entebbe and the freeing of hostages at Entebbe Airport in Entebbe, Uganda on July 4, 1976. It was the last movie to be released featuring Academy Award-winning actor Peter Finch who died just...
. In 1978, Manoff got the role of Elaine Lefkowitz Dallas on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom Soap
Soap (TV series)
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...
and remained on the show until the end of the year. Manoff, along with four other Soap actors and actresses, faced off against Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
on Richard Dawson's Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
that May, her only game show appearance.
After that, Manoff took her first film role as Marty Maraschino, one of the Pink Ladies in the movie version of Grease
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
(filmed the previous summer). Her post-Grease appearances in 1979 include $weepstake$, Lou Grant
Lou Grant (TV series)
Lou Grant is an American television drama series starring Ed Asner in the titular role as a newspaper editor. Unusual in American television, this drama series was a spinoff from a sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Aired from 1977 to 1982, Lou Grant won 13 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama...
and Mork & Mindy.
1980s
In 1980, Manoff got the role of Libby Tucker in Neil SimonNeil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
's Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play, I Ought to Be in Pictures
I Ought to Be in Pictures
I Ought to Be in Pictures is a play by Neil Simon.The three-character comedy-drama focuses on Herbert Tucker, a struggling, writer's-blocked screenwriter who abandoned his New York family 16 years earlier...
and won the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play as well as the Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
. She reprised that role for the film version
I Ought to Be in Pictures (film)
Neil Simon's I Ought to Be in Pictures is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Herbert Ross and based on Neil Simon's play of the same name. The film stars Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, and Dinah Manoff...
in 1982, with Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
and Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
, one of the rare projects in her career in which she had a starring role.
At that same time, she married Jean-Marc Joubert and also played the small but pivotal role of Karen in the multiple Oscar-winning Ordinary People
Ordinary People
Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of Robert Redford. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton....
. In other parts of the decade, Manoff worked on several small projects.
In 1985, Manoff portrayed songwriter Ellie Greenwich
Ellie Greenwich
Eleanor Louise "Ellie" Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Be My Baby", "Christmas ", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Leader of the Pack", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "River Deep, Mountain High", among many others...
in the Broadway jukebox musical
Jukebox musical
A jukebox musical is a stage or film musical that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score. Usually the songs have in common a connection with a particular popular musician or group — either because they were written by, or for, the artists in question, or were at least...
Leader of the Pack
Leader of the Pack (musical)
Leader of the Pack is a musical with liner notes by Anne Beatts and additional material by Jack Heifner, music by Ellie Greenwich, and lyrics by Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector, George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Kent, and Ellen Foley.-Background:...
and sang a few songs in it, but she and Jean-Marc Joubert divorced. In 1988, Manoff played Maggie Peterson in Child's Play, the first character to be killed by the murderous doll Chucky. Manoff then started a seven year stint as Carol Weston on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom and Golden Girls
The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
spinoff Empty Nest
Empty Nest
Empty Nest is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. The series was created as a spin-off of The Golden Girls by creator and producer Susan Harris. For its first three seasons, Empty Nest was one of the year's top 10 most-watched programs...
, a role she is best known for on television and has appeared on every episode of the series. In 1989, Manoff appeared in minor roles in two films late in the year: Bloodhounds of Broadway
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989 film)
Bloodhounds of Broadway is a 1989 film based on four Damon Runyon stories. It was directed by Howard Brookner and starred Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Anita Morris, Julie Hagerty, Rutger Hauer, Madonna, Esai Morales and Randy Quaid....
and Staying Together
Staying Together (film)
Staying Together is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Lee Grant and produced by Joseph Feury and Milton Justice. The film stars Sean Astin, Stockard Channing, Melinda Dillon, Levon Helm , Dermot Mulroney, Tim Quill, and Daphne Zuniga...
.
1990s
In 1990, Manoff appeared in Welcome Home, Roxy CarmichaelWelcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael is a 1990 American comedy-drama film starring Winona Ryder and Jeff Daniels.-Plot:The film's main character is a 15-year-old girl named Dinky Bossetti . Dinky was adopted as a baby. She appears to have little acceptance in her social circle, although it is not obvious...
, starring Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
and Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
. After this, Manoff focused primarily on television work, appearing in an episode of Blossom
Blossom (TV series)
Blossom is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC from January 3, 1991 to May 22, 1995. The series stars Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. It was created by Don Reo.- Synopsis :...
entitled "Rockumentary" and TV movies such as Babies and Maid for Each Other
Maid for Each Other
Maid for Each Other is a 1992 made-for-TV movie starring Nell Carter and Dinah Manoff. It was written by Manoff, Robb Gilmer, Les Alexander, Don Enright and Andrew Smith, produced by Enright and Alexander, and directed by Paul Schneider....
, as well as continuing on Empty Nest as actress and director on two episodes until its ending in 1995; she also appeared on The Golden Girls twice as Carol Weston in this period. Manoff's subsequent TV appearances included Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
, Cybill
Cybill
Cybill is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired on CBS from January 2, 1995 to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the series revolves around Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of two and struggling actress in her 40s, who has never gotten her show...
and George & Leo
George & Leo
George & Leo is a short-lived American sitcom starring Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch. Set on Martha's Vineyard, the series aired on CBS from September 15, 1997 to March 16, 1998.-Synopsis:...
.
In 1997, she married Arthur Mortell, and had a baby boy, Dasheil, shortly after. In 1999, Manoff directed the 82nd episode of the television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, titled "Prelude to a Kiss."
2000s to present
In 2000, Manoff appeared in the TV movie The Lost Child starring Mercedes RuehlMercedes Ruehl
Mercedes J. Ruehl is an American theater, television and film actor.-Personal life:Ruehl was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, the daughter of Mercedes J., a school teacher, and Vincent Ruehl, an FBI agent. She was raised Catholic. Her father was of German and Irish descent and her...
. Just a few months later in 2001, Manoff returned to film work by starring in The Amati Girls
The Amati Girls
The Amati Girls is a 2001 drama film written and directed by Anne De Salvo. It stars Cloris Leachman, Mercedes Ruehl, Dinah Manoff, Sean Young, Lily Knight, Lee Grant, and Edith Fields....
, the sole movie released theatrically that she and her mother Lee Grant
Lee Grant
Lee Grant is an American stage, film and television actress, and film director. She was blacklisted for 12 years from film work beginning in the mid-1950s, but worked in the theatre, and would eventually win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Felicia Carp in the...
have appeared in together. The film also featured Mercedes Ruehl, Sean Young
Sean Young
Sean Young is an American actress, best known for her performance in films from the 1980s such as Blade Runner, Dune, and No Way Out.-Early life:...
and Lily Knight. Manoff appeared in a second 2001 movie, Zigs
Zigs (film)
Zigs is a 2001 English language drama starring Jason Priestley, Peter Dobson and Richard Portnow and directed by Mars Callahan. The film received an R rating by the MPAA...
, starring Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
s Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
. From 2001 to 2002, Manoff co-starred in the cable television series State of Grace. In early 2002, she took a leave of absence from State of Grace when she gave birth to twin boys. In 2003, Manoff played Aunt Marla in A Carol Christmas
A Carol Christmas
A Carol Christmas is a TV movie starring Tori Spelling, Dinah Manoff, William Shatner and Gary Coleman. It premiered on the Hallmark Channel in 2003. The film is an adaptation of the Charles Dickens story of a similar name...
, a variation on Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' classic story
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
.
In celebration of the poet Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's 150th birthday in 2004, Manoff read some of his works in the documentary Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde
Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde
Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde is a 2004 documentary film that celebrates Oscar Wilde's 150th birthday. Over 150 of his well known quotes are delivered by 150 of stars in stage, screen and music.-Cast:*Simon Williams*Jillian Armenante*Edward Asner...
. After a four-year hiatus, Manoff appeared in the film Bart Got a Room
Bart Got a Room
Bart Got a Room is a 2009 comedy film written and directed by Brian Hecker, and stars Steven Kaplan, Alia Shawkat, William H. Macy, and Cheryl Hines. Also appearing in the film are Ashley Benson, Brandon Hardesty, Kate Micucci, Jennifer Tilly, Dinah Manoff and Chad Jamian Williams as Bart. The film...
in 2008, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
but would not be released widely until the following year in which Dinah appeared in two episodes of Lose Yourself on Strike.TV
Strike.TV
Strike.TV is an internet television website that was created during the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike. It is an online network of original programming produced by well-known Hollywood names...
.
In 2010, Grease was re-released a second time as a sing-along. Coinciding with its release, Manoff appeared at the Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
. She was in the process of writing a novel as of 2011.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Everybody Rides the Carousel Everybody Rides the Carousel Everybody Rides the Carousel is a 1975 independent animated film about the stages of life. It was directed by John Hubley and written and produced by Hubley and his wife Faith... |
Stage 7 (voice) | Voice |
| 1977 | Raid on Entebbe Raid on Entebbe (film) Raid on Entebbe is a 1977 TV movie directed by Irvin Kershner. It is based on an actual event: Operation Entebbe and the freeing of hostages at Entebbe Airport in Entebbe, Uganda on July 4, 1976. It was the last movie to be released featuring Academy Award-winning actor Peter Finch who died just... |
Rachel Sager | |
| 1978 | Soap Soap (TV series) Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such... |
Elaine Lefkowitz | |
| 1978 | Grease Grease (film) Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway... |
Marty Maraschino | |
| 1980 | Ordinary People Ordinary People Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of Robert Redford. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton.... |
Karen Aldrich | |
| 1982 | I Ought to Be in Pictures I Ought to Be in Pictures (film) Neil Simon's I Ought to Be in Pictures is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Herbert Ross and based on Neil Simon's play of the same name. The film stars Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, and Dinah Manoff... |
Libby Tucker | |
| 1988 | Backfire Backfire (film) Backfire is a 1987 mystery-thriller film about a murderous love triangle which forms between an affluent Vietnam War veteran, his wife, and another man. The film was directed by Gilbert Cates, and stars Karen Allen, Keith Carradine, and Jeff Fahey.-Plot:... |
Jill Tyson | |
| 1988 | Child's Play | Maggie Peterson | |
| 1988 to 1995 | Empty Nest Empty Nest Empty Nest is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. The series was created as a spin-off of The Golden Girls by creator and producer Susan Harris. For its first three seasons, Empty Nest was one of the year's top 10 most-watched programs... |
Carol Weston | 170 episodes |
| 1989 | The Cover Girl and The Cop | Denise Danielovitch | Television movie |
| 1989 | Bloodhounds of Broadway Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989 film) Bloodhounds of Broadway is a 1989 film based on four Damon Runyon stories. It was directed by Howard Brookner and starred Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Anita Morris, Julie Hagerty, Rutger Hauer, Madonna, Esai Morales and Randy Quaid.... |
Maude Miligan | |
| 1989 | Staying Together Staying Together (film) Staying Together is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Lee Grant and produced by Joseph Feury and Milton Justice. The film stars Sean Astin, Stockard Channing, Melinda Dillon, Levon Helm , Dermot Mulroney, Tim Quill, and Daphne Zuniga... |
Lois Cook | |
| 1990 | Babies | Laura | Television movie |
| 1990 | Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael | Evelyn Whittacher | |
| 1992 | Maid for Each Other Maid for Each Other Maid for Each Other is a 1992 made-for-TV movie starring Nell Carter and Dinah Manoff. It was written by Manoff, Robb Gilmer, Les Alexander, Don Enright and Andrew Smith, produced by Enright and Alexander, and directed by Paul Schneider.... |
Tibby Bloom | Television movie |
| 2001 | The Amati Girls The Amati Girls The Amati Girls is a 2001 drama film written and directed by Anne De Salvo. It stars Cloris Leachman, Mercedes Ruehl, Dinah Manoff, Sean Young, Lily Knight, Lee Grant, and Edith Fields.... |
Denise | |
| 2001 | Zigs Zigs (film) Zigs is a 2001 English language drama starring Jason Priestley, Peter Dobson and Richard Portnow and directed by Mars Callahan. The film received an R rating by the MPAA... |
Marge | |
| 2003 | A Carol Christmas A Carol Christmas A Carol Christmas is a TV movie starring Tori Spelling, Dinah Manoff, William Shatner and Gary Coleman. It premiered on the Hallmark Channel in 2003. The film is an adaptation of the Charles Dickens story of a similar name... |
Aunt Marla | Television movie |
| 2004 | Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde is a 2004 documentary film that celebrates Oscar Wilde's 150th birthday. Over 150 of his well known quotes are delivered by 150 of stars in stage, screen and music.-Cast:*Simon Williams*Jillian Armenante*Edward Asner... |
Herself | |
| 2008 | Bart Got a Room Bart Got a Room Bart Got a Room is a 2009 comedy film written and directed by Brian Hecker, and stars Steven Kaplan, Alia Shawkat, William H. Macy, and Cheryl Hines. Also appearing in the film are Ashley Benson, Brandon Hardesty, Kate Micucci, Jennifer Tilly, Dinah Manoff and Chad Jamian Williams as Bart. The film... |
Mrs. Goodson | |