Dinah Manoff (born January 25, 1956)^[1] is an American stage, film, and television actress andtelevision director. She is best known for her roles as Carol Weston onEmpty Nest, Elaine Lefkowitz onSoap, Marty Maraschino in the filmGrease, and Libby Tucker in both the stage andfilm adaptations ofI Ought to Be in Pictures, for which she won aTony Award.

Manoff was born in New York City toAshkenazi Jewish parents, the daughter of actress, director, and writerLee Grant (born Lyova Rosenthal) and screenwriterArnold Manoff (born Pismenoff).^[2][3] Her mother was of Polish and Ukrainian Jewish descent, and her father's parents emigrated fromVilnius.^[4] Her half-brother, Tom Manoff, is the classical music critic forNPR'sAll Things Considered and a notable composer. Her stepfather is producerJoseph Feury.^[2]

She spent her childhood and teenage years in New York City andMalibu, California. She attended theNew Lincoln School andSanta Monica High School and later studied at theActors Studio.^[5]

Manoff's first project was the animated independent filmEverybody Rides the Carousel (1975), providing one of the voices. In 1976, she made her first television appearance on thePBS production ofThe Stronger. This was followed by a guest appearance onWelcome Back, Kotter in the episode "Sadie Hawkins Day", followed by an appearance inVisions. In 1977, she made acameo appearance in her first TV movie,Raid on Entebbe In 1978 she appeared in the TV series Family playing the part of Mara.

In 1978, Manoff got the role of Elaine Dallas (née Lefkowitz) on theABCsitcomSoap, and remained on the show until the end of the year. Manoff made her film debut in 1978 as Marty Maraschino, one of the Pink Ladies, in the movie version ofGrease.^[6][7]

In 1980, Manoff made her Broadway debut as Libby Tucker inNeil Simon's play,I Ought to Be in Pictures. For her work in the play, she won theTony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, as well as theTheatre World Award.^[8] She reprised the role for thefilm version in 1982, withWalter Matthau andAnn-Margret.^[5] Also in 1980, Manoff appeared as Karen, the suicidal friend ofTimothy Hutton's character, in the multipleOscar-winningOrdinary People.^[8]

In 1985, Manoff portrayed songwriterEllie Greenwich in the Broadwayjukebox musicalLeader of the Pack. In 1988, she played Maggie Peterson inChild's Play, the first character to be killed by the murderous, possessed dollChucky. Manoff then started a seven-year stint as Carol Weston on theNBC sitcomEmpty Nest, which was a spin off ofThe Golden Girls, a role for which she is best known on television, and appeared in every episode of the series. In 1989, Manoff appeared in minor roles in two films late in the year:Bloodhounds of Broadway andStaying Together.

In 1990, Manoff appeared inWelcome Home, Roxy Carmichael, starringWinona Ryder andJeff Daniels. After this, Manoff focused primarily on television work, appearing in a cameo role in an episode ofBlossom entitled "Rockumentary" and TV movies such asBabies andMaid for Each Other, as well as continuing onEmpty Nest as actress and director on two episodes until its finale in 1995; she also appeared onThe Golden Girls twice as Carol Weston during this period. Manoff's subsequent TV appearances includedTouched by an Angel,Cybill, andGeorge and Leo.

In 1999, Manoff directed the 82nd episode of the television seriesSabrina the Teenage Witch, titled "Prelude to a Kiss."

In 2000, Manoff appeared in the TV movieThe Lost Child starringMercedes Ruehl. Just a few months later in 2001, Manoff returned to film work by starring inThe Amati Girls, the sole movie released theatrically in which her mother and she have appeared together. The film also featured Mercedes Ruehl,Sean Young, and Lily Knight. Manoff appeared in a second 2001 movie,Zigs, starringBeverly Hills, 90210'sJason Priestley. From 2001 to 2002, Manoff co-starred in the cable television seriesState of Grace. In 2003, Manoff played Aunt Marla inA Carol Christmas, a variation onCharles Dickens'classic story.

In celebration of the poetOscar Wilde's 150th birthday in 2004, Manoff read some of his works in the documentaryHappy Birthday Oscar Wilde. After a four-year hiatus, Manoff appeared in the filmBart Got a Room in 2009, which premiered at theTribeca Film Festival, but was not released widely until the following year, when Dinah also appeared in two episodes ofLose Yourself onStrike.TV.

In 2010,Grease was released a second time as a sing-along. Coinciding with its release, Manoff appeared at theSeattle International Film Festival.

Since 1997, Manoff has been married to realtor Arthur Mortell, and currently resides inBainbridge Island,Washington.^[9] They have three sons together: Dashiell Mortell, and twins Desi and Oliver Mortell. Dashiell was killed in an automobile accident on January 7, 2017, age 19.^[10][11]

• Dinah Manoff at theInternet Broadway Database
• Dinah Manoff atIMDb
• Dinah Manoff atRotten Tomatoes

• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Actors Studio alumni
• Actresses from New York City
• American film actresses
• American musical theatre actresses
• American people of Russian-Jewish descent
• American people of Polish-Jewish descent
• American stage actresses
• American television actresses
• American television directors
• Contestants on American game shows
• Living people
• Tony Award winners
• American women television directors
• 1956 births
• American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
• American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent

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