Deena Dill is an American actress and television executive producer best known for her recurring roles on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

's hit show '' iCarly'', ABC's television series ''

Suburgatory ''Suburgatory'' is an American television sitcom created by Emily Kapnek that aired on ABC from September 28, 2011, to May 14, 2014. The series originally aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30/7:30 Central following '' The Middle''. The title is ...

'', and

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

's sci-fi series ''

Star-Crossed "Star-crossed" or "star-crossed lovers" is a phrase describing a pair of lovers who, for some external reason, cannot be together. The term also has other meanings, but originally means that the pairing is being "thwarted by a malign star" or ...

'', as well as being a creator and executive producer of The CW's award-winning game show ''

Oh Sit! ''Oh Sit!'' is an hour-long game show competition series that premiered on September 27, 2012, on The CW. The series, according to the network, was a "high-octane musical chairs competition". Despite low ratings during its run, on September 26, 2 ...

'', which won the

Rose d'Or The Rose d'Or ('Golden Rose') is an international awards festival in entertainment broadcasting and programming. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) first acquired the Rose d’Or in 1961, when it was created by Swiss Television in the lakes ...

Award for Best International Game Show.

Early life and education

Deena Dill was born and raised in

Dayton, Tennessee Dayton is a city and county seat in Rhea County, Tennessee, Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 7,065. The Dayton Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent ...

, the daughter of business owners James and Phyllis Dill. She was named Deanna Francine Dill at birth, which her parents always pronounced as "Deena". Dill changed the spelling of her first name a few years after college when she joined the Screen Actors Guild. She has a brother, Jim Dill, who graduated from and played baseball at the University of Kentucky. Both Deena and her brother attended Frazier Elementary School, Dayton City School, and Rhea County High School. Deena graduated cum laude from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, where she was an NCAA Division I triple jumper and 100-meter hurdler and also a varsity cheerleader. She was named to the SEC Academic Honor roll all four years of college. Dill was elected Homecoming Queen her senior year at Vanderbilt and at graduation was honoured with the Peabody College Outstanding Senior Award. She went on to serve on Vanderbilt University's Peabody College Alumni Board of Directors.

Career

Upon graduation, Deena was offered a modelling contract in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. After signing the deal and moving to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, she went on to become the face of CornSilk makeup, the legs of

Hanes Hanes (founded in 1900) and Hanes Her Way (founded in 1985) is a brand of clothing. History Hanes was founded in 1900 by John Wesley Hanes (one of Winston-Salem's wealthiest and most influential business men) at Winston, North Carolina under th ...

pantyhose, and the body of Gottex Swimwear. Dill, while in college in Nashville, got her start in television portraying the broken-hearted love interest in over two dozen country music stars' music videos, including

Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...

Aaron Tippin Aaron Dupree Tippin (born July 3, 1958) is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music, he gained a recording contract with RCA Nashville in 1990. His debut single, "You've Got to ...

, and

Trace Adkins Trace may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Trace'' (Son Volt album), 1995 * ''Trace'' (Died Pretty album), 1993 * Trace (band), a Dutch progressive rock band * ''The Trace'' (album) Other uses in arts and entertainment * ''Trace' ...

. After appearing in her first film, ''

Heavyweights ''Heavyweights'' is a 1995 American black comedy film directed by Steven Brill and written by Brill with Judd Apatow. The film follows a fat camp for kids that is taken over by a fitness guru named Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller). Plot When school e ...

'' (1995), Dill went on to obtain a number of television roles, including appearances in ''

Two and a Half Men ''Two and a Half Men'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS for twelve seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. Originally starring Charlie Sheen in the lead role alongside Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones, t ...

'', '' 24'', ''

The Weber Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', ''

Becker Becker () is one of the German-language surnames, along with Bäcker and Baecker, that derive from the root, which refers to baking. The surname began as a name for a baker (and thus his family). In northern Germany it can also derive from the ...

'', '' ER'', and '' Cracking Up''. In 2005, Deena Dill was cast in the film ''

Coach Carter ''Coach Carter'' is a 2005 American biographical teen sports drama film starring Samuel L. Jackson and directed by Thomas Carter (no relation). The film is based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter (played ...

'' and then as a recurring character on the television show '' Boston Legal''. Dill transitioned back into television, with roles on '' Vanished'', ''

3 lbs ''3 lbs'' (pronounced "three pounds") is an American medical drama television series created by Peter Ocko, that aired on CBS from November 14, 2006 to November 7, 2008, replacing the cancelled series ''Smith''. The show itself was then can ...

'', ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

'', ''

CSI: NY ''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...

'', '' The Starter Wife'', and ''

Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliott ...

''. From 2009 to 2010, Dill played the role of Gibby's mom, Charlotte, on

's top rated television show, '' iCarly''. She worked on a number of hit television series such as ''

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a c ...

'', ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...

'', '' Army Wives'', ''

Awkward Awkward may refer to: * Awkwardness or embarrassment, an emotional state of intense discomfort with people * ''Awkward'' (TV series), an American teen comedy series * ''Awkward'' (album), a 2001 album by Ty * ''Awkward'', a 1999 graphic novel by ...

'',

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's ''

Good Luck Charlie ''Good Luck Charlie'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on Disney Channel from April 4, 2010, to February 16, 2014. The series' creators, Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen, wanted to create a program that would appeal to entire families, no ...

'', and ABC's ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

''. After a recurring role as Bliss from 2011 to 2013 on ABC's television series ''

'', Deena was cast in another recurring role as Margaret Montrose, the mother of

Grey Damon Grey Damon (born September 24, 1987) is an American actor, known for his roles in '' Friday Night Lights'', ''The Nine Lives of Chloe King'' and ''Station 19''. He resides in Los Angeles. Beginning with its premiere on May 28, 2015, Damon co-sta ...

, on the new sci fi alien drama ''

'' (2014) on The CW. Dill is one of the creators and executive producers of the CW's game show, ''

'', alongside Phil Gurin and Richard Joel. ''Oh Sit!'' won Eurovision's prestigious

Award for Best International Game Show in 2013. The high-stakes, high-octane, extreme musical chairs show was initially picked up for 10 episodes and began airing in the summer of 2012. ''Oh Sit!'' moved into its second cycle in early 2013. The hour-long, prime-time competition show is produced by The Gurin Company and 405 Productions, in association with

Warner Horizon Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

. In 2017, Dill appeared in ''

The Ballerina ''The Ballerina'' is a 2017 American Southern Gothic supernatural horror film, written and directed by Steve Pullen, who stars alongside his daughter, Isabella Pullen, and their other family members. The film also starred Deena Dill, Adella Gaut ...

'', a horror film directed by Steve Pullen.

Early life and education

Career

External links