Dianne Wiest (born March 28, 1948) is an American actress. She has had a successful career on stage, television, and film, and has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Wiest has also been nominated for a BAFTA Award.

Early life

Wiest was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father was a college dean and former psychiatric social worker for the U.S. Army, and her Scottish-born mother, Anne, worked as a nurse; her parents met in Algiers.Dianne Wiest biography. Film Reference.com.Dianne Wiest Makes Neurosis A Success Story - New York Times She has two brothers: Greg and Don Wiest. Wiest's original ambition was to be a ballerina, but in late high school she switched her goal to theatre. She made her film debut in It's My Turn (1980),Dianne Wiest Profile. E!Online. but did not establish herself as a film actress until her work for Woody Allen in the 1980s.