
Person · Actor
Dyan Cannon
- Also:
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
In short · Acting since 1959, 8 decades active, 74 credits.
Known for
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Biography
Dyan Cannon is the first woman in the history of the Motion Picture Academy to be nominated for Oscars both in front of and behind the camera. Her diligence and determination have been rewarded by many prestigious honors. She received her first Academy Award nomination for her memorable role as Alice in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), opposite Natalie Wood and directed by Paul Mazursky. For her performance, she garnered the coveted New York Film Critics Award. Dyan received her second Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Live Action Short for writing and directing the 48-minute film, Number One (1976), which she also produced, edited and scored. The New York Times commended the film as one of the best movies ever made concerning children's development. She received her third Academy Award nomination for her comedic role as Julia Farnsworth, opposite Warren Beatty, in Heaven Can Wait (1978), for which she won the Golden Globe Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Later that year, she portrayed Sally Stanford in the Emmy Award-nominated biopic Lady of the House (1978) and starred in another comedy hit, Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), opposite Peter Sellers and directed by Blake Edwards, and was named Female Star of the Year by the Hollywood Women's Press Club. As the singular force behind the motion picture The End of Innocence (1990), Dyan undertook a triumvirate of tasks as writer, director and star. Dyan's work received amazing reviews from the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. Dyan has co-starred on two outstanding prime-time television shows. For several years, she brought her own brand of humor, class and sexiness to the role of Whipper Cone on the Emmy Award-winning series Ally McBeal (1997). She then starred as the vivacious and free-spirited Honey Bernstein-Flynn on NBC's comedy series Three Sisters (2001). Her filmography is vast and includes TNT's remake of the Warner Bros. classic Christmas in Connecticut (1992), directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger; Author! Author! (1982) opposite Al Pacino; The Last of Sheila (1973), directed by Herbert Ross; two films directed by Sidney Lumet: Deathtrap (1982), co-starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, and The Anderson Tapes (1971), starring Sean Connery; an adaptation of Jacqueline Susann's The Love Machine (1971); Such Good Friends (1971), directed by Otto Preminger; and Honeysuckle Rose (1980), in which she played Willie Nelson's wife and made her debut as a country music singer. She has starred on Broadway and in her own musical stage act at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and Harrah's in Lake Tahoe. Dyan co-wrote the title song for Chaka Khan's album, The Woman I Am, with Brenda Russell. Dyan wanted to take time off from her acting career to write. During the next nine years, she not only collaborated on a Broadway musical, but wrote her memoir, "Dear Cary," which was on the New York Times best seller list three different times spanning four years. A miniseries adaptation of the book, Archie (2023), starring Jason Isaacs and created by Jeff Pope, premiered on ITV and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Dyan is recognized as an exceptional motivational speaker for prominent associations and corporations. Children are her passion and most of her work centers around the care and welfare of kids. She is the national spokesperson for the Hemangioma Treatment Foundation, an organization that provides treatment to children all over the world who are afflicted with vascular birthmarks. She is the international executive spokesperson for Operation Lookout, an organization dedicated to recovering missing and exploited children who have been kidnapped from their homes, schools, etc. She has also been national spokesperson for Martin Colette's Wildlife Waystation, an international refuge that rescues and rehabilitates wild and exotic animals, as well as national spokesperson for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America. In addition, she devotes time and energy to several other charitable organizations such as California's Special Olympics for physically and mentally challenged athletes and also works with recovering addicts weekly. Dyan is a permanent fixture at the Los Angeles Lakers basketball games.
Family & relationships
- Spouse
- Parents
- Ben Friesen
- Children
- Other
Filmography · 66 of 66
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Director
1 creditActor
44 credits
Hope's Legacy(2021)
Linda
Film
A Kiss at Midnight(2008)
Kay Flowers
Film
Boynton Beach Club(2005)
Lois
Film
Kangaroo Jack(2003)
Anna Carbone
FilmThree Sisters(2001)
Honey Bernstein-Flynn
TVAlly(1999)
Judge Jennifer 'Whipper' Cone
TV
The Sender(1998)
Gina Fairfax
Film
Diamond Girl(1998)
Abby Montana
Film
Kiss of a Stranger(1998)
Leslie
Film
Beverly Hills Family Robinson(1997)
Marsha Robinson
Film
Out to Sea(1997)
Liz LaBreche
Film
8 Heads in a Duffel Bag(1997)
Annette Bennett
Film
That Darn Cat(1997)
Mrs. Flint
Film
The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...(1996)
Jess Wilding
Film
Arli$$(1996)
Dyan Cannon (2 Episodes)
TV
The Pickle(1993)
Ellen Stone
Film
Based on an Untrue Story(1993)
Varda Gray
Film
Christmas in Connecticut(1992)
Elizabeth Blane
Film
The End of Innocence(1990)
Stephanie
Film
Caddyshack II(1988)
Elizabeth Pearce
Film
She's Having a Baby(1988)
Dyan Cannon
FilmJenny's War(1985)
Jenny Baines
TV
Arthur the King(1985)
Katherine
Film
Master of the Game(1984)
Kate Blackwell
TV
Having It All(1982)
Thera Baylin
Film
Author! Author!(1982)
Alice Detroit
Film
Deathtrap(1982)
Myra Bruhl
Film
Coast to Coast(1980)
Madie Levrington
Film
Honeysuckle Rose(1980)
Viv Bonham
Film
Revenge of the Pink Panther(1978)
Simone Legree
Film
Editor
4 creditsOther crew
17 credits
Chad Powers(2025)
Crew
TV
Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers(2022)
Crew
TVAccess Daily with Mario & Kit(2022)
Crew
TV
The Comedy Store(2020)
Crew
TV
Jane Fonda in Five Acts(2018)
Crew
Film
Hollywood, No Sex Please!(2018)
Crew
FilmReally Famous with Kara Mayer Robinson(2017)
Crew
TV
And the Oscar Goes To...(2014)
Crew
Film
The Announcement(2012)
Crew
Film
The Doctors(2008)
Crew
TV
Made in Hollywood(2005)
Crew
TV
Entertainment Tonight(1981)
Crew
TV
The Muppet Show(1976)
Crew
TV
The Bobby Darin Show(1973)
Crew
TV
The Carol Burnett Show(1967)
Crew
TV
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In(1967)
Crew
TV
The Untouchables(1959)
Crew
TV
Awards & Nominations
7 nominationsGolden Raspberry Award
- Nom1983Worst Supporting Actress
Academy Award
- Nom1979Best Supporting Actress
- Nom1977Best Live Action Short Film
- Nom1970Best Supporting Actress
More awards & festivals (3) — regional academies & film-festival prizes
Academy Awards
- Nom1978Oscar — Actress in a Supporting Role
- Nom1976Oscar — Short Film (live Action)
- Nom1969Oscar — Actress in a Supporting Role
Originals
Streaming originals this person worked on.
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Additional credits8Show
Non-headline appearances — talk-show, awards-show, panel, and archive-footage credits, kept separate from the main filmography.
- Friends of IsraelSelf · 2021
- When Magic Shocked the WorldSelf · 2021
- Natalie Wood: What Remains BehindSelf · 2020
- Becoming Cary GrantSelf · 2017
- One-Hit WondersSelf · 2002
- NBA at 50Self · 1996
- Bob Hope's Unrehearsed Antics of the StarsSelf · 1984
- JaneSelf · 1962
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