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Dana Thomas Carvey (born June 2, 1955, in Missoula, Montana) is an American actor and comedian best known for his work on Saturday Night Live and the spin-off movie Wayne's World.
Early life
When Carvey was three years old, his family moved to San Carlos, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his first drum kit at an early age. He attended Tierra Linda Junior High in San Carlos, California, and Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, and received his Bachelor's degree in communications from San Francisco State University. He is a member of the Lutheran Church.
Career
First roles
Carvey's first movie role was a small part in the 1981 horror film Halloween II. He then costarred on One of the Boys in 1982, a short-lived television sitcom that also starred Mickey Rooney, Nathan Lane, and Meg Ryan. In 1984, Carvey had a small role in Rob Reiner's This Is Spinal Tap film, in which he played a mime, with fellow comedian Billy Crystal. He also starred in the short-lived movie-based action show Blue Thunder.
SNL
In 1986, Carvey became a household name when he joined the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. His breakout character was The Church Lady, the uptight, smug, and pious host of "Church Chat." Carvey said he based the character on women he knew from his church growing up, who would keep track of his and others' attendance. He became so associated with the character that later cast members like Chris Farley referred to Carvey simply as "The Lady."
Carvey's other original characters included Garth Algar (from "Wayne's World"), Hans (from Hans and Franz), and The Grumpy Old Man (from "Weekend Update" appearances). Algar is actually an affectionate caricature of Dana's brother, Brad Carvey, an accomplished electrical engineer who invented the Video Toaster.
Carvey also became known for his impressions, most notably of George H. W. Bush during the 1988 campaign and after Bush was elected president. Other notable impressions included Jimmy Stewart, Johnny Carson, John McLaughlin, Regis Philbin, Keith Richards, Tom Brokaw, Charles Grodin, and Woody Allen. During the 1992 campaign, he did a dead-on impression of independent candidate Ross Perot; in a prime-time special before the election, Carvey played both Bush and Perot in a three-way debate with Bill Clinton, who was played by Phil Hartman.
Carvey left SNL in 1993.
In 1992, Carvey joined Mike Myers to bring their popular "Wayne's World" sketch to the silver screen with Wayne's World the movie. A sequel was filmed and released in 1993, titled Wayne's World 2.
After SNL
NBC executives hoped to get Carvey to take over the 12:30 a.m. weeknight spot in the network's lineup in 1993 when David Letterman left his show, Late Night, for an 11:30 p.m. show on CBS. A big Letterman fan, Carvey rejected the offer, causing embarrassment for the network, which had publicly floated his name. The 12:30 spot eventually went to Conan O'Brien.
In 1994, Carvey starred in the film Clean Slate.
He reprised many of his SNL characters in 1996 for The Dana Carvey Show, a critically acclaimed but short-lived prime-time variety show. The show was most notable for launching Robert Smigel's cartoon "The Ambiguously Gay Duo."
In 1997, he underwent open-heart surgery for a blocked artery. Unfortunately, the doctors operated on the wrong artery. Carvey later sued for medical malpractice and was awarded $7.5 million. He has had to undergo a total of five operations to correct his heart problems. Carvey stated in an interview with Larry King that he donated all the money awarded to him from the lawsuit to charity.
In 2002, he returned to the silver screen in the comedy Master of Disguise, which was panned by critics but managed around $40 million at the North American box office.
He is number 90 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
A very private person, Carvey withdrew from the limelight to focus on his family. He later said in an interview that he doesn't want to be in a career in which his kids would already be grown with his having neglected time with them.
Trivia
Carvey may hold the distinction of being the only comedian ever to be imitated by a former President of the United States at the funeral of another former President of the United States. At the January 2, 2007 funeral of Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush reminisced in his eulogy about how Ford took it in stride when SNL's Chevy Chase made Ford the object of his own imitations. Bush cited this as a valuable lesson in learning to laugh at one's self as a part of public life. "I'd tell you more about that," Bush continued, "but as Dana Carvey would say, [imitating Carvey imitating him] 'Not gonna do it! Wouldn't be prudent!'"
Filmography
* Halloween II - 1981
* This is Spinal Tap - 1984
* Racing with the Moon - 1984
* Blue Thunder - 1984
* Tough Guys - 1986
* Moving - 1988
* Opportunity Knocks - 1990
* Wayne's World - 1992
* Wayne's World 2 - 1993
* Clean Slate - 1994
* The Road to Wellville - 1994
* Trapped in Paradise - 1994
* The Shot - 1996
* Little Nicky - 2000
* The Master of Disguise - 2002
| Latest news about Dana Carvey |
VIDEO: Dana Carvey Show's "Skinheads From Maine" May Have ...VH1 Best Week Ever Blog - Comedians Michelle Collins, Dan Hopper, and Tom Ganjamie scour the internet for the funniest online video, pop culture news, and celebrity photos. Continue reading
The Dana Carvey Show Minisode – The Mountain Dew Show - The RetroistPuppies, kitties, and babies, oh my! Dana Carvey and Stephen Colbert give a kinder gentler spin on the horrific events of the day. Murder has never been so petable. Also included: Bob Ross, and Grandma the Clown. It's fishy! ... Continue reading
Dana Carvey 'Broccoli' Video | ComediansCheck out one of Dana Carvey's classic Chopping Broccoli. This clip is from Saturday Night Live, but Carvey has performed it in his standup for years. Continue reading
Long Before Keyboard Cat Was Around..... | DlistedHere's a clip from 1983 of some terrifying crazy lady, who I'm pretty sure was Dana Carvey's inspiration for the Church Lady, forcing her pet bunny to play the piano. The loontardian even shouts at the poor creature, "PLAY LIKE YOU DID ... Continue reading
Leno Weekly: Bill Cosby, Jeff Dunham, Dana Carvey and more! - TV SquadI did love that Dana Carvey had nothing to plug. He earned it anyway with speed impressions, so he plugged his hair salon. Carvey is always funny, and every time I see him, I wonder why we can't get him every week somewhere on ... Continue reading
Dana Carvey Does 18 Impressions In One Minute, Jay Leno, The Jay ...Listen to the sound bite: Dana Carvey Does 18 Impressions In One Minute. Dana Carvey does 18 impressions in one minute on The Jay Leno Show. Continue reading
The Dana Carvey Show Episode 3 Full Episode | EZTV LinksThe Dana Carvey Show Episode 3 Full Episode. The Dana Carvey Show Episode 3 Flash Video. The Dana Carvey Show Episode 3 Streaming Video. Embed The Dana Carvey Show Episode 3. Continue reading
Will Dana Carvey do Church Lady at Gator Growl? – The Chalkboard ...As I wrote in today's story, students were mostly clueless about Growl headliner Dana Carvey. My bad impersonation of the Church Lady, one of Carvey's best-known characters during his “Saturday Night Live” run, didn't help. ... Continue reading
The Dana Carvey Show Season FinaleThe Dana Carvey Show Season Finale Flash Video The Dana Carvey Show Season Finale Streaming Video. Embed The Dana Carvey Show Season Finale Continue reading
I Think That's A Conehead: Barneys' Weird SNL Windows | Columnists ...Window 2. This one is a bit more complicated. Will Ferrell as Janet Reno, while an odd choice, is easy to spot, as is Dana Carvey's Church Lady and Brian Fellow, whose name is helpfully written (and misspelled) on his glasses. ... Continue reading
Hollywood Actors Jessica alba Dana Carvey pictures and Dana Carvey biography
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