Dana Thomas Carvey is an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, where he was a cast member from 1986 to 1993 and hosted the show in 1996. He has also appeared in a number of films, including Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World 2, The Mask, and Master of Disguise.
Carvey was born on June 2, 1955, in Missoula, Montana, the son of Billie Dahl (née Thomas), a schoolteacher, and Bud Carvey, a high school business teacher. He has two brothers, Brad and Craig. Carvey is of Irish and Norwegian descent. He was raised Lutheran.
Carvey was educated at Valley High School in Helena, Montana. He then attended the College of San Mateo in San Mateo, California, and transferred to San Francisco State University.
Carvey began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco. He soon became a regular at The Other Cafe, where he was discovered by Lorne Michaels. Michaels hired Carvey to be a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1986.
Carvey’s most popular characters on SNL included Garth Algar, the Church Lady, Hans from Hans and Franz, and Wayne Campbell from Wayne’s World. He left SNL in 1993 to pursue a film career.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ChILI1xpCIi/
Carvey has appeared in a number of films, including Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World 2, The Mask, and Master of Disguise. He has also had a successful career as a voice actor, lending his voice to such films as The Simpsons Movie and The Prince of Egypt.
Carvey has been married twice. His first marriage was to Leah Remini from 1987 to 1993. They have two daughters: Dex and Lily. Carvey married his second wife, Paula Zwagerman, in 1995. They have one son: Thomas.
Carvey is 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall and has blue eyes.
General Info
Net Worth
$28 million
Date Of Birth
June 2, 1955
Height
1.73 m
Profession
Screenwriter, Television producer, Comedian, Actor
Education
San Francisco State University, Tierra Linda Junior High, Carlmont High School, College of San Mateo
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Paula Zwagerman, Leah Carvey
Children
Thomas Carvey, Dex Carvey
Parents
Billie Carvey, Bud Carvey
Siblings
Brad Carvey, Lori Carvey, Mark Carvey, Scott Carvey
Accomplishments
Awards
Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance - Variety Or Music Program, MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo
Nominations
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss, MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Movies
Wayne's World, The Secret Life of Pets, The Master of Disguise, Wayne's World 2, Opportunity Knocks, Trapped in Paradise, Clean Slate, Little Nicky, Hotel Transylvania 2, Jack and Jill, Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies, Tough Guys, This Is Spinal Tap, Halloween II, The Road to Wellville, ...
TV Shows
The Dana Carvey Show, Blue Thunder, One of the Boys, Saturday Night Live, First Impressions, Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60, Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies, 1992 MTV Video Music Awards
When people come to see my stand-up, they get a chance to see my characters interact with each other. I enjoy pushing my characters to the limit. No matter how far out there I go, I look for things that make the characters human. While many comics have a secret persona, I fundamentally want to be myself.
2
I used to sneak up to the 8th floor [at NBC] and watch Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo rehearsing Saturday Night Live and could only wonder if I would ever have the chance to be funny. It took me five years to go up the two stories, but it is such a sense of fulfillment to be able to show what I can do on national television.
3
[My characters] all start with rhythms and sounds. Once I hear the voice and get into the rhythm, the attitude and the physicality just come out on their own. Ching Change, the Church Lady and Hans have a meter and pitch that are distinctly their own.
4
As the Church Lady: "Well, isn't that special?"
Facts
#
Fact
1
Dana's brother Brad is an engineer and a pioneer in the video production field. He developed "Video Toaster", an inexpensive setup for Hollywood quality video making. The character "Garth" from Wayne's World (1992) is based on Dana's brother.
2
Living in Southern California with wife Paula, he fills his house with grown-up toys, likes to shoot baskets and play guitar and drums.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 98-99. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
11
Also a very talented drummer
12
His ancestry is seven sixteenths (7/16ths) Norwegian, with his other roots being English, German, Swedish, and Irish.
13
Underwent open-heart surgery for a blocked artery in 1997 but had the wrong artery operated on. Later sued for medical malpractice and was awarded 7.5 million dollars. He's had to undergo five operations in total to correct his heart problem.
Cinderella: Rocked, Wired & Bluesed - The Greatest Video Hits
2005
Video
Garth (Segment: "Hot and Bothered")
The Master of Disguise
2002
Pistachio Disguisey
Little Nicky
2000
Referee
LateLine
1998-1999
TV Series
Senator Crowl Pickens
Just Shoot Me!
1998
TV Series
Oskar Milos
The Larry Sanders Show
1992-1997
TV Series
Dana Carvey
The Shot
1996
Dana Carvey
The Dana Carvey Show
1996
TV Series
Host / Various Characters
Trapped in Paradise
1994
Alvin Firpo
The Road to Wellville
1994
George Kellogg
Saturday Night Live Presents President Bill Clinton's All-Time Favorites
1994
TV Movie
Various
Clean Slate
1994
Maurice L. Pogue
Wayne's World 2
1993
Garth Algar
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60
2016
TV Movie
Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies
2008
TV Special documentary
The Master of Disguise
2002
written by
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dana Carvey
1999
TV Special
The Dana Carvey Show
1996
TV Series writer - 8 episodes
Dana Carvey: Critics' Choice
1995
TV Special documentary
Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash
1992
TV Special special material
Comic Relief IV
1990
TV Special documentary
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
2010
TV Series performer - 1 episode
SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
2009
TV Movie performer: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - uncredited
Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost & Found
2005
TV Special documentary performer: "The Lady I Know" - uncredited
Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade
2005
TV Special performer: "Free Fallin'"
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tom Hanks
2004
TV Special performer: "'Wayne's World' Theme"
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dana Carvey
1999
TV Special performer: "Here Comes Santa Claus Right Down Santa Claus Lane", "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "The Lady I Know", "New Beginnings", "Goin' to the Club", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - uncredited
Saturday Night Live Christmas
1999
Video performer: "Here Comes Santa Claus Right Down Santa Claus Lane", "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing", "The Almost Perfect Christmas", "Carol of Intimacy" - uncredited
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers
1998
Video documentary performer: "'Wayne's World' Theme", "I Touch Myself"
performer: "''WAYNE'S WORLD'' THEME EXTENDED VERSION" - as Garth
Opportunity Knocks
1990
performer: "Born To Be Wild"
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60
2016
TV Movie executive producer
First Impressions with Dana Carvey
2016
TV Series executive producer
Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies
2008
TV Special documentary executive producer
The Dana Carvey Show
1996
TV Series executive producer - 3 episodes
Dana Carvey: Critics' Choice
1995
TV Special documentary executive producer
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
1992 MTV Movie Awards
1992
TV Special creative consultant
MTV Video Music Awards 1992
1992
TV Special creative consultant
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
2013
Documentary special thanks
The Waitlist
2008
Documentary short special thanks
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse
2006
TV Special thanks
Identity Crisis: The Making of a Master
2003
Video documentary short special thanks
Man of a Thousand Faces
2003
Video documentary short special thanks
The Magic of Disguise
2003
Video documentary short special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Comedy Club
2016
Documentary
Himself
Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60
2016
TV Movie
Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014-2016
TV Series
Himself / Himself - Guest
Today
2016
TV Series
Himself - Guest / Himself
Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight
2016
TV Series
Himself
First Impressions with Dana Carvey
2016
TV Series
Himself - Expert in Residence
Conan
2011-2016
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2016
TV Series
Himself
The Late Late Show with James Corden
2015
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Live from New York!
2015
Documentary
Himself - Featuring
Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special
2015
TV Special
Himself
Derek Stevens
Garth Algar
Entertainment Tonight
2009-2015
TV Series
Himself
3 Still Standing
2014
Documentary
Himself
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2014
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Tom Green Live
2014
TV Series
Himself
Late Show with David Letterman
1993-2014
TV Series
Himself - Guest / Himself
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992-2014
TV Series
Himself - Guest / Himself / Jay Leno
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
2010-2013
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Live with Kelly and Michael
1991-2012
TV Series
Himself - Guest Co-Host / Himself - Guest / Himself - Co-Host
The Oprah Winfrey Show
2011
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Saturday Night Live Backstage
2011
TV Special documentary
Himself / Various
Saturday Night Live
1991-2011
TV Series
Himself - Host / Various / Church Lady / ...
The Jay Leno Show
2009
TV Series
Himself - Guest
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
2009
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Kevin Pollak's Chat Show
2009
TV Series
Himself
The Dana Carvey Show: Interview with Dana Carvey and Robert Smigel
2009
Video documentary short
Himself
Talkshow with Spike Feresten
2009
TV Series
Himself
Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies
2008
TV Special documentary
Himself
2008 MTV Movie Awards
2008
TV Special
Garth Algar
Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2007
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation
2007
TV Special documentary
Himself / Various
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1994-2007
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Real Time with Bill Maher
2003-2007
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Earth to America
2005
TV Movie
Himself
Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost & Found
2005
TV Special documentary
Himself
Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live
2005
TV Special documentary
Himself
101 Most Unforgettable SNL Moments
2004
TV Movie
Himself - Commentator
Night of Too Many Stars
2003
TV Movie
Himself
Identity Crisis: The Making of a Master
2003
Video documentary short
Himself
Man of a Thousand Faces
2003
Video documentary short
Himself
Revealed with Jules Asner
2002
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Dennis Miller Live
1995-2002
TV Series
Himself
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards '02
2002
TV Special documentary
Himself
Adam Sandler Goes to Hell
2001
Video documentary short
Himself
Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2000
2000
TV Special
Himself (Various Characters)
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996-2000
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dana Carvey
1999
TV Special
Himself
George Herbert Walker Bush
H. Ross Perot
...
The Dana Carvey Show
1996
TV Series
Himself - Host / Various Characters / Charles Grodin / ...
You Don't Know Jack: Volume 2
1996
Video Game
Himself - Celebrity Guest Appearance (voice)
Dana Carvey: Critics' Choice
1995
TV Special documentary
Himself
Who Makes You Laugh?
1995
TV Special
Himself
Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story
1995
Video documentary
Himself
The 1993 Billboard Music Awards
1993
TV Special
Himself (uncredited)
The 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1993
TV Special
Himself - Winner: Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program and Nominee: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Late Night with David Letterman
1987-1992
TV Series
Himself / Himself - Guest
MTV Video Music Awards 1992
1992
TV Special
Himself / Garth Algar
The 64th Annual Academy Awards
1992
TV Special
Himself - Presenter: Best Live Action Short Film
Showbiz Today
1992
TV Series
Himself
The 15th Annual Young Comedians Special
1992
TV Special
Himself - Host
MTV Video Music Awards 1991
1991
TV Special
Himself / Garth
Saturday Night Live: Halloween Special
1991
TV Special
Garth Algar / Various
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Kirk Douglas
1991
TV Special documentary
Himself
The 42nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1990
TV Special
Himself - Nominee: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program & Presenter: Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program
Comic Relief IV
1990
TV Special documentary
Himself
The 4th Annual American Comedy Awards
1990
TV Special
Himself
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
1989
TV Special
Himself
The 41st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1989
TV Special
Himself - Nominee: Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program / Co-Presenter: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series & Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Superman 50th Anniversary
1988
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Host
The 2nd Annual American Comedy Awards
1988
TV Special
Himself - Presenter
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1987-1988
TV Series
Himself - Guest / Himself
Superstars of Comedy Salute the Improv
1984
TV Movie
Himself
The Big Laff Off
1978
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Extra
2015
TV Series
Himself
Entertainment Tonight
2015
TV Series
Himself
Saturday Night Live: Christmas Special
2014
TV Special
Various
SNL Shorts
2014
TV Movie
Garth Algar (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live Presents: Sports All-Stars
2010
TV Special
Various (uncredited)
SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
2009
TV Movie
George Bailey (uncredited)
TV's 50 Funniest Catch Phrases
2009
TV Movie
Himself
Saturday Night Live: Just Shorts
2009
TV Special
Garth (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live Sports Extra '09
2009
TV Special
Church Lady (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash '08
2008
TV Special
Ross Perot
George Bush
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Jon Lovitz
2005
TV Special
Various Characters (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade
2005
TV Special
Bob Dylan (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Commercial Parodies
2005
TV Movie
Happy Fun Ball Kid (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tom Hanks
2004
TV Special
Himself / Various
Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2004
2004
TV Movie
George Bush
H.Ross Perot (uncredited)
100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time
2004
TV Mini-Series
Himself #90
The Ultimate Clip Collection: Alice Cooper
2003
Video short
Garth Algar ("Feed My Frankenstein" Video)
Saturday Night Live Christmas 2002
2002
TV Special
George Bailey (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: Game Show Parodies
2000
TV Special
Various Characters (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Rock
1999
TV Special documentary
Himself / Various Characters (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live Christmas
1999
Video
Himself
Church Lady
George Bailey
Saturday Night Live 25
1999
TV Special documentary
Himself / Various
SNL: 25 Years of Music
1999
TV Movie
Various
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Farley
1998
TV Special documentary
Various Characters (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers
1998
Video documentary
Various Characters (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman
1998
TV Special documentary
Himself / H. Ross Perot / Various Characters (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Steve Martin
1998
TV Special
Himself / Various Characters (uncredited)
The Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live
1998
TV Special documentary
Various (uncredited)
Dennis Miller Live
1998
TV Series
Himself
Before They Were Stars
1996
TV Series
Himself
Comic Relief: The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes
1993
TV Special
Garth
Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash
1992
TV Special
President George H.W. Bush, H. Ross Perot, and others
Best of Saturday Night Live: Special Edition
1992
Video
Various Characters
Toonces, the Cat Who Could Drive a Car
1992
TV Movie
Lyle
Saturday Night Live Goes Commercial
1991
TV Special
Various Characters (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Robin Williams
1991
Video documentary
Himself / Various Characters
Awards
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1993
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Saturday Night Live (1975)
1992
MTV Movie Award
MTV Movie Awards
Best On-Screen Duo
Wayne's World (1992)
1991
American Comedy Award
American Comedy Awards, USA
Funniest Supporting Male Performer in a TV Series
Saturday Night Live (1975)
1990
American Comedy Award
American Comedy Awards, USA
Funniest Supporting Male Performer in a TV Series
Saturday Night Live (1975)
1989
American Comedy Award
American Comedy Awards, USA
Funniest Supporting Male Performer in a TV Series
Saturday Night Live (1975)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2002
Stinker Award
The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
Worst Actor
The Master of Disguise (2002)
2002
Stinker Award
The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
Worst Fake Accent: Male
The Master of Disguise (2002)
2001
American Comedy Award
American Comedy Awards, USA
Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series
Saturday Night Live (1975)
1994
MTV Movie Award
MTV Movie Awards
Best On-Screen Duo
Wayne's World 2 (1993)
1994
MTV Movie Award
MTV Movie Awards
Best Kiss
Wayne's World 2 (1993)
1993
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
The Larry Sanders Show (1992)
1992
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Saturday Night Live (1975)
1992
MTV Movie Award
MTV Movie Awards
Best Comedic Performance
Wayne's World (1992)
1991
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Saturday Night Live (1975)
1990
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Saturday Night Live (1975)
1989
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program