Beverly D'angelo


Actor
Beverly D'angelo

About

Birth Place
Columbus, Ohio, USA
Born
November 15, 1951

Biography

A striking and sultry blue-eyed blonde performer, Beverly D'Angelo could be a household name, if only she cared to be. Multi-talented, she first gravitated to art, working in the animation department of Hanna-Barbera before moving to Canada to pursue her singing career, most notably with rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins. It was there that Gower Champion spotted her and cast her as Opheli...

Family & Companions

Milos Foreman
Companion
Met during filming of "Hair".
Lorenzo Salviati
Husband
Italian duke, descendant of Lorenzo de' Medici; married 1981; separated 1984; filed for divorce 1995.
Neil Jordan
Companion
Director, novelist. Together c. 1985 to 1991; directed D'Angelo in "The Miracle".
Anton Furst
Companion
Production designer. Worked on "Batman" and "Full Metal Jacket"; committed suicide soon after their breakup.

Biography

A striking and sultry blue-eyed blonde performer, Beverly D'Angelo could be a household name, if only she cared to be. Multi-talented, she first gravitated to art, working in the animation department of Hanna-Barbera before moving to Canada to pursue her singing career, most notably with rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins. It was there that Gower Champion spotted her and cast her as Ophelia in his Canadian production of "Rockabye, Hamlet" (1975), which moved the next year to Broadway for a short run. After smaller roles in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" and Michael Winner's "The Sentinel" (both 1977), D'Angelo gained wide attention as the rebellious debutante Sheila in Milos Forman's highly acclaimed film version of "Hair" (1979). She secured her reputation with a compelling portrayal of Patsy Cline in Michael Apted's "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980), singing with style and accuracy the Patsy Cline songs for a soundtrack album which went gold.

D'Angelo first played Ellen Griswold, the role audiences most identify with her, in "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983) and then reprised the part opposite screen husband Chevy Chase in three equally light-weight sequels (1985, 1989 and 1997) which did well at the box office and made her a bunch of money. Though she has done her best by such forgettable misfires as "High Spirits" (1988) and "Man Trouble" (1992), D'Angelo made a memorably beautiful movie with then-boyfriend Irish director Neil Jordan, "The Miracle" (1991), just before breaking up with him. On TV, she won raves for her luminous Stella Kowalski in the 1984 TV remake of "A Streetcar Named Desire" (ABC) opposite Treat Williams and Ann-Margret. D'Angelo also starred as crime victim Mary Heard in the CBS miniseries "Hands of a Stranger" (1987), portrayed Kitty Menendez in the 1994 miniseries "Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills" (NET) and appeared with Bruce Davison and MacKenzie Astin in the HBO murder mystery movie "Widow's Kiss" (1996).

D'Angelo returned to the New York stage in 1994 to star opposite Ed Harris in Sam Shepard's play "Simpatico," earning a Theatre World Award for her efforts. She sang eight songs for the soundtrack and acted in "Daddy's Dyin' . . . Who's Got the Will" (1991) and also performed "Lovin' You" for "Vegas Vacation" (1997). Her jazz band Blue Martini (which includes bassist brother Jeff) has afforded her the chance to display her singing talent, however, good friend John Schlesinger (who directed her in three movies) lamented, "She should be singing more. She should have a much wider audience." Perhaps her wicked bedroom voice could make her a household name, but she would have to pursue the old Protestant work ethic more tenaciously than she has to date. The romantic in D'Angelo has often concentrated on her relationships at the expense of her career, but if the four movies she wrapped in 1997 (including Tony Kaye's "American History X" 1998) are any indication, that may be a thing of the past.

After "American History X," D'Angelo indeed upped her screen output, appearing in several small features throughout the rest of the 1990s. She vamped her way through "Sugar Town" (1999) as a wealthy widow who bankrolls the comeback of a group of aging rock stars, then played the second wife of the notorious mobster Meyer Lansky in HBO's made-for-TV biopic, "Lansky" (1999). D'Angelo appeared alongside other Hollywood celebs to sing the praises of behind-the-scenes comedy writer Bruce Vilanch in the documentary "Get Bruce" (1999), then costarred as a bickering theater owner unconvinced of the preparedness of a struggling repertory company to perform in the low-budget comedy, "Illuminata" (1999). As the 21st century came into being, D'Angelo returned to old habits and began appearing less frequently onscreen. She starred as an independent film producer on the verge of a mental breakdown in "Women in Film" (2001), followed by a cameo in the light-weight Freddie Prinze, Jr. romantic comedy "Summer Catch" (2001), but for the most part chose to be absent from the limelight.

D'Angelo turned her focus from acting to raising twins Anton and Olivia, both sired from the seed of Al Pacino. In early 2003, the tabloid press had a typical field day reporting on the couple's custody w s-D'Angelo was quoted as saying Pacino was controlling and unable to stick with court-mandated visitation schedule. When all issues were later resolved, however, D'Angelo gave the requisite hindsight response, saying the press had overblown the ordeal and that she and Pacino remained close. D'Angelo did continue to act occasionally, starring as a socially conservative radio host in the failed sitcom "Talk to Me" (ABC, 1999-2000) and appearing in a three-show arc in the 2003-2004 season of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ). She also landed a recurring role on the increasingly popular HBO comedy, "Entourage" (2004-11), playing tough-as-nails agent Barbara Miller, who uses her vast financial resources to start a partnership with über-agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven).

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

The Unicorn (2018)
Under the Bed (2017)
MF (2016)
Wakefield (2016)
Accidental Love (2015)
A Many Splintered Thing (2015)
Vacation (2015)
The Good Mother (2013)
Bounty Killer (2013)
White Trash Christmas Carol (2013)
I Heart Shakey (2012)
Aussie & Ted (2009)
Black Water Transit (2009)
The House Bunny (2008)
Battle for Terra (2008)
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008)
King of the Corner (2005)
Hair High (2004)
Voice Of Darlene
On the Edge (2001)
Illuminata (1999)
Astergourd
Lansky (1999)
Get Bruce (1999)
Herself
Sugar Town (1999)
Jane
American History X (1998)
Doris Vinyard
With Friends Like These (1998)
Divorce, a Contemporary Western (1998)
A Rat's Tale (1998)
Nowhere (1997)
Merchants of Venus (1997)
Vegas Vacation (1997)
Eye for An Eye (1996)
Dolly Green
Love Always (1996)
Miranda
Sweet Temptation (1996)
Pterodactyl Woman From Beverly Hills (1996)
Edie & Pen (1996)
The Crazysitter (1995)
Widow's Kiss (1995)
Lightning Jack (1994)
Lana
Jonathan Stone: Threat of Innocence (1994)
Annie Hayes
Judgment Day: The John List Story (1993)
Man Trouble (1992)
Lonely Hearts (1991)
Alma
The Pope Must Diet (1991)
The Miracle (1991)
Renee
Pacific Heights (1990)
Daddy's Dyin'... Who's Got the Will? (1990)
Evalita
Cold Front (1989)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Trading Hearts (1988)
Donna
High Spirits (1988)
Sharon
Aria (1988)
Maid to Order (1987)
In the Mood (1987)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1987)
Slow Burn (1986)
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)
Big Trouble (1985)
Finders Keepers (1984)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1984)
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Ellen Griswold
Paternity (1981)
Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Patsy Cline
Highpoint (1979)
Lise Hatcher
Hair (1979)
Every Which Way but Loose (1978)
Echo
The Sentinel (1977)
Annie Hall (1977)
First Love (1977)
Shelley

Producer (Feature Film)

Pterodactyl Woman From Beverly Hills (1996)
Associate Producer

Music (Feature Film)

Vegas Vacation (1997)
Song Performer
Daddy's Dyin'... Who's Got the Will? (1990)
Song Performer ("You Find Your Way" "Harder Than Your Husband" "Daddy You Can'T Blame Me" "Hungry For Love" "Still Tryin'" "Dark Side Of Life" "I'Ll Fly Away" "Rock Of Ages")
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Song Performer

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Summer Catch (2001)
Other
Get Bruce (1999)
Other
The Switch (1993)
Other

Cast (Special)

Comedy Central Presents The NY Friars Club Roast of Chevy Chase (2002)
Sam Kinison: Why Did We Laugh? (1999)
Jazz Night (1999)
Talking With (1995)
The Parallax Garden (1993)
Joyce
Werewolf Concerto (1992)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1986)
Katrina
Cheech and Chong Get Out of My Room (1985)
Circus of the Stars (1983)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994)
Trial: The Price of Passion (1992)
Hands of a Stranger (1987)
Doubletake (To Be Deleted) (1985)
Captains and the Kings (1976)
Captains and the Kings Part 5 & 6 (1976)

Life Events

1976

Made TV debut in NBC miniseries "Captains and the Kings"

1976

Made Broadway debut as Ophelia in "Rockabye, Hamlet"

1977

Made feature film debut in "The Sentinel" (shot after "Annie Hall", in which D'Angelo also appeared, but released earlier in the year)

1980

Played Patsy Cline in Michael Apted's "Coal Miner's Daughter"; did her own vocals to Cline's songs in movie

1981

First of three movies with director John Schlesinger, "Honky Tonk Freeway"

1983

Portrayed Ellen Griswold opposite Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold in "National Lampoon's Vacation", the first of four "Vacation" movies with Chase

1984

Portrayed Stella in ABC TV remake of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire", starring Ann-Margret and Treat Williams

1985

Acted in John Cassavetes' "Big Trouble"

1990

Sang eight songs for soundtrack and acted in "Daddy's Dyin' . . . Who's Got the Will?"

1991

Played mysterious woman in Neil Jordan's "The Miracle"

1994

Portrayed Kitty Menendez in miniseries "Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills" (CBS)

1994

Starred opposite Ed Harris in Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's "Simpatico"

1996

Picked up associate producer credit for "Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills" (also starred)

1997

Reprised Ellen Griswold role for fourth vacation movie with Chase, "Vegas Vacation"; sang "Lovin' You"

1998

Appeared in Tony Kaye's "American History X"

1999

Played recurring role as a predatory film producer in the Showtime comedy series "Rude Awakening"

1999

Co-starred opposite Donal McCann in "Illuminata", playing husband and wife theater managers at the turn of the 20th Century

1999

Delivered a delicious cameo as a wealthy former call girl in "Sugar Town"

2000

Co-starred with Kyra Sedgwick in the short-lived ABC sitcom "Talk to Me"

2003

Guest-starred on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

2005

Joined the hit HBO series "Entourage,' playing the role of agent Barbara 'Babs' Miller

2008

Appeared in "The House Bunny," co-starring Anna Faris, Colin Hanks and Emma Stone

2008

Cast as Sally in "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay"

2015

Reprised most well-known role as Ellen Griswold in "Vacation"

2017

Appeared in indie college comedy "Lady-Like"

2017

Appeared opposite Bryan Cranton in drama "Wakefield"

Family

Jeff D'Angelo
Brother
Bass player. In Blue Martini jazz band with sister.
Anton Pacino
Son
Born on January 25, 2001; fraternal twin of Olivia; father, Al Pacino.
Olivia Pacino
Daughter
Born on January 25, 2001; fraternal twin of Anton; father, Al Pacino.

Companions

Milos Foreman
Companion
Met during filming of "Hair".
Lorenzo Salviati
Husband
Italian duke, descendant of Lorenzo de' Medici; married 1981; separated 1984; filed for divorce 1995.
Neil Jordan
Companion
Director, novelist. Together c. 1985 to 1991; directed D'Angelo in "The Miracle".
Anton Furst
Companion
Production designer. Worked on "Batman" and "Full Metal Jacket"; committed suicide soon after their breakup.
Scott Baio
Companion
Actor. Born in 1961; dated briefly in the 1990s; broke up over age difference.
Al Pacino
Companion
Actor. Together from c. 1997.

Bibliography