Diane Adair Gaidry (October 11, 1964 – January 30, 2019) was an

American film The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Amer ...

and

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

actress. She is best known for the character, Simone, in ''

Loving Annabelle ''Loving Annabelle'' is a 2006 American romantic drama film written and directed by Katherine Brooks. Inspired by ''Mädchen in Uniform'', it tells the story of a boarding school student who falls in love with her teacher. Plot Annabelle Tillma ...

'', and also starred in '' The Dogwalker'', directed by

Jacques Thelemaque Jacques Thelemaque ( ) is an American screenwriter and director best known as the president of the Los Angeles film collective Filmmakers Alliance. Biography Thelemaque studied briefly at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, but his film career beg ...

. She also supported and forwarded film as co-creator and executive director of the independent filmmaker collective,

Filmmakers Alliance Filmmakers Alliance is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles. It was founded by Jacques Thelemaque and Diane Gaidry. Its over 300 members provide a support system through which members share time, energy, expertise, equipment and creative ...

. Gaidry died on January 30, 2019, due to liver failure after a battle with cancer.

Early life

Gaidry was born October 11, 1964, on

Ellsworth Air Force Base Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder, South Dakota, Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assi ...

in Rapid City, S.D., the daughter of Barbara (née Cunningham) and Thomas Gaidry, and sister of Brian Gaidry. Diane grew up in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. She moved to

Snyder, New York Snyder (originally Snyderville) is a hamlet within the town of Amherst in Erie County, New York, that is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The hamlet was established in 1837. It was named for Michael Snyder, its first postmas ...

, in her youth and attended Amherst Junior and Senior high schools before graduating from the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts in 1982. She earned a bachelor's degree in acting from the

New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the ar ...

Acting career

Diane portrayed Simone Bradley in

2006 film The following is an overview of events in 2006, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths. Evaluation of the year Legendary film critic Philip French of ''The Guardian'' de ...

'' directed by

Katherine Brooks Katherine Brooks (born March 15, 1976) is an American film writer and Film director, director. Brooks is a member of the Directors Guild of America, a Jury Member for Samsung Fresh-Films 2007 (the largest teen filmmaking program in the USA) and ...

. Her characterization won her the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actress at L.A.

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

. Gaidry was probably best known for her portrayal of this character. In 1993, she co-founded the non-profit, Los Angeles based, independent filmmaking collective,

. She also performed lead roles in some of the feature-length films that came out of the collective, including '' The Dogwalker'', which played at the

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...

and won Best First Feature at

Cinequest The Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival is an annual independent film festival held each March in San Jose, California and Redwood City, California. The international festival combines the cinematic arts with Silicon Valley’s innovation. It is ...

and ''America So Beautiful'', which played at the

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, and was theatrically released in Paris. Her short film performance credits included “Transaction” which won the Grand Prix du Jury at Clermont-Ferrand. She also acted in maverick filmmaker,

Rob Nilsson Rob Nilsson is a filmmaker, poet, and painter, best known for his feature film '' Northern Lights'', co-directed with John Hanson and winner of the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival (1979). He also is known for directing and playing the l ...

's feature, ''Need''. During her two decades in Los Angeles, Gaidry also did several guest appearances on television shows, including the hit series, ''

Medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

''. In later years Gaidry made her home in

Buffalo, NY Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

where she grew up, and performed on stage with some of Buffalo's local theatre companies. Gaidry appeared in many theatrical productions in Buffalo, NY over the years, mostly with cutting-edge Torn Space Theater, where she appeared in ''Storehouse'', ''Motion Picture'', ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the direct ...

'', '' Blood on the Cat's Neck'', ''

He Who Gets Slapped ''He Who Gets Slapped'' ( rus, Тот, кто получает пощёчины, links=no) is a play in four acts by Russian dramatist Leonid Andreyev; completed in August 1915 and first produced in that same year at the Moscow Art Theatre on ...

'', ''Procession'' and ''Trace''. At Subversive Theatre, she appeared in ''In the Beginning'', and for the Irish Classical Theatre Co., she played Dona Lucia in ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot inc ...

'' and Mary Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's '' Long Day's Journey Into Night'', as well as running her life coaching business, Vérité. In 2012, Gaidry acted in ''We Are Not Afraid of the Dark'' and performed in six cities in Europe.

Additional artistic projects

Gaidry starred in the music video for
Here Waiting
with Mishaele Richardson an
Emovere
She also starred in the
Bravado- Passenger
music video. Gaidry participated in a film project, the ''3600 series'', by photographer and artist Tania Saraiva in which Saraiva documented an authentic hour of Gaidry's life. Gaidry participated in a narrative short video, "''Soliel''

Life coach

Gaidry received a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

in acting from

and received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in psychology from the

University of Santa Monica The University of Santa Monica is a private unaccredited graduate school in Santa Monica, California, offering masters of arts in spiritual psychology. History The university was founded in March 1976 by Roger Delano Hinkins, an educator, a ...

. She opened a life coaching business
Verite
in Buffalo New York in 2008. The name of her business, Verite, was inspired by the film genre,

cinéma vérité Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or high ...

. Gaidry stated, "Verite is truth. By aligning more consistently with our authentic self, we connect more fully with our joy, passion, and sense of purpose. We experience greater fulfillment, grace, abundance, and ease. We are in the flow. Through weekly or bi- weekly coaching conversations, I assist my clients in identifying their authentic voice as opposed to the voice of the inner critic. I hold a safe space for my clients to examine and challenge perspectives and patterns that may be limiting their fulfillment and joy. We are living in a time of profound change, uncertainty, and transformation and many of us are experiencing tremendous upheaval in our lives as a result. What if you could “be the change you want to see in the world”? Each and every one of us has valuable gifts to share with each other and the world. What are your unique strengths, passions, and gifts? Are you sharing them fully? How would your life and the lives of everyone you meet be enriched if you were living your truth? What could the world look like when you feel more empowered and are empowering others to share their gifts?"

Personal life

Gaidry was married twice. She was first married to the Filmmakers Alliance co-creator and director

. Her second husband was Thomas K. Walker. She had two stepdaughters, Bella and Tess Walker, and one stepson, Ian Walker, via her second marriage.

Illness and death

Gaidry was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, known as HER2-positive, in January 2018. She was determined to be "cancer free" in August 2018 only to have the cancer return and spread to her brain and other parts of her body. She used both holistic and traditional approaches to treatment. She noted, "I’ve learned a lot and in many ways, I’m grateful to the cancer for serving as such a powerful teacher. I’ve learned that regardless of whether or not something has been said a million times before, it has not been said from my perspective and voice. I’ve learned that there are no guarantees that I will have a voice tomorrow or next week or next year, so if I have something to say, I might want to do that today". She also stated, "If I hadn’t had the tools and the perspective from being a coach, I wouldn’t have seen this cancer as an opportunity and a gift. It’s not the most fun gift, but it has deepened my awareness and perspective that there’s possibilities in dark times. This journey has changed me forever, and I appreciate my life, the blessings, the people, and every moment now in a way that I couldn’t have before. It’s beautiful.” She died on January 30, 2019, at home surrounded by family and friends.

Filmography

*'' Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys'' (1990) as Shawn *'' Frankenstein: The College Years'' (1991) as Friend *''Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning'' (1995) (TV) as Annie *''The Shy and the Naked'' (1998) as Party Girl *''Love Without Socks'' (1998) *''Egg'' (2001) as Greta *''America So Beautiful'' (2001) as Lucy *'' The Dogwalker'' (2002) as Ellie *''Birth of Industry'' (2004) as Maya *''The Act'' (2004) as Waitress *''Transaction'' (2005) as Angela *''Need'' (2005) as Petite *''

(TV)'', 1 episode (2005) as Nurse *''

'' (2006) as Simone Bradley *''Concerned Lady for America'' (2006) as Beverly *''The Rainbow Bridge Motel'' (2018) as Lidia

References

External links

Audio Interview with Gaidry

Video Interview with Gaidry about ''The Dog Walker''
(2010)
Video with Gaidry about ''Loving Annabelle''

Audio conversation with Gaidry

YouTube channel

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaidry, Diane 1964 births 2019 deaths American film actresses Tisch School of the Arts alumni Place of death missing People from Rapid City, South Dakota Actresses from Buffalo, New York University of Santa Monica alumni