Diane Venora
About
Biography
Filmography
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Biography
This attractive, dark-haired New York stage actress first attracted notice as an unlikely Prince of Denmark in the New York Shakespeare Festival's 1983 production of "Hamlet." The Connecticut native came to the stage from Juilliard and appeared in such shows as "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1982, as Hippolyta), "Uncle Vanya" (1983), "Tomorrow's Monday" (1985) and "Largo Desolato" (1986).
Venora made her film debut as a bit player in Bob Fosse's "All That Jazz" (1979), but her breakthrough came as a woman being stalked by beasts in "Wolfen" (1981). She briefly appeared as Gloria Swanson in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Cotton Club" (1984). Through the 1980s and 90s, Venora contributed powerful, thoughtful character performances in the thriller "F/X" (1986) and as Jack Nicholson's daughter in "Ironweed" (1987). She was memorable as the strong-willed wife of jazzman Charlie Parker (Forest Whitaker) in Clint Eastwood's "Bird" (1988) and was featured as Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's cautious friend in the little-seen "Three Wishes" and as Al Pacino's dissatisfied wife in the crime thriller "Heat" (both 1995). She co-starred in three 1996 films: the thriller "The Substitute," with Tom Berenger, the biopic "Surviving Picasso," with Anthony Hopkins, and the modern-dress "Romeo and Juliet," as Lady Capulet.
Venora has also been relatively busy on the small screen since her debut in the failed CBS pilot "Getting There" (1980). Her TV-movies have included "Cook and Peary: The Race to the Pole" (CBS, 1983), "A.D." (NBC, 1985), as Ophelia to Kevin Kline's "Hamlet" (PBS, 1990), and the sci-fi drama "Special Report: Journey to Mars" (CBS, 1996). She has appeared in two series, the unsuccessful "Thunder Alley" (ABC, 1993-94) and a recurring role as Mandy Patinkin's adversary-turned-love interest on "Chicago Hope" (CBS, 1994-95).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1979
Film debut as bit player, "All That Jazz"
1980
TV debut, in pilot "Getting There" (CBS)
1981
Off-Broadway debut in "Penguin Touquet", NY Shakespeare Festival
1981
Film debut as lead, "Wolfen"
1983
Played title role of "Hamlet" at New York Shakespeare Festival
1994
TV series debut, "Thunder Alley" (ABC)
1995
Co-starred opposite Al Pacino in Michael Mann's "Heat"
1999
Reteamed with Mann and Pacino for "The Insider", a film about the tobacco industry whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand
2000
Cast as Gertrude in Michael Almereyda's version of "Hamlet"
2000
Starred opposite Kelsey Grammer in Broadway production of "Macbeth"
2001
Acted in Hartford Stage production of "Necessary Targets"
2004
Starred in the drama "Stateside"
2005
Cast in the CBS sci-fi series, "Threshold"
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