- Diane Venora
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Diane Venora Born Diana Venora
August 10, 1952
East Hartford, ConnecticutOccupation actress Years active 1980–present Diane Venora (born August 10, 1952) is an American stage, television, and film actress.
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Early life
Venora was born Diana Venora in East Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Marie (Brooks) and Robert P. Venora, who owned a dry cleaning establishment.[1][2] Diane graduated from East Hartford High School, class of 1970. During her high school years she was active in musicals and plays. She left Connecticut for a scholarship at Juilliard School. After graduation, she performed extensively on the stage, particularly in Shakespearean plays.
Career
Venora made her film debut alongside Albert Finney and Gregory Hines in Wolfen (1981). In 1983, she starred in Joseph Papp's production of Hamlet at the New York Shakespeare Festival in the lead role, the first woman to play the role at the prestigious showcase. She has a long history with Hamlet, having played the title role, having played Ophelia opposite Kevin Kline, and having played Gertrude onscreen opposite Ethan Hawke.
She was married to cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak; the couple later divorced. After the divorce, she lived in New York with her daughter, Madzia, traveling often for work. She quit show business when Madzia was eight to spend more time with her daughter. During her seven-year hiatus, Venora stayed close to home, teaching disadvantaged children and acting in an occasional play. When Madzia was 15, Venora took her to Los Angeles and soon landed a starring role in the ABC TV series Thunder Alley (playing Ed Asner's character's daughter), and a recurring role as plastic surgeon Geri Infante in the Emmy-winning TV series Chicago Hope.
In 1988, her critically acclaimed performance in Clint Eastwood's biographical feature of jazz great Charlie Parker, Bird, as Chan Parker, his wife, earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination and the New York Film Critics Circle Award.
In 1995, she starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat, earning high regard from both critics and audiences for her portrayal of Justine Hanna, the Pacino character's troubled wife. That performance and her follow-up as Juliet's mother, Gloria Capulet, in Romeo + Juliet (1996) earned her supporting roles in The Jackal (1997), The 13th Warrior (1999), and The Insider (1999). She was most recently seen in the 2010 film, All Good Things.
References
External links
- Diane Venora at the Internet Movie Database
- Diane Venora at AllRovi
- Diane Venora at Yahoo! Movies
Categories:- 1952 births
- Living people
- American film actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- Actors from Connecticut
- Juilliard School alumni
- People from Hartford County, Connecticut
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