A boyish comedian and mimic known for his dead-on (if somewhat toothless) impersonations of such notables as George Bush, Ross Perot, James Stewart and Johnny Carson, Carvey began his career performing stand-up around the San Francisco Bay area. In 1981, he moved to L.A. to work as an actor. He began with small turns in "Halloween II" (1981) and "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984), before joining the "Saturday Night Live" ensemble in 1986, where his distinctive comedy style propelled him to prominence. Carvey created several memorable characters for "SNL" that impacted on the American vernacular, including "Church Lady", a God-fearing, devil-baiting talk show host who coined the phrase "Well isn't that special?". Another memorable character was Hans of the Austrian body-building team Hans and Franz, which gave America the phrase "I Want to Pump (clap) You Up!".
In 1990, Carvey tried his hand as a leading man in the flop "Opportunity Knocks" but had great success when he teamed with Mike Myers to make "Wayne's World" (1992), a film version of a sketch he and Myers had performed on "SNL". He extended the role of Garth, played so winsomely in "Wayne's World", into that film's sequel "Wayne's World 2" (1993), a film that further enforced Wayne and Garth's chortling, TV obsessed, garage-band lexicon and lifestyle for its fans. This success laid the foundation for Carvey's crossover to the more refined genre of romantic comedy: in "Clean Slate" (1994) he played an amnesiac private investigator opposite Italian lovebird Valeria Golino.
Carvey returned to series TV in 1996 with the short-lived variety show "The Dana Carvey Show" (ABC). The show created controversy when some its sponsors (Taco Bell and Pizza Hut) found the "edgy" content of some of the sketches to be offensive. Despite the headlines, viewers tuned the show out and ABC pulled it after only a few airings.
Carvey laid low for the next several years, being minimally involved in fellow SNL alumni projects, such as playing the referee in Adam Sandler's film "Little Nicky"(2001). He also made appearances at several SNL television specials as well as at some weekly shows. After his show was cancelled in 1996, Carvey expressed a deep desire to spend time with his family and remain involved in the entertainment industry only when it did not compromise his commitment to his wife and sons. In 2002, Carvey returned to the big screen with his film "Master of Disguise." The self-explanitory comedy let Carvey showcase his strongest quality, the uncanny ability to transform into a plethora of unlikely characters.
Profession(s):
Actor, comedian
Sometimes Credited As:
Dana Thomas Carvey
Emmy Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program "Saturday Night Live's Presidential Bash" 1992 - 1993
MTV Movie Award Best On-Screen Duo "Wayne's World" 1992
2002 Returned to feature films as star of the comedy "Master of Disguise"
2000 Was a celebrity contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (ABC)
1997 Underwent double bypass surgery on his heart in September; in May 2000, sued doctor alleging surgeon operated on the wrong artery; settled for undisclosed amount which was donated to charity
1996 Headlined own short-lived sketch comedy series "The Dana Carvey Series"
1992 Co-starred as Garth Algar in the mega-hit, "Wayne's World"
1990 Played first feature lead in "Opportunity Knocks"
1986 - 1993 Member of the cast of "Saturday Night Live"
1984 Co-starred on the short-lived drama series "Blue Thunder"
1982 Regular on the short-lived series, "One of the Boys"
1981 Feature acting debut with "Halloween II"
1981 Moved to L.A.
1980 TV acting debut with "Alone At Last II"
