Dana Carvey is a lovable,
goofy comedian with an amazing
talent for
impressions. He is most famous for his appearances on
Saturday Night Live, but has also been involved in other
television productions and several
films, and he has continued to perform live throughout most of his
career.
Carvey was born on June 2, 1955, in
Missoula, Montana. When he was ten years old his family relocated to the
San Francisco area, where he later attended college at San Francisco State, studying Communications Arts. Dana was
shy in his youth, and did not begin performing until he was 21 years old, making his first public appearance at a small club in
Berkeley.
His first appearance on the big screen was a small part in Halloween II, released in 1981. After taking a few other film and televison roles (including a part in
This is Spinal Tap in 1984), Carvey then joined the cast of
Saturday Night Live in 1986. It was there that he became renowned for his hilarious performances as characters like the
Church Lady,
Wayne's World co-host Garth, and Hans of the "pump you up" duo Hans and Franz. In addition, Carvey was uncannily good at impressions of figures such as former president
George Bush,
Ross Perot,
Regis Philbin,
Johnny Carson, and (my personal favorite from his
repertoire)
Jimmy Stewart. Carvey was honored for his outstanding television comedy with an
Emmy in 1993 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. He has received six Emmy
nominations, total.
His excellence on
SNL led to his appearance in the
movies Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, both of which were extremely successful. As Garth, Carvey has a few priceless scenes, the best of which is a dream sequence involving a pretty
girl, the song "
Foxy Lady", and lots of pelvic thrusting and faux fox ears.
After leaving the cast of SNL in 1992, Carvey appeared in several new movies, but continued to make
guest appearances on the show, even
hosting it a few times. He also wrote and recorded a fantastic
comedy show called "Dana Carvey: Critics Choice" in 1995 that will bring tears of mirth to the eyes of the grouchiest soul. With its humorous pokes at the
O.J. Simpson trial,
politics,
rock and roll, and
fatherhood, this is my favorite of Dana's performances.
In the late 90's Carvey faded from the public view when he began to have heart problems associated with
angina. He had three
angioplasties and a double
bypass to attempt to correct the
problem, only to discover that his
surgeon had bypassed the wrong
artery. A fourth angioplasty was, thankfully, successful. There was a multi-million dollar
malpractice suit against the surgeon who botched the first operations, which was settled. Afterward, Carvey became a sort of
activist for the prevention and proper treatment of heart disease, and hosted a benefit for the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Heart Fund, among other things.
Carvey is a family man, with a
wife and two
sons. They live in northern
California, away from the "
Hollywood" lifestyle and happy with their
peace and quiet. Except for, presumably, when they get a little
crazy and start
chopping broccoli.
Actor Filmography
Writer Filmography
- Master of Disguise, The (2002) (written by)
- "Dana Carvey Show, The" (1996) TV Series (writer)
- Dana Carvey: Critics' Choice (1995) (TV)
TV Guest Appearances
- "Saturday Night Live" playing "Host" (episode # 26.3) 21 October 2000
- "LateLine" (1998) playing "Sen. Crowl Pickens" in episode: "Protecting the Source" (episode # 2.2) 13 January 1999
- "Just Shoot Me!" (1997) playing "Oskar Milos" in episode: "The Emperor" (episode # 2.22) 23 April 1998
- "LateLine" (1998) playing "Senator Crowl Pickens" in episode: "Pilot" (episode # 1.1) 17 March 1998
- "Larry Sanders Show, The" (1992) playing "Himself" in episode: "The Roast" (episode # 5.12) 19 February 1997
- "Saturday Night Live" playing "Host" (episode # 22.4) 26 October 1996
- "Larry Sanders Show, The" (1992) playing "Himself" in episode: "Hank's New Assistant" (episode # 4.2) 26 July 1995
- "Saturday Night Live" playing "Host" (episode # 20.4) 22 October 1994
- "Larry Sanders Show, The" (1992) playing "Himself" in episode: "The Guest Host" (episode # 1.4) 5 September 1992
Sources:
http://www.danacarvey.net
http://www.imdb.com/Name?Carvey,+Dana