Dana Thomas Carvey (born June 2, 1955) is an American actor, stand-up
comedian, impressionist, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known
for his work as a cast member on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night
Live (from 1986 to 1993), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award from
five consecutive nominations.Carvey is also known for his film roles
in comedies such as Tough Guys (1986), Opportunity Knocks (1990),
Trapped in Paradise (1994), and The Master of Disguise (2002), as well
as reprising his role of Garth Algar in the SNL spin-off film Wayne's
World (1992) and its sequel Wayne's World 2 (1993).Carvey was born in
Missoula, Montana, the fourth of five (with three older brothers and
one younger sister) born to Billie Dahl, a schoolteacher, and Bud
Carvey, a high school business teacher. Carvey is the brother of Brad
Carvey, the engineer/designer of the Video Toaster. The character
Garth Algar is loosely based on Brad. Carvey has English, German,
Irish, Norwegian, and Swedish ancestry, and was raised Lutheran. When
he was three years old, his family moved to San Carlos, California, in
the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his first drum kit at an early
age. He attended Tierra Linda Junior High in San Carlos, Carlmont High
School in Belmont, California (where he was a member of the Central
Coast Section champion cross country team), College of San Mateo in
San Mateo, California, and received his bachelor's degree in broadcast
communications from San Francisco State University. In 1977, he won
the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition.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 also starred Mickey Rooney, Nathan
Lane, and Meg Ryan. In 1984, 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 (who tells him "Mime is money!"). He appeared
in the music video for the Greg Kihn song "Lucky" in 1985. He also
appeared in the short-lived film-based action television series Blue
Thunder. His big break came in 1986, when he co-starred opposite Kirk
Douglas and Burt Lancaster in Tough Guys. As a lifelong Douglas fan,
Carvey threw in an affectionate impression of his mentor, while
describing a hairy scene they did together on a moving train.
comedian, impressionist, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known
for his work as a cast member on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night
Live (from 1986 to 1993), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award from
five consecutive nominations.Carvey is also known for his film roles
in comedies such as Tough Guys (1986), Opportunity Knocks (1990),
Trapped in Paradise (1994), and The Master of Disguise (2002), as well
as reprising his role of Garth Algar in the SNL spin-off film Wayne's
World (1992) and its sequel Wayne's World 2 (1993).Carvey was born in
Missoula, Montana, the fourth of five (with three older brothers and
one younger sister) born to Billie Dahl, a schoolteacher, and Bud
Carvey, a high school business teacher. Carvey is the brother of Brad
Carvey, the engineer/designer of the Video Toaster. The character
Garth Algar is loosely based on Brad. Carvey has English, German,
Irish, Norwegian, and Swedish ancestry, and was raised Lutheran. When
he was three years old, his family moved to San Carlos, California, in
the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his first drum kit at an early
age. He attended Tierra Linda Junior High in San Carlos, Carlmont High
School in Belmont, California (where he was a member of the Central
Coast Section champion cross country team), College of San Mateo in
San Mateo, California, and received his bachelor's degree in broadcast
communications from San Francisco State University. In 1977, he won
the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition.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 also starred Mickey Rooney, Nathan
Lane, and Meg Ryan. In 1984, 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 (who tells him "Mime is money!"). He appeared
in the music video for the Greg Kihn song "Lucky" in 1985. He also
appeared in the short-lived film-based action television series Blue
Thunder. His big break came in 1986, when he co-starred opposite Kirk
Douglas and Burt Lancaster in Tough Guys. As a lifelong Douglas fan,
Carvey threw in an affectionate impression of his mentor, while
describing a hairy scene they did together on a moving train.
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