Dana Barron

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Dana Barron
10.12.12DanaBarronByLuigiNovi1.jpg
Barron at the 2012 New York Comic Con
Born (1966-04-22) April 22, 1966 (age 59) [1]
New York City, New York, U.S. [1]
OccupationActress
Years active1976–present
Children1

Dana Barron (born April 22, 1966) is an American actress who is best known for her role as the original Audrey Griswold in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation which she reprised in 2003's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure for NBC television.

Contents

Early life

Barron's father, Robert Weeks Barron, was a director of commercials and a Congregationalist church pastor; Robert founded The Weist-Barron School of Television, the first commercial and soap opera acting for television school in the world. [2] [3] Barron is a fifth generation entertainer. [2] Her great-grandparents were musicians, and her grandmother was a singer. [4] Her grandfather was an opera singer, and her mother moved from Alabama to become an actress. Barron has a sister. [2]

Barron graduated from New York University with a degree in marketing. [4]

Career

Barron's sister, Allison, had been doing TV commercials at a young age, and Barron told her father that she wished to do the same. She began acting at age 10, doing TV commercials as well. By age 11, she was appearing with Christine Baranski in Hide and Seek on Broadway. By age 13, her first film was the horror film He Knows You're Alone , with Tom Hanks, which was also Hanks' first film. [2]

In 1983, Barron starred in the Chevy Chase comedy National Lampoon's Vacation , originating the role of Audrey Griswold. The film became a classic, [2] and Barron would reprise the role 20 years later in the NBC TV movie spinoff, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure .

Barron received a Daytime Emmy Award in 1989 for her appearance in the CBS after-school special No Means No. [5] Barron appeared on the soap opera One Life to Live from 1984 to 1985 as Michelle Boudin. She starred in the 1998 The Magnificent Seven as Casey.

She had a recurring role as Nikki Witt on the Fox series Beverly Hills, 90210 , during which she was able to make her character's clothes and modify her lines. [2]

In 1992, she starred with JoBeth Williams and Chris Burke in the NBC movie Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted . Barron has made guest appearances on TV shows including The Equalizer ; In the Heat of the Night ; Murder, She Wrote ; and Babylon 5 as a telepath named Lauren Ashley in the Season 5 episode "The Corps Is Mother, the Corps Is Father".

Personal life

Barron was in a long term relationship with filmmaker Michael Vickerman. They have a son. [2]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980 He Knows You're Alone Diane Jensen
1983 National Lampoon's Vacation Audrey Griswold
1985 Heaven Help Us Janine
1987 Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Erica Sheldon
1988 Heartbreak Hotel Beth Devereux
1994 Magic Kid 2 Maggie Patterson
1994In the Living YearsKathy
1997 City of Industry Gena
1998The Face of Alexandre Dumas: The Man in the Iron MaskLouise de la Vallière
2000DumpedLauraVideo
2000StageghostRenee Bloomer
2001The Perfect NannyFawn Lewis
2001Night ClassHeather
2006 National Lampoon's Pucked Tiny
2009A Letter to DadKathy Brown
2010 Happythankyoumoreplease The Gynecologist
2010The InvitedKristy
2012MayflyDebShort

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1983The Brass RingDarleneTV film
1984 One Life to Live Michelle Boudin2 episodes
1985 The Equalizer Melinda"The Children's Song"
1987–1989 Crossbow EleanorRegular role
1988 CBS Schoolbreak Special Megan Wells"No Means No"
1989 In the Heat of the Night Corrie Kroller"Crackdown"
1992 Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted Laurie MooreTV film
1992 Beverly Hills, 90210 Nikki Witt Recurring role (season 3)
1994 Dream On Reo Saunders"Blame It on Reo"
1994 Jailbreakers SueTV film
1995 The Watcher Mary"The Human Condition"
1995 Murder, She Wrote Sarah Tyler"School for Murder"
1998 Babylon 5 Lauren Ashley"The Corps Is Mother, the Corps Is Father"
1998–2000 The Magnificent Seven Casey WellsRecurring role
2000 Python KristinTV film
2003 National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure Audrey GriswoldTV film
2005McBride: Murder Past MidnightMarta ArnackTV film
2007 Pandemic Lindsey MastrapaTV miniseries
2012Naughty or NiceBrenda WeirTV film
2012 Leverage Betty"The Corkscrew Job"
2013Snow BrideDoriaTV film
2019 The Goldbergs Security Guard #2"Vacation"

References

  1. 1 2 "Dana Barron – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Celebrity Parents Exclusive: Dana Barron" Archived September 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . Celebrity Parents Magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  3. "OBituaries | Backstage". Archived from the original on October 20, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Hughes, Mike (July 8, 1993). "Actress also owns part of restaurant". Clarion-Ledger. Mississippi, Jackson. Gannett News Service. p. 6 D. Retrieved June 8, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Sharbutt, Jay (June 30, 1989). "NBC's 'Santa Barbara' Is Top Daytime Emmy Winner". Los Angeles Times .