Dianne Wiest

Dianne Wiest (born March 28, 1948 in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American actress in stage, television, and film, and has received several awards in her career, including two Oscars.

Related Topics:
March 28 - 1948 - Kansas City, Missouri - American - Actress - Oscars

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wiest's original ambition was to be a ballerina, but she began acting on Broadway, playing Desdemona to James Earl Jones' Othello. She made her film debut in 1980, but didn't make a name for herself until her performance as Emma, a prostitute during the Great Depression, in Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985).

Related Topics:
Ballerina - Broadway - James Earl Jones - Othello - 1980 - Prostitute - Great Depression - Woody Allen - The Purple Rose of Cairo - 1985

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Under Allen's direction, Wiest won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). She followed her Academy Award success with performances in The Lost Boys (1987) and Bright Lights, Big City (1988) before starring 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.

Related Topics:
Oscar - Best Supporting Actress - Hannah and Her Sisters - 1986 - The Lost Boys - 1987 - Bright Lights, Big City - 1988 - Steve Martin - Mary Steenburgen - Jason Robards - Keanu Reeves - Martha Plimpton - Ron Howard - Parenthood

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1990, Wiest starred in Edward Scissorhands. She returned to Woody Allen in 1994 for Bullets Over Broadway, a comedy set in 1920s New York City, winning her second Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Helen Sinclair, a boozy, glamorous, and neurotic star of the stage.

Related Topics:
1990 - Edward Scissorhands - 1994 - Bullets Over Broadway - 1920s - New York City - Neurotic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She has recently appeared in the film Practical Magic (1998) and the television mini-series The 10th Kingdom (2000).

Related Topics:
Practical Magic - 1998 - Television - Mini-series - The 10th Kingdom - 2000

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From 2000 to 2002, Wiest portrayed District Attorney Nora Lewin in the long-running NBC crime drama Law & Order.

Related Topics:
2002 - District Attorney - Nora Lewin - NBC - Law & Order

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wiest lives in New York City with her two adopted daughters, Emily and Lily. Recently, her daughter Emily and two teenage classmates from The Beekman School, a high school located in an East Side townhouse, were accused of robbing and beating up a fourth student on a midtown sidewalk after getting into a shoving and pushing match on school property.

Related Topics:
New York City - Adopted - High school - East Side

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~