Dana Carvey | |
|---|---|
 Carvey in 2009 | |
| Born | Dana Thomas Carvey (1955-06-02)June 2, 1955 (age 70) Missoula, Montana, U.S. |
| Education | San Francisco State University (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2[a] |
| Relatives | Brad Carvey (brother) |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
| Genres | |
| Website | danacarvey |
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 onSaturday Night Live, from 1986 to 1993, which earned him five consecutivePrimetime Emmy Award nominations, winning once. He returned to the show during and immediately after the2024 presidential election to impersonate outgoingUS PresidentJoe Biden as well as Trump advisor, businessman, and billionaireElon Musk.[1][2]
Carvey is also known for his film roles in comedies such asMoving (1988),Opportunity Knocks (1990),Trapped in Paradise (1994), andThe Master of Disguise (2002), as well as reprising his role ofGarth Algar in theSNL spin-off filmWayne's World (1992) and its sequelWayne's World 2 (1993).
Carvey was born inMissoula, 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 Norwegian and some Irish ancestry.[10] Carvey is the brother ofBrad Carvey, the engineer/designer of theVideo Toaster. The character Garth Algar is loosely based on Brad. Carvey was raisedLutheran.[11][12]
In 1957, his family moved toAnderson, California, where his father got a teaching job.[13] When he was three years old, his family moved toSan Carlos, California, in theSan Francisco Bay Area.[14] He attended Tierra Linda Junior High in San Carlos,Carlmont High School inBelmont, California (where he was a member of theCentral Coast Section champion cross country team),[14][15]College of San Mateo inSan Mateo, California, and earned hisbachelor's degree in broadcast communications fromSan Francisco State University.[16] In 1977, he won theSan Francisco Open Stand-Up Comedy Competition.[17]
Carvey had a minor role inHalloween II in 1981, and co-starred inOne of the Boys[18] in 1982, a short-lived television sitcom that also starredMickey Rooney,Nathan Lane, andMeg Ryan. In 1984, Carvey appeared in the short-lived film-based action television seriesBlue Thunder[19] and also had a small role inRob Reiner's filmThis Is Spinal Tap,[20] in which he played amime, with fellow comedianBilly Crystal (who tells him "Mime is money!"). He appeared in the music video for theGreg Kihn song "Lucky" in 1985. His big break came in 1986, when he co-starred oppositeKirk Douglas andBurt Lancaster inTough 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.[21]
Carvey was a finalist for the hosting role on theNickelodeon television game showDouble Dare. He ultimately withdrew his name from consideration after he was cast onSaturday Night Live. The job would go toMarc Summers.[22]
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In 1986, Carvey became a household name when he joined the cast ofNBC'sSaturday Night Live. He, along with newcomersPhil Hartman,Kevin Nealon,Jan Hooks, andVictoria Jackson, helped to reverse the show's declining popularity and madeSNL "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 ofChurch Chat.[23] 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 asChris Farley referred to Carvey simply as "The Lady". The Church Lady's discontinuation was mentioned in a sketch which satirized the filmMisery with hostRoseanne Barr playing the role ofAnnie Wilkes.[24]
Carvey's other original characters included Garth Algar (fromWayne's World), who was based on his brother;[25] Hans (from "Hans and Franz"); the Grumpy Old Man (fromWeekend Update appearances); and Ching Chang, a Chinese poultry store owner. Throughout the election and presidency ofGeorge H. W. Bush, he was the designated impersonator of the president, making him the lead actor of the regular political sketches onSNL.
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During the1992 US presidential election campaign, Carvey also did an impression of independent candidateRoss Perot; in a prime-time special before the election, Carvey played both George H. W. Bush and Perot in a three-way debate withBill Clinton, played byPhil 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 leftSNL in 1993, after seven years.
In 1992, Carvey joinedMike Myers inWayne's World, the film. A sequel,Wayne's World 2, was filmed and released in 1993. Other films Carvey appeared in during his time onSNL includeMoving (1988) andOpportunity Knocks (1990).
Carvey'sSNL work won him anEmmy Award in 1993 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. He has a total of six Emmy[26] nominations. Carvey has returned to hostSNL four times, in 1994, 1996, 2000, and 2011 in addition to numerous cameo appearances.
Carvey nearly rejoined the SNL cast forseason 20 in 1994, but ultimately did not, although he would host an episode early in that season.[27]
Carvey made more regular appearances in 2024 to playJoe Biden andElon Musk in the immediate lead-up and aftermath to the2024 presidential election.[1] Musk notably criticized Carvey's performance of him onX, saying that he did not believe that it sounded like him, which Carvey later agreed with.[28]
In 1994, Carvey starred in the filmsClean Slate andTrapped in Paradise. The following year, Carvey filmed his firstHBO stand-up specialCritic's Choice. The show featured Carvey doing many of hisSNL impersonations, as well as making fun of the premium channel's name, pronouncing it "hobo".
He turned down a role inBad Boys because he felt overwhelmed as a new father.[25]
He reprised many of hisSNL characters in 1996 forThe Dana Carvey Show, a short-lived prime-time variety show onABC. The show was most notable for launchingRobert Smigel's cartoon "The Ambiguously Gay Duo", as well as the careers ofSteve Carell andStephen Colbert.
In 2002, he returned to films in the spy comedyThe Master of Disguise. Released a week after former colleague Mike Myers' successful filmAustin 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 websiteRotten Tomatoes ranked the film as the 18th worst-reviewed movie of the 2000s decade, with an approval rating of 1% based on 103 reviews.[29] Comedian and formerMystery Science Theater 3000 hostMichael J. Nelson named the film thethird-worst comedy ever made.[30] Carvey did not appear in a film again until 2011'sJack and Jill.
In 2004, he ranked number 90 onComedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.[31]
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 forLate 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.[32][33]
Carvey made an appearance at the2008 MTV Movie Awards, reprising hisSNL 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, entitledSquatting Monkeys Tell No Lies.
In 2010, Carvey appeared in theFunny or Die original comedy sketchPresidential Reunion. He played the role of President George H. W. Bush alongside other current and formerSNL president impersonators. Also that year, Carvey and comedian/writerSpike Feresten created and starred together inSpoof, a sketch comedy pilot forFox. 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 seriesLost. Both of these sketches can be seen onYouTube.[34][35] On the animated TV seriesThe Fairly OddParents, Carvey voicedCosmo Cosma's con artist brother Schnozmo.
Carvey voiced Dana, the Camp Director inHotel Transylvania 2 (2015), and was the voice of Pops inThe Secret Life of Pets (2016) and its sequelThe Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019).
In 2016, Carvey recorded two live performances at theWilbur Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts for a Netflix special. His two sons, Tom and Dex, opened the show for him.
Carvey was a guest onConan O'Brien's podcast,Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, on January 27, 2019.[36] Carvey was subsequently featured in a six episode mini-series of the podcast titled "Deep Dive with Dana Carvey", released in August 2019.[37]
Carvey has regularly done sketch impressions onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert playing, among others,President Joe Biden and former national security advisorJohn Bolton.
In 2019, Carvey appeared on the guest panel of the fourth episode ofLights Out with David Spade and also in costume asTony 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 forUber Eats. The original spot first ran duringSuper Bowl LV.[38]
In 2022, Carvey began co-hosting the Fly on the Wall podcast with fellowSaturday Night Live alumDavid Spade. Guests include former cast members and hosts ofSNL.[39]
In 2024, theSuperfly video podcast (a spinoff ofFly on the Wall) co-hosted by Spade was launched.[40]
While performing at The Other Cafe inSan 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 sons – Dex, born in 1991, and Thomas, born in 1994. The elder son, Dex, died from an accidental drug overdose on November 15, 2023, at the age of 32.[41][42][43]
In 1995, Carvey had a home in theSan Fernando Valley, and his parents relocated toMurrieta, California, to be near his mother's sister, Shirley Miller.[13][44]
In March 1998, Carvey underwentheart bypass surgery for a blocked coronary artery. The artery was buried deep inmyocardium and difficult to find; the surgeon mistakenly[45] performed the bypass on another accessible artery that was unblocked. As a result, Carvey continued to suffer fromangina pectoris and successfully sued for $7.5 million in damages, which he donated to charity;[46][47] he underwent additional corrective surgery in May 1998.[48] He toldNewsday that, while he was in the hospital for his final angioplasty in May 1998,Frank Sinatra died in the room adjacent to his.[25] From 2002 to 2010, Carvey took a break to raise his two sons.[49][50]
Carvey and his family live inMill Valley inMarin 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[51] | |
| 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 | Garth Algar | |
| 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 | Documentary | ||
| 2000 | Little Nicky | Referee | |
| 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[52] | Cameo |
| 2015 | Hotel Transylvania 2 | Dana the Camp Director | Voice |
| 2016 | The Secret Life of Pets | Pops | |
| 2017 | Sandy Wexler | Himself | |
| Becoming Bond | Johnny Carson | Documentary | |
| Too Funny to Fail | Himself | ||
| 2019 | The Secret Life of Pets 2 | Pops | Voice |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Alone at Last | Michael Elliot | main cast of television pilot |
| 1982 | One of the Boys | Adam Shields | Main cast |
| 1984 | Blue Thunder | Clinton Wonderlove | |
| 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 | |
| 1992 | 1992 MTV Video Music Awards | Host | |
| 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 | 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 / various roles | Guest role (9 episodes) |
| Year | Title | Voice |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | You Don't Know Jack Volume 2 | Himself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–present | Fantastic! with Dana Carvey | Himself/Host | |
| 2022–present | Fly on the Wall | Co-host withDavid Spade | |
| 2024–present | Superfly |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |