Dana Carvey | |
---|---|
Birth name | Dana Thomas Carvey |
Born | Missoula, Montana, U.S. | June 2, 1955
Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
Education | College of San Mateo San Francisco State University (BA) |
Years active | 1978–present |
Genres | Improvisational comedy, sketch comedy, character comedy, impressions, surreal humor, satire |
Spouse | Paula Zwagerman (m. 1983) |
Children | 2 [a] |
Website | www |
Dana Thomas Carvey (born June 2, 1955) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, screenwriter and producer.
Carvey is best known for his seven seasons on Saturday Night Live , from 1986 to 1993, which earned him five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He returned to the show during and immediately after the 2024 presidential election to impersonate outgoing President Joe Biden as well as Trump advisor, businessman, and billionaire Elon Musk. [1] [2]
Carvey is also known for his film roles in comedies such as Tough Guys (1986), Opportunity Knocks (1990), Trapped in Paradise (1994), and The Master of Disguise (2002), as well as reprising his role of Garth Algar in the SNL spin-off film Wayne's World (1992) and its sequel Wayne's World 2 (1993).
Carvey was born in Missoula, Montana, the fourth of five (with three older brothers and one younger sister [3] ) born to Billie Dahl, [4] [5] a schoolteacher, and William John (Bud) Carvey, [6] [7] [8] a high school business teacher. [9] He has some Irish ancestry. [10] Carvey is the brother of Brad Carvey, the engineer/designer of the Video Toaster. The character Garth Algar is loosely based on Brad. Carvey was raised Lutheran. [11] [12]
In 1957, his family moved to Anderson, California, where his father got a teaching job. [13] When he was three years old, his family moved to San Carlos, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. [14] He attended Tierra Linda Junior High in San Carlos, Carlmont High School in Belmont, California (where he was a member of the Central Coast Section champion cross country team), [14] [15] College of San Mateo in San Mateo, California, and earned his bachelor's degree in broadcast communications from San Francisco State University. [16] In 1977, he won the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition. [14]
Carvey had a minor role in Halloween II in 1981, and co-starred in 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 film This Is Spinal Tap , in which he played a mime, with fellow comedian Billy Crystal (who tells him "Mime is money!"). He appeared in the music video for the Greg Kihn song "Lucky" in 1985. He also appeared in the short-lived film-based action television series Blue Thunder . His big break came in 1986, when he co-starred opposite Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in Tough Guys . As a lifelong Douglas fan, Carvey threw in an affectionate impression of his mentor, while describing a hairy scene they did together on a moving train. [17]
Carvey was a finalist for the hosting role on the Nickelodeon TV game show Double Dare . He ultimately withdrew his name from consideration after he was cast on Saturday Night Live . The job would go to Marc Summers. [18]
In 1986, Carvey became a household name when he joined the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. He, along with newcomers Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, Jan Hooks, and Victoria Jackson, helped to reverse the show's declining popularity and made SNL "must-see" TV once again. An important part of the show's revival was Carvey's breakout character, the Church Lady, the uptight, smug, and pious host of Church Chat. [19] Carvey said he based the character on women he knew from church while growing up, who would keep track of other churchgoers' attendance. He became so associated with the character that later cast members such as Chris Farley referred to Carvey simply as "The Lady". The Church Lady's discontinuation was mentioned in a sketch which satirized the film Misery with host Roseanne Barr playing the role of Annie Wilkes. [20]
Carvey's other original characters included Garth Algar (from Wayne's World ), who was based on his brother; [21] Hans (from "Hans and Franz"); the Grumpy Old Man (from Weekend Update appearances); and Ching Chang, a Chinese poultry store owner. Throughout the election and presidency of George H. W. Bush, he was the designated impersonator of the president, making him the lead actor of the regular political sketches on SNL.
During the 1992 US presidential election campaign, Carvey also did an impression of independent candidate Ross Perot; in a prime-time special before the election, Carvey played both George H. W. Bush and Perot in a three-way debate with Bill Clinton, played by Phil Hartman. As Perot—recorded and timed to give the appearance of interacting with the live Bush and Clinton—Carvey eschewed the show's signature "Live from New York" opening line, telling Bush "Why don't you do it, live-boy?" Carvey left SNL in 1993, after seven years.
In 1992, Carvey joined Mike Myers in Wayne's World, the film. A sequel, Wayne's World 2 , was filmed and released in 1993.
Carvey's SNL work won him an Emmy Award in 1993 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. He has a total of six Emmy [22] nominations. Carvey has returned to host SNL four times, in 1994, 1996, 2000, and 2011 in addition to numerous cameo appearances.
Carvey nearly rejoined the SNL cast for season 20 in 1994, but ultimately did not rejoin the cast, but did host an episode early in that season. [23]
Carvey made more regular appearances in 2024 to play Joe Biden and Elon Musk in the immediate lead-up and aftermath to the 2024 presidential election. [24] Musk notably criticized Carvey's performance of him on X, saying that he did not believe that it sounded like him, which Carvey later agreed with. [25]
In 1994, Carvey starred in the film Clean Slate . The following year, Carvey filmed his first HBO stand-up special Critic's Choice. The show featured Carvey doing many of his SNL impersonations, as well as making fun of the premium channel's name, pronouncing it "hobo".
He turned down a role in Bad Boys because he felt overwhelmed as a new father. [21]
He reprised many of his SNL characters in 1996 for The Dana Carvey Show , a short-lived prime-time variety show on ABC. The show was most notable for launching Robert Smigel's cartoon "The Ambiguously Gay Duo", as well as the careers of Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert.
In 2002, he returned to films in the spy comedy The Master of Disguise . Released a week after former colleague Mike Myers' successful film Austin Powers in Goldmember , most critics compared the movies and panned Carvey's effort. However, the movie did manage about $40 million at the North American box office. In March 2007, review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes ranked the film as the 18th worst-reviewed movie of the 2000s decade, with an approval rating of 1% based on 103 reviews. [26] Comedian and former Mystery Science Theater 3000 host Michael J. Nelson named the film the third-worst comedy ever made. [27] Carvey did not appear in a film again until 2011's Jack and Jill .
In 2004, he ranked number 90 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time. [28]
Carvey eventually withdrew from the limelight to focus on his family. He later said in an interview that he did not want to be in a career in which his kids would already be grown with him having neglected spending time with them, a major reason for his declining the hosting spot for Late Night that ultimately went to Conan O'Brien. Carvey has said that he generally prefers stand-up comedy to acting in movies and regularly performs lucrative corporate dates, boasting of "a few million-dollar months" during a 2016 Howard Stern interview. [29] [30]
Carvey made an appearance at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, reprising his SNL character Garth Algar with host Mike Myers for a "Wayne's World" sketch. On June 14, 2008, Carvey filmed a second HBO stand-up special, the first in 13 years, entitled Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies.
In 2010, Carvey appeared in the Funny or Die original comedy sketch Presidential Reunion . He played the role of President George H. W. Bush alongside other current and former SNL president impersonators.
In early 2010, Carvey and comedian/writer Spike Feresten created and starred together in Spoof, a sketch comedy pilot for Fox. This included a sketch of a trailer for "Darwin", a mock film in which he played the evolutionary biologist, as well as a spoof of the hit TV series Lost . Both of these sketches can be seen on YouTube. [31] [32] On the animated TV series The Fairly OddParents , Carvey voiced Cosmo Cosma's con artist brother Schnozmo.
On April 29 and 30, 2016, Carvey recorded two live performances at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts for a Netflix special released later in the year. His two sons, Tom and Dex, opened the show for him.
Carvey was a guest on Conan O'Brien's podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend , on January 27, 2019. [33] Carvey was subsequently featured in a six episode mini-series of the podcast titled "Deep Dive with Dana Carvey", released in August 2019. [34]
Carvey has regularly done sketch impressions on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert playing, among others, President Joe Biden and former national security advisor John Bolton.
On August 1, 2019, Carvey appeared on the guest panel of the fourth episode of Lights Out with David Spade and also in costume as Tony Montana in a number of later episodes.
In 2021, Carvey began hosting the comedy podcast "Fantastic! with Dana Carvey". The podcast features mini sketches involving Carvey's many celebrity impressions, as well as interview segments with Carvey's family members and other friends from the stand-up comedy world. That same year, Carvey reprised his role of Garth Algar alongside Myers' Wayne Campbell in a series of commercials for Uber Eats. The original spot first ran during Super Bowl LV. [35]
In 2022, Carvey began co-hosting the Fly on the Wall podcast with fellow Saturday Night Live alum David Spade. Guests include former cast members and hosts of SNL. [36]
In 2024, the Superfly video podcast (a spinoff of Fly on the Wall) co-hosted by Spade was launched. [37]
While performing at The Other Cafe in San Francisco, Carvey met and became romantically involved with Paula Zwagerman. Dana and Paula became engaged in 1981 and married in 1983. The couple had two children. The elder son, Dex, died from an accidental drug overdose on November 15, 2023, at the age of 32. [38] [39] [40]
In 1995, Carvey had a home in the San Fernando Valley, and his parents relocated to Murrieta, California, to be near his mother's sister, Shirley Miller. [13] [41]
In 1997, Carvey underwent heart bypass surgery for a blocked coronary artery. The artery was buried deep in myocardium and difficult to find; the surgeon mistakenly [42] performed the bypass on another accessible artery that was unblocked. As a result, Carvey continued to suffer from angina pectoris and successfully sued for $7.5 million in damages, which he donated to charity; [43] [44] he later underwent additional corrective surgery by a different surgeon. [45] He told Newsday that, while he was in the hospital for his final angioplasty, Frank Sinatra died in the room adjacent to his. [21] In the late 1990s, Carvey took a break to raise his two sons. [46] [47]
Carvey and his family live in Mill Valley in Marin County, California.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Dana Carvey: Critics' Choice | Himself | Stand-up special |
2008 | Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies | Stand-up special [48] | |
2016 | Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60 | Stand-up special |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Halloween II | Assistant Barry McNichol | |
1984 | This Is Spinal Tap | Mime Waiter | |
Racing with the Moon | Baby Face | ||
1986 | Tough Guys | Richie Evans | |
1988 | Moving | Brad Williams | |
1990 | Opportunity Knocks | Eddie Farrell | |
1992 | Wayne's World | Garth Algar | |
1993 | Wayne's World 2 | ||
1994 | Clean Slate | Maurice L. Pogue | |
The Road to Wellville | George Kellogg | ||
Trapped in Paradise | Alvin Firpo | ||
1996 | The Shot | Himself | Cameo |
Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story | Himself | Documentary | |
2000 | Little Nicky | Referee | Cameo |
2002 | The Master of Disguise | Pistachio Disguisey | Also co-writer |
2010 | Presidential Reunion | George H. W. Bush | Short film |
2011 | Jack and Jill | Crazy Puppeteer [49] | Cameo |
2015 | Hotel Transylvania 2 | Dana the Camp Director | Voice |
2016 | The Secret Life of Pets | Pops | Voice |
2017 | Sandy Wexler | Himself | |
Becoming Bond | Johnny Carson | Documentary | |
Too Funny to Fail | Himself | Documentary | |
2019 | The Secret Life of Pets 2 | Pops | Voice |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | One of the Boys | Adam Shields | Main cast |
1984 | Blue Thunder | Clinton Wonderlove | Main cast |
1986–1993 | Saturday Night Live | Various Roles | Main cast Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program (1993) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program (1989–1992) |
1988 | Superman's 50th Anniversary | Host/Himself | Special |
1992 | 64th Academy Awards | Garth Algar | Special |
1992, 1993 1997 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | 3 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |
1994, 1996 2000, 2011 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | 4 episodes |
1996 | The Dana Carvey Show | Himself / various roles | Title role; also co-creator, writer and executive producer |
1998 | Just Shoot Me! | Oskar Milos | Episode: "The Emperor" |
1998–1999 | LateLine | Senator Crowl Pickens | 2 episodes |
2010 | The Fairly OddParents | Schnozmo Cosma | Voice Episode: "Double Oh Schnozmo" |
2011 | Good Vibes | Claw Jones | Voice Episode: "Tech Rehab" |
Spoof | Various | Pilot | |
2012 | Live with Kelly | Himself (guest host) | 3 episodes |
2013 | Rick and Morty | Leonard | Voice Episode: "Anatomy Park" |
2014 | The Birthday Boys | Laurence Eastman | Episode: "Snobs and Slobs" |
2016 | First Impressions | Himself | Host |
2018 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Himself | Episode: "Na.. Ga.. Do.. It" |
2019 | Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ | Prince Borislav | Episode: "Royale Pains" |
2023 | Mulligan | Senator Cartwright LaMarr | Voice Main Cast |
2024 | Saturday Night Live | Joe Biden | Guest role (5 episodes) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2021–present | Fantastic! with Dana Carvey | Himself/Host | |
2022–present | Fly on the Wall | David Spade (Co-host) | |
2024–present | Superfly |
Wayne's World is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris. It was produced by Lorne Michaels and written by Mike Myers and Bonnie & Terry Turner. Based on the SNL sketch by Myers, it stars Myers in his feature film debut as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, a pair of rock and heavy metal fans who broadcast a public-access television show. It also features Tia Carrere, Rob Lowe, Lara Flynn Boyle, Brian Doyle-Murray, Chris Farley, Ed O'Neill, Ione Skye, Meat Loaf, Robert Patrick and Alice Cooper in supporting roles.
Christopher Crosby Farley was an American actor and comedian. He was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and later a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live for five seasons from 1990 to 1995. He went on to pursue a film career, appearing in films such as Airheads, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, and Almost Heroes. Farley was frequently known for his physical performance/comedy and athleticism. This was used to great effect during his time on Saturday Night Live, and continued through many of his films. From his early acting days, and through the height of his fame, Farley struggled with obesity, alcoholism, and substance abuse. He died of a drug overdose at the age of 33.
Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Stephen Surjik and starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a public-access television cable television show in Aurora, Illinois. The film is the sequel to Wayne's World (1992), which was itself adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
Enid Strict, better known as The Church Lady, is a fictional character portrayed by Dana Carvey on American sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live. The character appeared on the show from 1986 to 1990, and again in 1996, 2000, 2011, and 2016. She also appeared on The Dana Carvey Show in March 1996, reading a Top Ten List, "New Titles for Princess Diana."
Robert Smigel is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his Saturday Night Live "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. He also co-wrote the first two Hotel Transylvania films, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and Leo, all starring Adam Sandler.
Hans and Franz are characters in a recurring sketch called "Pumping Up with Hans & Franz" on the television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, played by Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon, respectively.
The Dana Carvey Show is an American surreal sketch comedy television show that aired on ABC during the spring of 1996. Dana Carvey was the host and principal player on the show while Louis C.K. served as head writer.
"Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. The first "Wayne's World" sketch appeared in the 13th Saturday Night Live episode of the 1988–1989 season, on February 18, 1989. It evolved from a segment "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series It's Only Rock & Roll, as the main character first appeared in that show. The Saturday Night Live sketch spawned a hit 1992 film, its 1993 sequel, and several catchphrases which have since entered the pop-culture lexicon.
Bonnie and Terry Turner are an American husband-and-wife team of screenwriters and producers. They are best known for creating the sitcoms 3rd Rock from the Sun and That '70s Show.
The twentieth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 24, 1994, and May 13, 1995.
The nineteenth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 25, 1993, and May 14, 1994.
The twelfth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 11, 1986 and May 23, 1987.
David Wayne Spade is an American stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster. His comedic style, in both his stand-up material and acting roles, relies heavily on sarcasm and self-deprecation.
Bradley John Carvey is an American engineer best known as the builder of the first Video Toaster, a system used in the production and editing of movie and television video.
Rosie Shuster is a Canadian-born comedy writer and actress. She was a writer for Saturday Night Live during the 1970s and 1980s.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between October 11, 1986, and May 23, 1987, the twelfth season of SNL.
The 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, has been parodied on Saturday Night Live (SNL) since 1992. Clinton was in office from 1993 to 2001, and has been portrayed on the show over a hundred times, most often by Darrell Hammond.
Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend is a weekly podcast hosted by American comedian and retired talk show host Conan O'Brien. It is co-hosted by O'Brien's assistant, Sona Movsesian, and producer, Matt Gourley. The podcast debuted in November 2018 and features O'Brien talking with comedians and actors in the industry, including Jeff Goldblum, Adam Sandler, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, Bill Burr, Tom Hanks, and Tina Fey, along with personal friends, such as Lisa Kudrow, Joel McHale and Timothy Olyphant, people he admires such as Carol Burnett, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, John Cleese, and Robert Caro, and political figures, such as Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
The sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has parodied President Joe Biden since 1991, covering his time as a United States Senator, his time as Vice President under President Barack Obama, during his campaign to defeat president Donald Trump for the presidency, and as the president of the United States.