Dyan Cannon is an American film and television actress,
directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
,
screenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, editor, and
producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Early life
Cannon was born in Tacoma, Washington. Her mother Claire (née Portnoy) was a homemaker; Cannon's father Ben sold life insurance. Cannon was raised in the Jewish faith of her mother, who had emigrated from Russia; Dyan's father was Baptist. She attended
West Seattle High SchoolWest Seattle High School is a comprehensive public high school in Seattle's West Seattle neighborhood that serves grades nine through twelve as part of the Seattle School District.-History and Facilities:...
.
Career
Cannon made her screen debut in 1960 in
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond, however her small screen debut was in the late 1950s including a guest appearance on
Bat MastersonBat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black and white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961...
in 1959, in the episode entitled "Lady Luck". Another role was as Mona Elliott, with fellow guest star
Franchot ToneFranchot Tone was an American stage, film, and television actor, star of Mutiny on the Bounty and many other films through the 1960s...
, in the episode "The Man Behind the Man" of the 1964 CBS drama,
The ReporterThe Reporter is an American drama series that aired on CBS from September 25 to December 18, 1964. The series was created by Jerome Weidman and developed by executive producers Keefe Brasselle and John Simon.-Synopsis:...
, with
Harry GuardinoHarry Guardino was an American actor whose career spanned from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. In 1964, he was cast in a short-lived CBS series entitled The Reporter, a drama about a hard-hitting investigative journalist named Danny Taylor. His principal co-star was Gary Merrill as city...
in the title role. She also made appearances on
77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
, the perennial
westernThe Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
series
GunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
,
The Untouchables and the
syndicatedIn broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
Two Faces WestTwo Faces West is a 39-episode half-hour syndicated television western series set in Gunnison in southwestern Colorado, which aired from October 17, 1960, to July 31, 1961. It stars Scottish native Charles Bateman in the dual roles of twin brothers, Rick January, M.D., and Marshal Ben January...
in the 1960 episode entitled "Sheriff of the Town".
In 1969, Cannon starred with an ensemble cast led by
Natalie WoodNatalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
in
Bob & Carol & Ted & AliceBob & Carol & Ted & Alice is a 1969 comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky. It stars Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon....
, a film about
sexual revolutionThe sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
in which she played Alice. She received an Academy Award nomination for
Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her performance in the film, as well as two Golden Globe nominations. Most of Cannon's later roles in the 1970s were less successful, although she did receive a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination for
Such Good Friends (1971). In addition, she became the first Oscar-nominated actress to be nominated in the Best Short Film, Live Action Category for
Number One (1976), a project which Cannon produced, directed, wrote and edited. It was a story about adolescent sexual curiosity. In 1978, Cannon starred in
Revenge of the Pink PantherRevenge of the Pink Panther is the sixth film in the Pink Panther film series. Released in 1978, Revenge of was the last entry featuring series star Peter Sellers, who died in 1980...
. That same year, she appeared opposite
Warren BeattyWarren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
,
Julie ChristieJulie Frances Christie is a British actress. Born in British India to English parents, at the age of six Christie moved to England, where she attended boarding school....
and
James MasonJames Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
in
Heaven Can WaitHeaven Can Wait is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. It is the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's stageplay of the same name, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and followed by Down to Earth...
. This performance earned her a second Oscar nomination and also won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1976, she hosted
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
during its first season. She was a guest in the fourth season of
The Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
in 1979.
In the 1980s, Cannon, who is also a singer/songwriter, appeared in
Honeysuckle RoseHoneysuckle Rose is a 1980 romantic drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Willie Nelson, Dyan Cannon and Amy Irving.-Plot:...
(1980) with
Willie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
,
DeathtrapDeathtrap is a 1982 thriller film based on Ira Levin's play of the same name.The cast includes Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon, Irene Worth and Henry Jones...
(1982) with
Christopher ReeveChristopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
and
Michael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
,
Caddyshack IICaddyshack II is the 1988 sequel to the 1980 golf comedy film Caddyshack. The film stars Jackie Mason, Dan Aykroyd, Robert Stack, Dyan Cannon, Chevy Chase, Jonathan Silverman, and Jessica Lundy.-Plot:...
(1988) and has starred in several TV movies.
In the 1990s, she appeared on the popular television shows
Diagnosis: MurderDiagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...
and
The PracticeThe Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
, as well as being a semi-regular on
Ally McBealAlly McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
. She made appearances in films such as
That Darn Cat (1997),
8 Heads in a Duffel Bag8 Heads in a Duffel Bag is a 1997 black comedy film starring Joe Pesci and David Spade. It was the directorial debut of screenwriter Tom Schulman...
(1997),
Out to SeaOut to Sea is a 1997 romantic comedy film starring Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Rue McClanahan, Dyan Cannon and Brent Spiner. The film was directed by Martha Coolidge, with a screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs...
(1997) with the duo
Walter MatthauWalter 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
Jack LemmonJohn Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, and
Kangaroo JackKangaroo Jack is a 2003 American comedy film directed by David McNally, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Christopher Walken, Estella Warren and Adam Garcia...
(2003). She also starred on the short-lived sitcom
Three Sisters (2001–2002). In 2005, she appeared in
Boynton Beach Club, a movie about aging Floridians who have just lost their spouses.
Personal life
On July 22, 1965, she married
Cary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, who was 33 years her senior. They had one daughter,
JenniferJennifer Diane Grant is an American actress, the only child of actors Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon.Her parents divorced when she was only two years old. The reasons given for their divorce were that her father was unable to find his "perfect wife"; in addition, there was a thirty-five year age...
(born February 26, 1966), also an actress. They were divorced on March 21, 1968, but the custody disputes over their daughter went on for years. In 1972, she told an interviewer that she was involved in
Primal therapyPrimal therapy is a trauma-based psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov, who argues that neurosis is caused by the repressed pain of childhood trauma. Janov argues that repressed pain can be sequentially brought to conscious awareness and resolved through re-experiencing the incident and fully...
. Cannon married real estate investor Stanley Fimberg in 1985. They divorced in 1991.
Her brother is jazz
bassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
David FriesenDavid Friesen is an American jazz bassist born in Tacoma, Washington. Friesen plays the double bass as well as the Oregon bass, which is an electrified acoustic bass....
. She has one grandchild, Cary Benjamin Grant, born on August 12, 2008.
Cannon is now a devout Christian.
Filmography
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1960 |
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond |
Dixie |
|
| This Rebel Breed This Rebel Breed is a 1960 American melodrama film directed by Richard L. Bare and William Rowland starring Rita Moreno, Gerald Mohr, Eugenio Martin, Dyan Cannon, and Richard Rust....
|
Wiggles |
(as Diane Cannon) |
| 1969 |
Bob & Carol & Ted & AliceBob & Carol & Ted & Alice is a 1969 comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky. It stars Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon....
|
Alice Henderson |
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle, honoring the finest achievements in filmmaking....
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress |
| 1971 |
Doctors' Wives Doctors' Wives is a 1971 American drama film directed by George Schaefer and starring Dyan Cannon, Gene Hackman, Carroll O'Connor, Richard Crenna, Janice Rule, John Colicos, and Rachel Roberts. It was based on a novel by Frank G. Slaughter.-Plot:...
|
Lorrie Dellman |
|
| The Anderson Tapes The Anderson Tapes is a 1971 crime film. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, and comedian Alan King. The screenplay was written by Frank Pierson, based upon a best-selling 1970 novel of the same name by Lawrence Sanders...
|
Ingrid |
|
The Love MachineThe Love Machine is a 1971 film adaptation of the Jacqueline Susann novel The Love Machine. Written by Samuel A. Taylor and directed by Jack Haley, Jr., it starred John Phillip Law, Dyan Cannon, Robert Ryan, Jackie Cooper, and David Hemmings.-Plot:...
|
Judith Austin |
|
| The Burglars |
Lena |
|
| Such Good Friends Such Good Friends is a 1971 American comedy-drama film directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Esther Dale is based on the novel of the same title by Lois Gould.-Plot:...
|
Julie Messinger |
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |
| 1973 |
Shamus Shamus is a 1973 American film starring Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon. Burt Reynolds plays McCoy, a hard-nosed private detective.-Plot Synopsis:...
|
Alexis Montaigne |
|
| The Last of Sheila The Last of Sheila is a 1973 mystery film directed by Herbert Ross, written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, It stars Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, James Mason, Ian McShane, Joan Hackett, and Raquel Welch....
|
Christine |
|
| 1974 |
Child Under a LeafChild Under a Leaf is a 1974 drama film directed by George Bloomfield and starring Dyan Cannon. The plot follows an abused wife who strikes up an affair with an artist, but their relationship is threatened by the presence of her violent husband....
|
Domino |
|
| 1976 |
Number One |
Matt's mother |
Writer, director, producer, film editor
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Live Action Short FilmThis name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
|
| 1978 |
Heaven Can Wait Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. It is the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's stageplay of the same name, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and followed by Down to Earth...
|
Julia Farnsworth |
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
|
| Revenge of the Pink Panther Revenge of the Pink Panther is the sixth film in the Pink Panther film series. Released in 1978, Revenge of was the last entry featuring series star Peter Sellers, who died in 1980...
|
Simone Legree |
|
| 1980 |
Honeysuckle Rose Honeysuckle Rose is a 1980 romantic drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Willie Nelson, Dyan Cannon and Amy Irving.-Plot:...
|
Viv Bonham |
|
| Coast to Coast Coast to Coast is a 1980 comedy film starring Dyan Cannon and Robert Blake, directed by Joseph Sargent. The screenplay was written by Stanley Weiser. The original score was composed by Charles Bernstein. The film was shot in Stockton, California...
|
Madie Levrington |
|
| 1982 |
DeathtrapDeathtrap is a 1982 thriller film based on Ira Levin's play of the same name.The cast includes Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon, Irene Worth and Henry Jones...
|
Myra Bruhl |
|
| Author! Author! Author! Author! is a 1982 film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Israel Horovitz and is loosely autobiographical. It stars Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon and Tuesday Weld....
|
Alice Detroit |
|
| 1984 |
Master of the GameMaster of the Game is a novel by Sidney Sheldon, first published in hardback format in 1982. Spanning six generations in the lives of the fictional MacGregor/Blackwell family, the critically acclaimed novel debuted at number one on the New York Times Bestseller List...
|
Kate McGregor/Blackwell |
(TV miniseries) |
| 1985 |
Jenny's War .Jenny's War is a 1985 war telelvision serial set during World War II, made by HTV in association with Columbia Pictures. It is directed by and written by Steve Gethers. The screenplay is based on the novel with the same name of Jack Stoneley...
|
Jenny Baines |
(TV) |
| 1988 |
Rock & Roll Mom |
Annie Hackett |
(TV) |
| She's Having a Baby She's Having a Baby is a 1988 American romance film directed by John Hughes.The film portrays a young newlywed couple, Kristy and Jake Briggs played by Elizabeth McGovern and Kevin Bacon, who try to cope with being married and what is expected of them by their parents. Jake must also deal with the...
|
Herself |
(uncredited) |
| Caddyshack II Caddyshack II is the 1988 sequel to the 1980 golf comedy film Caddyshack. The film stars Jackie Mason, Dan Aykroyd, Robert Stack, Dyan Cannon, Chevy Chase, Jonathan Silverman, and Jessica Lundy.-Plot:...
|
Elizabeth Pearce |
|
| 1990 |
The End of Innocence |
Stephanie |
(also director and writer) |
| 1991 |
Jailbirds Jailbirds is a 1940 British comedy crime film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Albert Burdon, Harry Terry and Charles Farrell. It was based on an idea by Fred Karno. After escaping from prison two criminals attempt to hide stolen jewels in a loaf of bread...
|
Rosie LaCroix |
(TV) |
| 1992 |
Christmas in ConnecticutChristmas in Connecticut is a 1945 American Christmas film and romantic comedy directed by Peter Godfrey, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, and Sydney Greenstreet.-Plot:...
|
Elizabeth Blane |
(TV) |
| 1993 |
The Pickle The Pickle is a 1993 film produced, written, and directed by Paul Mazursky, telling the story of a formerly powerful film director whose recent string of flops has forced him to make a commercial piece that is artistically uninspired...
|
Ellen Stone |
|
| 1996 |
The Rockford FilesThe Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
|
Jess Wilding |
| 1997 |
Allie & Me Allie & Me is a 1997 film directed by Michael Rymer. It stars Lyndie Benson and Linda Darnell. It won an award at the 1997 RiverRun International Film Festival.-Cast:*Lyndie Benson as Michelle Halaburton*Joanne Baron as Allie Dadadad...
|
Karen Schneider |
|
| That Darn Cat |
Mrs. Flint |
|
| 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag is a 1997 black comedy film starring Joe Pesci and David Spade. It was the directorial debut of screenwriter Tom Schulman...
|
Annette Bennett |
|
| Out to Sea Out to Sea is a 1997 romantic comedy film starring Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Rue McClanahan, Dyan Cannon and Brent Spiner. The film was directed by Martha Coolidge, with a screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs...
|
Liz LaBreche |
|
| 1997–2000 |
Ally McBealAlly McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
|
Jennifer 'Whipper' Cone |
(17 episodes) |
| 1998 |
The Sender |
Gina Fairfax |
|
| 1999 |
Kiss of a Stranger |
Leslie |
|
| 2003 |
Kangaroo JackKangaroo Jack is a 2003 American comedy film directed by David McNally, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Christopher Walken, Estella Warren and Adam Garcia...
|
Anna Carbone |
|
| 2004 |
After the Sunset After the Sunset is a 2004 action comedy film starring Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, a master thief caught in a cat-and-mouse game with FBI agent Stan Lloyd played by Woody Harrelson...
|
Herself at the Basketball Game |
(uncredited) |
| 2006 |
Boynton Beach Club Boynton Beach Club is a 2005 film directed by Susan Seidelman, produced by her and her mother Florence. Based on experiences of Florence and her widowed friend David Cramer at an adult enclave in Boynton Beach , the film was scripted by Susan Seidelman and Coral Gables, Florida writer Shelly...
|
Lois |
|
External links