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Denny Dillon | |
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.JPG) Dillon inWomen in Prison, 1987 | |
| Born | (1951-05-18)May 18, 1951 (age 74) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1973–present |
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Denny Dillon (born May 18, 1951)[1] is an American actress and comedian best known for starring as Toby Pedalbee on theHBO comedyDream On from 1990 to 1996. Dillon was first known for her stage work and was nominated for aTony Award onBroadway. Other television credits include spending one season as a cast member onSaturday Night Live from 1980 to 1981 and co-starring on theFox sitcomWomen in Prison.[2] She subsequently continued to act in theater and both teaches and performs improv comedy.
Dillon was born inCleveland, Ohio.[1] She has lived in New York City and Los Angeles before moving toUlster County, New York.[3]
Dillon has performed on theBroadway stage, appearing as Agnes in the 1974 revival ofGypsy starringAngela Lansbury;[4] in the 1975 revival ofThornton Wilder'sThe Skin of Our Teeth; in the 1980 stage version ofHarold and Maude;[5] and as Mickey in the 1983 Gershwin musicalMy One and Only, starringTommy Tune andTwiggy, for which she received a nomination for aTony Award for Featured Actress in a Musical.[6] She later appeared as a replacement cast member in the 2003 Broadway playEnchanted April.[7]
Dillon made her big screen debut inSaturday Night Fever, playing Doreen, who asksJohn Travolta's character, Tony, if she can wipe his forehead.
Dillon auditioned for the premiere season of the late night variety television programSaturday Night Live in 1975, and though she was passed over by producerLorne Michaels, she performed her "Talent Night at the Convent" act during the show's third episode, broadcast October 25, 1975.[8] When she auditioned to be a cast member for the show's sixth season in 1980, Dillon beat outMercedes Ruehl for the final female cast member slot.[9]
Dillon provided the voice of Meadow Morn in the 1983 animated TV specialThe Magic of Herself the Elf. Other television roles include the role of Judy on the 1987 TV comedy seriesDr. Science and a 1988 appearance on theNight Court episode "Educating Rhonda".[11]
Dillon began her role as Toby Pedalbee, loyal assistant to Martin Tupper (Brian Benben), in the seriesDream On in 1990.[12]
She portrayedRoseanne Barr in the 1994 made-for-TV movieRoseanne: An Unauthorized Biography.[13] Dillon performed voice work for the 2002 animated filmIce Age.[11]
In regional theatre, Dillon appeared in the new musicalTriumph of Love atCenter Stage,Baltimore, Maryland, in December 1996, as one of a "comic trio of clowns".[14] She appeared in theTennessee Williams plays8 by Tenn at the Hartford Stage in 2003.[15] Dillon starred as Beatrice in the world premiere of Tom Dudzick'sDon't Talk to the Actors at Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, New York in September 2007.[16] In October - November 2010 she appeared in a new musical in "development",Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach atGoodspeed Musicals inChester, Connecticut.[17] In January 2012 she stars as Berthe inBoeing-Boeing at Hartford Stage.[18]
Dillon has headed the "Improv Nation", based in the Hudson Valley (New York), since 2006.[19] She is an Artist in-Residence atSUNY Ulster where she teaches improvisation and is on the faculty of Primary Stages.[20]
In an August 2020 interview withVulture, Dillon said she wasgay and had married Barbara Smiley a year and a half prior. They live in New York'sHudson Valley. Although she was out to most of her colleagues during her time onSaturday Night Live, she was uncertain if producerJean Doumanian or NBC executiveDick Ebersol were aware, saying, "It was a different time."[9]
Denny Dillon (May 18, 1951–) B: Cleveland, OH.
Some of the names here will be familiar only to die-hard fans; others, like Murphy, defined what was funny for generations of viewers.
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