Diana Dale Dickey (born September 29, 1961) is an American character actress who has worked in theater, film, and television. She began her career on stage, performing in the 1989 Broadway version of ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', before appearing in popular revivals of ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...

'', '' Sweeney Todd'' and more off-Broadway and in regional theaters. She's the recipient of two

Ovation Awards The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winne ...

for her stage work in Los Angeles. Now known as a "consummate character actor," Dickey made her screen debut in 1995. She won the

Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female The Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female was an award presented annually by Film Independent. It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an absolutely outstanding performance in a supporting role while working in an indepen ...

for her breakthrough performance as Merab in the 2010 independent drama film ''

Winter's Bone ''Winter's Bone'' is a 2010 American coming-of-age mystery drama film directed by Debra Granik. It was adapted by Granik and Anne Rosellini from the 2006 novel of the same name by Daniel Woodrell. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as a povert ...

''. Over her career, she has appeared in more than 60 movies, most notably ''

Changeling A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. A changeling was believed to be a fairy that had been left in place of a human (typically a child) stolen by other fairi ...

'' (2008), '' Super 8'' (2011), ''

Iron Man 3 ''Iron Man 3'' (titled onscreen as ''Iron Man Three'') is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Ir ...

'' (2013), '' Regression'' (2015), '' Hell or High Water'' (2016), '' Leave No Trace'' (2018) and ''

Bloodline Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic informa ...

'' (2018). Her television credits including recurring roles on ''

My Name Is Earl ''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Ja ...

'' (2005–09), ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited h ...

'' (2009), ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on '' The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The ser ...

'' (2012–13), '' Justified'' (2014), and '' Claws'' (2017–22). She also was a regular cast member on the second season of the HBO comedy series '' Vice Principals'' (2017), co-starred in the Netflix miniseries '' Unbelievable'' (2019), and currently features in Amazon's comedy-series reboot of ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena ...

''. Dickey received widespread acclaim from critics for her lead performance in the 2022 romantic drama film '' A Love Song'', for which she was nominated for the

Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance The Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance is one of the annual awards given out by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. In 2022, the Independent Spirit Awards announce ...

and the Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.

Early life

Diana Dale Dickey was born in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the stat ...

, and attended Bearden High School. She played several roles in high school productions, notably as Emily in ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 thr ...

''. She later attended the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th sta ...

from 1979 to 1984, but left to pursue her acting career. On December 10, 2015, she returned to the University of Tennessee as a guest speaker, where she gave the commencement speech to Fall graduates, and was awarded an honorary Master of Fine Arts degree from the university.

Career

Dickey has been working as a character actress in both mainstream and independent films since the 1990s. She made her television debut playing the recurring role of Opal McHone in CBS historical drama '' Christy'' from 1994 to 1995. The following year, she made her big screen debut in the comedy-drama film '' The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love''. She later had supporting parts in the made-for-television movies '' Cagney & Lacey: Together Again'' (1995), ''

Prison of Secrets ''Prison of Secrets'' is a 1997 American television film directed by Fred Gerber. The film is based on a true story and focuses on a female prison inmate who fights for women's rights while still in jail.Christy: Return to Cutter Gap'' (2000). She played Glyndora Roberts in the 2000 independent comedy film, ''

Sordid Lives Sordid may refer to: * Paul Sordid (20th century), English drummer * Sordid (character), a fictional character in the ''Simon the Sorcerer'' series of video games {{Disambig ...

'', and later returned to role in the Logo sitcom '' Sordid Lives: The Series'' (2008). She returned to franshise in 2017, playing different role in '' A Very Sordid Wedding'' (replacing

Beth Grant Beth Grant (born September 18, 1949) is an American character actress. Between 2012 and 2017, she was a series regular on the television comedy '' The Mindy Project'' in the role of Beverly Janoszewski. She is also known for her role as Gracie ...

as Sissy Hickey). Her other 2000s film credits include '' The Pledge'' (2001), '' Our Very Own'' (2005), and ''

'' (2008). Dickey guest-starred in a number of television series, including ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'', ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'', ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel ( Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flag ...

'', ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...

''. From 2005 to 2009, she had a recurring role as Patty the Daytime Hooker in the NBC comedy series, ''

''. In 2009, she had a recurring role in the AMC drama series, ''

''. Dickey also performed in various stage production, include the Broadway production of ''

'' (1989) and in the 2009 stage adaptation of ''

'' and many other off-Broadway and regional theatres receiving two

. Dickey received critical praise for her performance as Merab in 2010 independent drama film ''

'' opposite

Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in ''Time''s 100 most influential people ...

, winning the

in February 2011. From 2012 to 2013, she played the role of Martha Bozeman in the fifth and sixth seasons of the HBO series ''

''. After ''Winter's Bone'', Dickey appeared in the science fiction film '' Super 8'' (2011) directed by J. J. Abrams, and the superhero film ''

'', directed by Shane Black in 2013. She also was cast in '' Bonnie and Clyde: Dead and Alive'' miniseries in 2013. In 2014, she had a recurring role in the FX series '' Justified''. In 2015 Dickey portrayed Rose Gray in the Spanish-American thriller film '' Regression'', in which she co-stars with

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...

and

Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and activist. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her women's rights work, she has received a selection of accolades, includi ...

. Dickey had a recurring role of Juanda Husser in the TNT comedy-drama series, '' Claws'' from 2017 to 2022. In 2017, she starred in the second season of HBO dark comedy '' Vice Principals'' and in 2019 appeared in the Netflix miniseries '' Unbelievable''. In 2022, she had a recurring role in the Amazon series ''

''. She appeared in films '' Hell or High Water'' (2016), '' Leave No Trace'' (2018), ''

'' (2018) and '' Flag Day'' (2021). In 2022, Dickey played the leading role in the drama film '' A Love Song''. The performance received positive reviews from critics, notable from

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

and

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

. The film marks the first leading role in her career. In her interview for

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

, Dickey said: “I fell between the cracks. I was not pretty enough in this category to be the leading lady and I wasn’t quirky or odd enough in this category to be the only character actress”. “Even in college, I tended to play everybody under 12 or over fifty. I think you finally grow into your age range and, sure enough, when I started getting into my mid-forties is when I started working more. I slowly built a career, but it was difficult.” She received

and Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance nominations for her role. Also that year, she played another leading role in the Irish drama film ''The Cry of Granuaile''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickey, Dale Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Tennessee American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female winners People from Knoxville, Tennessee University of Tennessee alumni 1961 births