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Dyan Cannon
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Dyan Cannon

The first woman in history to be nominated by the Motion Picture Academy for achievement both in front of and behind the camera, Cannon has been rewarded with many prestigious honors. She received her first Academy Awardr nomination for her memorable role as Alice in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, opposite Natalie Wood and directed by Paul Mazursky. She received the New York Film Critics Award for that performance.

Her second Academy Awardr nomination was in the category of Best Live Action Short, for writing and directing the 48-minute film, Number One, which she also produced, edited and scored. Dyan received her third Oscarr nomination for her comedic role as Julia Farnsworth, opposite Warren Beatty, in Heaven Can Wait, for which she won the Golden Globe Award. Later that year, she starred in another comedy hit, The Return of the Pink Panther, opposite Peter Sellers and directed by Blake Edwards, and for which she was named Female Star of the Year by NATO (National Association of Theatre Owners).

As the singular force behind the motion picture The End of Innocence, Cannon undertook a triumvirate of tasks as writer, director and star. Her filmography also includes TNT's remake of the classic, Christmas In Connecticut, directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger; Author! Author! opposite Al Pacino; The Last of Sheila, directed by Herbert Ross; two films directed by Sidney Lumet: Deathtrap, co-starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, and The Anderson Tapes, starring Sean Connery; and Honeysuckle Rose, in which she played Willie Nelson's wife. She also made her debut as a country music singer in that film.

Cannon has also starred on Broadway and in her own musical stage act at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and Harrah's in Lake Tahoe. In addition, she co-wrote the title song for Chaka Khan's album, The Woman I Am, with Brenda Russell, and is presently collaborating on a Broadway musical.

Dyan recently starred in the two-hour made-for-television film for Disney, Beverly Hills Family Robinson, and soon she will be seen starring in Orion Pictures' comedy, Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag, directed and written by Tom Shulman (Dead Poets Society), also starring Joe Pesci, George Hamilton, Kristy Swanson and David Spade. This summer, Dyan will be directed by Martha Coolidge in the comedy adventure Out to Sea, opposite screen legends Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.

Recognized as an exceptional motivational speaker for prominent associations and corporations, Cannon is the national spokesperson for Martine Colette's Wildlife Waystation, an international refuge which rescues and rehabilitates wild and exotic animals; and Operation Lookout, which finds and returns children who have been kidnapped. She also devotes time and energy to several other charitable organizations such as California Special Olympics, for physically and mentally challenged athletes, and MacLaren Hall, an emergency shelter for neglected and abused children.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Dyan Cannon Facts

Birth NameSamile Diane Friesen
OccupationDirector
BirthdayJanuary 4, 1937 (87)
SignCapricorn
BirthplaceTacoma, Washington, USA
Height5' 5" (1m65)  How tall is Dyan Cannon compared to you?
Awards1979 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture (for Heaven Can Wait)

Selected Filmography

Not available.