34 Facts About Dana Carvey

1.

Dana Thomas Carvey was born on June 2,1955 and is an American stand-up comedian, actor, impressionist, screenwriter, and producer.

2.

Dana Carvey is known for his film roles in comedies such as Tough Guys, Opportunity Knocks, Trapped in Paradise, and The Master of Disguise, as well as reprising his role of Garth Algar in the SNL spin-off film Wayne's World and its sequel Wayne's World 2.

3.

Dana Carvey was born in Missoula, Montana, the fourth of five born to Billie Dahl, a schoolteacher, and William John Dana Carvey, a high school business teacher.

4.

Dana Carvey has English, German, Irish, Norwegian, and Swedish ancestry, and was raised Lutheran.

5.

Dana Carvey attended Tierra Linda Junior High in San Carlos, Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, College of San Mateo in San Mateo, California, and received his bachelor's degree in broadcast communications from San Francisco State University.

6.

Dana Carvey had a minor role in Halloween II in 1981, and co-starred in One of the Boys in 1982, a short-lived television sitcom that starred Mickey Rooney, Nathan Lane, and Meg Ryan.

7.

In 1984, Dana Carvey had a small role in Rob Reiner's film This Is Spinal Tap, in which he played a mime, with fellow comedian Billy Crystal.

8.

Dana Carvey appeared in the music video for the Greg Kihn song "Lucky" in 1985.

9.

Dana Carvey appeared in the short-lived film-based action television series Blue Thunder.

10.

Dana Carvey was a finalist for the hosting role on the Nickelodeon TV game show Double Dare.

11.

Dana Carvey ultimately withdrew his name from consideration after he was cast on Saturday Night Live.

12.

In 1986, Dana Carvey became a household name when he joined the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live.

13.

Dana Carvey said he based the character on women he knew from church while growing up, who would keep track of other churchgoers' attendance.

14.

Dana Carvey became so associated with the character that later cast members such as Chris Farley referred to Carvey simply as "The Lady".

15.

In 1992, Dana Carvey joined Mike Myers in Wayne's World, the film.

16.

Dana Carvey has returned to host SNL four times, in 1994,1996,2000, and 2011 in addition to numerous cameo appearances.

17.

Dana Carvey had to turn down a role in Bad Boys because he felt overwhelmed as a new father.

18.

Dana Carvey reprised many of his SNL characters in 1996 for The Dana Carvey Show, a short-lived prime-time variety show on ABC.

19.

Dana Carvey did not appear in a film again until 2011's Jack and Jill.

20.

Dana Carvey had previously appeared in another Adam Sandler film, Little Nicky.

21.

Dana Carvey eventually withdrew from the limelight to focus on his family.

22.

Dana Carvey later said in an interview that he did not want to be in a career in which his kids would already be grown with him having neglected spending time with them, a major reason for his declining the hosting spot for Late Night that ultimately went to Conan O'Brien.

23.

Dana Carvey has said that he generally prefers stand-up comedy to acting in movies and regularly performs lucrative corporate dates, boasting of "a few million-dollar months" during a 2016 Howard Stern interview.

24.

Dana Carvey made an appearance at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, reprising his SNL character Garth Algar with host Mike Myers for a "Wayne's World" sketch.

25.

On June 14,2008, Dana Carvey filmed a second HBO stand-up special, the first in 13 years, entitled Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies.

26.

In 2010, Dana Carvey appeared in the Funny or Die original comedy sketch Presidential Reunion.

27.

Dana Carvey was a guest on Conan O'Brien's podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, on January 27,2019.

28.

Carvey was featured in a six episode mini-series of the podcast titled "Deep Dive with Dana Carvey", released in August 2019.

29.

Dana Carvey has regularly done sketch impressions on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert playing, among others, President Joe Biden and former national security advisor John Bolton.

30.

That same year, Dana Carvey reprised his role of Garth Algar alongside Myers' Wayne Campbell in a series of commercials for Uber Eats.

31.

In 2022, Dana Carvey began co-hosting the Fly on the Wall podcast with fellow Saturday Night Live alum David Spade.

32.

In 1995, Dana Carvey had a home in the San Fernando Valley, and his parents relocated to Murrieta, California to be near Billie's sister, Shirley Miller.

33.

In 1997, Dana Carvey underwent heart bypass surgery for a blocked coronary artery.

34.

Dana Carvey told Newsday that, while he was in the hospital for his final angioplasty, Frank Sinatra died in the room adjacent to his.