Dana Ivey
About
Biography
Biography
A handsome supporting player of stage, screen and TV, frequently cast as strong, officious women, Dana Ivey began her career on stage, appearing in numerous productions throughout the US and Canada. She settled in NYC in the 1980s, where she made her Broadway debut in Noel Coward's "Present Laughter" and won critical praise (and two OBIE Awards) for creating the roles of Melanie in "Quartermaine's Terms" (1982-83) and the title role of Daisy Werthan in Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Driving Miss Daisy" (1986-87). She received two 1984 Supporting Actress Tony nominations for her work on Broadway in the play "Heartbreak Hotel," with Rex Harrison and Amy Irving and in the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical "Sunday in the Park With George," with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters.
On the small screen, Ivey made her TV debut in the CBS soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" (1978) and appeared in the primetime NBC miniseries "Little Gloria...Happy at Last" (1982). She went on to be featured in the comedy series "Easy Street" (NBC, 1986-87) and reprised her roles from "Heartbreak House" (1984) "Sunday In the Park With George" (1985) for Showtime/American Playhouse specials. In features, Ivey made a stern if benign mistress to Oprah Winfrey's belligerent-turned-meek character in "The Color Purple" (1985), and had memorable roles in such features as "The Addams Family" (1991) and its 1993 sequel "Addams Family Values," "Home Alone 2: Alone in New York" (1992) and "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993). Ivey also scored as Harrison Ford's tart-tongued secretary in the Sydney Pollack's remake of "Sabrina" (1995).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1977
Moved to New York City
1978
Made TV debut on the CBS soap opera "Search for Tomorrow"
1982
TV debut in a miniseries, "Little Gloria...Happy at Last"
1982
Made Broadway debut in "Present Laughter"
1982
Earned plaudits for her stage work in "Quartermain's Terms"
1983
First stage role in Shaw's "Heartbreak House"; earned first Tony nomination as featured actress in a play
1984
Earned another Tony Award nomination as featured actress in a musical for "Sunday in the Park with George"
1985
Co-starred with Rosemary Harris in the Broadway drama "Pack of Lies"
1985
Essayed the role of the Countess in the play "The Marriage of Figaro"
1985
Feature debut, "Explorers"
1986
Debut as regular on TV sitcom, "Easy Street"
1987
Originated role of Daisy Werthan in stage play, "Driving Miss Daisy"
1989
Debut in a TV-movie, "Die Laughing"
1991
Starred opposite John Mahoney in the first NYC stage revival of "The Subject Was Roses"
1991
Had featured role as Margaret, the love interest to Cousin It, in "The Addams Family"
1992
Offered an affecting turn as an abusive adoptive parent in the NBC TV-movie "A Child Lost Forever"
1993
Played the Widow Douglas in "The Adventures of Huck Finn"
1993
Reprised role of Margaret in the sequel "Addams Family Values"
1994
Acted in the Off-Broadway play "Kindertransport"
1995
Succeeded Eileen Atkins in the role of Leonie in "Indiscretions"
1995
Appeared as Harrison Ford's secretary in the remake of "Sabrina"
1996
Played the prudish wife of a politician in Christopher Durang's comedy "Sex and Longing"
1997
Starred in Alfred Uhry's award-winning Broadway play "The Last Night of Ballyhoo"
1998
Teamed with Roger Rees in the stage comedy "The Uneasy Chair"
1998
Cast as Ashley Judd's mother in "Simon Birch"
1999
Reunited with Rosemary Harris in the stage play "Waiting in the Wings"
2003
Cast in "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde" as Congresswoman Libby Hauser
2003
Starred in the award winning play "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg"
2004
Starred in the Broadway revival of "The Rivals"; earned a Tony nomination for her role
2006
Cast in the Broadway revival of "Butley" opposite Nathan Lane; earned a Tony award nomination
Videos
Trailer
Family
