Dianne Wiest Biography: Net Worth, Age, Height, Daughters, Parents, Siblings, Movies & TV Shows

Dianne Evelyn Wiest also known as Dianne Wiest is an esteemed American actress, acclaimed for her nuanced portrayals across stage, film, and television.

With a career spanning decades, she has garnered critical praise for roles that blend vulnerability with sharp wit, securing her legacy as a two-time Academy Award recipient and a pillar of character-driven performance.

Profile

• Full Name: Dianne Evelyn Wiest
• Stage Name: Dianne Wiest
• Born: March 28, 1948
• Age: 77 years old
• Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, USA
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Actress
• Height: 5 feet 5 inches
• Parents: Bernard John Wiest and Anne Stewart Wiest
• Siblings: Greg and Don
• Spouse: None
• Children: Two daughters (Emily and Lily)
• Relationship: Single
• Net Worth: $18 million USD

Early Life and Education

Dianne Wiest, an esteemed American actress, was born on March 28, 1948, in Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up in a mobile family shaped by her father Bernard John Wiest, a psychiatric social worker and college dean of German and Croatian descent, and her mother Anne Stewart Wiest, a Scottish nurse from Fife.

Alongside brothers Greg and Don, she lived in places like Germany due to her father’s Army ties, attending Nurnberg American High School where she shifted from ballet dreams to theater in her final year.

She later earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland in 1969. Her mixed heritage informs a private yet resilient outlook, with no public religious affiliation noted.

Career

Dianne Wiest built her foundation on New York stages in the 1970s, earning an Obie for Bonjour, playing the timid writer Elizabeth Barrow Colt in her 1980 off-Broadway debut, alongside Theatre World and Clarence Derwent honors.

She transitioned to film with minor parts in It’s My Turn (1980) and I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982), then broke through as the reverend’s wife in Footloose (1984).

Woody Allen’s collaborations defined her rise: a prostitute in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), neurotic Holly in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) for her first Oscar, and boozy diva Helen Sinclair in Bullets Over Broadway (1994) for a second.

Other standouts include the overwhelmed mother Karen Buckman in Parenthood (1989, Oscar-nominated), Avon lady Peg in Edward Scissorhands (1990), and DA Nora Lewin on Law & Order (2000–2002).

Television triumphs feature Emmy wins for Road to Avonlea (1997) and In Treatment (2008), plus roles in The 10th Kingdom miniseries (2000) and Life in Pieces (2015–2019). Recent films like Let Them All Talk (2020) and I Care a Lot (2020) affirm her enduring range.

Social Media

• Facebook Handle: Dianne Wiest
• Twitter Handle: @DianneWiest

Personal Life

Dianne Wiest, an esteemed American actress, at 77, leads a discreet existence centered on family and craft.

Standing at 5 feet 5 inches, she has never married but adopted daughters Emily and Lily in the early 1990s, raising them as a single parent in New York City.

She once shared a long-term partnership with talent agent Sam Cohn, though details remain private. With no further children, she divides time between professional engagements and quiet pursuits like reading and walks, occasionally reflecting on motherhood’s joys in rare interviews.

Filmography

• Footloose (1984) – Esther Hasset
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) – Holly (Oscar win)
• Parenthood (1989) – Karen Buckman (Oscar nomination)
• Edward Scissorhands (1990) – Peg Boggs
• Bullets Over Broadway (1994) – Helen Sinclair (Oscar win)
• The Birdcage (1996) – Louise Keeley
• Law & Order (2000–2002) – Nora Lewin
• In Treatment (2008–2009) – Dr. Gina Toll (Emmy win)
• Life in Pieces (2015–2019) – Joan Short

Net Worth

Dianne Wiest, an esteemed American actress, commands an estimated net worth of $18 million USD. This reflects earnings from film royalties, television contracts, and stage productions over her illustrious career.