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 Broadway productions of The Merchant of Venice (1989) and in the 2009 stage adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire and many other off-Broadway and regional theatres receiving two Ovation Awards.[2]
Dale Dickey | |
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![]() Dickey in 2018 | |
Born | Diana Dale Dickey (1961-09-29) September 29, 1961 (age 61)[1] Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Alma mater | University of Tennessee |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1994–present |
Dickey received Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her breakthrough performance as Merab in the 2010 independent drama film Winter's Bone. The following years, she appeared in more than 60 movies, notable Super 8 (2011), Iron Man 3 (2013), Regression (2015), Hell or High Water (2016), Leave No Trace (2018) and Bloodline (2018). Her television credits including a recurring roles on comedy and dramas most notable My Name Is Earl (2005-09), Breaking Bad (2009), True Blood (2012-13), Justified (2014), and Claws (2017-22). She also was regular cast member on the HBO comedy series Vice Principals (2017), and co-starred in the Netflix miniseries Unbelievable (2019).
Dickey received positive reviews from critics for her lead performance in the 2022 romantic drama film A Love Song, for which she was nominated for Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.
Diana Dale Dickey was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and attended Bearden High School.[3] She played several roles in high school productions, notably as Emily in Our Town. She later attended the University of Tennessee 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.[4]
Dickey has been working as a character actress in both mainstream and independent films since the 1990s.[3] 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 (1997) and Christy: Return to Cutter Gap (2000). She played Glyndora Roberts in the 2000 independent comedy film, Sordid Lives, and later returned to role in the Logo sitcom Sordid Lives: The Series (2008). Her other 2000s film credits include The Pledge (2001), Our Very Own (2005), and Changeling (2008).
Dickey guest-starred in a number of television series, including The X-Files, Frasier, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Gilmore Girls, The Closer and Ugly Betty. From 2005 to 2009, she had a recurring role as Patty the Daytime Hooker in the NBC comedy series, My Name Is Earl. In 2009, she had a recurring role in the AMC drama series, Breaking Bad. Dickey also performed in various stage production, include the Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice (1989) and in the 2009 stage adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire and many other off-Broadway and regional theatres receiving two Ovation Awards.[2]
Dickey received critical praise for her performance as Merab in 2010 independent drama film Winter's Bone opposite Jennifer Lawrence,[3] winning the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female in February 2011.[5] From 2012 to 2013, she played the role of Martha Bozeman in the fifth and sixth seasons of the HBO series True Blood.[6] After Winter's Bone, Dickey appeared in the science fiction film Super 8 (2011) directed by J. J. Abrams, and the superhero film Iron Man 3, directed by Shane Black in 2013.[7] She also was cast in Bonnie and Clyde: Dead and Alive miniseries in 2013.[8] In 2014, she had a recurring role in the FX series Justified.[9] In 2015 Dickey portrayed Rose Gray in the Spanish-American thriller film Regression, in which she co-stars with Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson.[10]
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 A League of Their Own. She appeared in films Hell or High Water (2016), Leave No Trace (2018), Bloodline (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 and Rolling Stone.[11][12][13] The film marks the first leading role in her career. In her interview for IndieWire, 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.”[14] She received Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance nomination for her role.[15] Also that year, she played another leading role in the Irish drama film The Cry of Granuaile.[16]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1995 | The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love | Regina | |
1995 | Running Wild | Judith | |
1995 | The Journey of August King | Jenny | |
1997 | Prison of Secrets | Lynn's friend | |
2000 | Sordid Lives | Glyndora | |
2001 | The Pledge | Strom | |
2005 | Our Very Own | Skillet | |
2005 | Domino | Edna Fender | |
2006 | Nothing But Ghosts [de] | Annie | |
2008 | Trailer Park of Terror | Daryl | |
2008 | Dark Canvas | Wilma | |
2008 | Changeling | Patient | |
2008 | Leaving Barstow | Linda | |
2009 | A Perfect Getaway | Earth Momma | |
2010 | Winter's Bone | Merab | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Performance Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble (2nd place) Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Performance |
2011 | Child of the Desert | Elia | |
2011 | Super 8 | Edie | |
2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked | Oona | |
2012 | Evidence | Katrina Fleishman | |
2012 | Blues for Willadean | Rayleen Hobbs | |
2012 | Tales of Everyday Magic | Maggie | |
2012 | The Happiest Person in America | Meg | |
2012 | Being Flynn | Marie | |
2012 | The Yellow Wallpaper | Jennie Gilman | |
2012 | The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez | Denise | |
2012 | The Guilt Trip | Tammy | |
2012 | Lost on Purpose | Retta Lee | |
2012 | 9 Full Moons | Billie | |
2013 | C.O.G. | Debbie | |
2013 | The Trials of Cate McCall | Mrs. Stubbs | |
2013 | Teddy Bears | Lori | |
2013 | Iron Man 3 | Mrs. Davis | |
2013 | Southern Baptist Sissies | Odette | |
2013 | Evidence | Katrina Fleishman | |
2014 | What Lola Wants | Mama | |
2014 | Dark Around the Stars | Rita | |
2014 | White Bird in a Blizzard | Mrs. Hillman | |
2014 | The Possession of Michael King | Beverly | |
2014 | San Patricios | Colleen Donnelly | |
2015 | Regression | Rose Gray | |
2015 | Waffle Street | Crazy Kathy | |
2015 | Blood Father | Cherise | |
2016 | Hell or High Water | Elsie | |
2016 | Message from the King | Mrs. Lazlo | |
2017 | Small Town Crime | Leslie | |
2017 | A Very Sordid Wedding | Sissy Hickey | |
2017 | Last Requests | Maggie | Short Film |
2018 | Leave No Trace | Dale | |
2018 | Bloodline | Marie Cole | |
2019 | Wish Man | Clover | |
2020 | Palm Springs | Darla | |
2021 | Flag Day | Grandma Margaret | |
2022 | A Love Song | Faye | Seattle International Film Festival Award for Best Performance Provincetown International Film Festival for Excellence in Acting Award Nominated - Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance |
2022 | No Exit | Sandi | |
2022 | Wash Me in the River |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1995 | Cagney & Lacey: Together Again | Gloria | TV movie |
1994–1995 | Christy | Opal McHone | 4 episodes |
2000 | City of Angels | Rose Odalee Greenup | Episode: "The High Cost of Living" |
2000 | Christy: The Movie | Opal McHone | TV movie |
2001 | Christy, Choices of the Heart, Part II: A New Beginning | Opal McHone | TV mini-series; 2 episodes |
2001 | The X-Files | Game Warden | Episode: "Existence" |
2003 | Frasier | Mrs. Grant | Episode: "Some Assembly Required" |
2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Cassie | Episode: "Bad to the Bone" |
2004 | ER | Mrs. Price | Episode: "Twas the Night" |
2005 | Numb3rs | Karen | Episode: "Counterfeit Reality" |
2006 | Gilmore Girls | Ruthie | 2 episodes |
2006 | Cold Case | Reba Dautry | Episode: "Joseph" |
2006 | The Closer | Anna Larson | Episode: "Out of Focus" |
2007 | Shark | Nancy Padget | Episode: "Porn Free" |
2007 | Ugly Betty | Sugar Free Shirley | Episode: "East Side Story" |
2008 | Sordid Lives: The Series | Glyndora Roberts | 6 episodes |
2005–2009 | My Name Is Earl | Patty, the daytime hooker | 19 episodes |
2009 | Princess Protection Program | Helen | TV movie |
2009 | Breaking Bad | Spooge's “Skank” Lady | 2 episodes |
2010 | All Signs of Death | Thea | TV Pilot |
2010 | Bones | Marsha Vinton | Episode: "The X in the File" |
2010 | Criminal Minds | Carol | Episode: "Exit Wounds" |
2010 | Weeds | Sugarpop | Episode: "Gentle Puppies" |
2011 | 2 Broke Girls | Elena | Episode: "And the Pop-Up Sale" |
2012 | The Walking Dead | Nameless zombie | Season 3, Episode 2 |
2013 | Grey's Anatomy | Gasoline | Episode: "Things We Said Today" |
2012–2013 | Raising Hope | Patty | 2 episodes |
2013 | Southland | Maureen | Episode: "Heroes" |
2012–2013 | True Blood | Martha Bozeman | 12 episodes |
2013 | Last Man Standing | Doris | Episode: "Shoveling Snow" |
2013 | Bonnie and Clyde: Dead and Alive | Cummie Barrow | TV mini-series; 2 episodes |
2014 | Justified | Judith | 4 episodes |
2014 | The Middle | Sandy | Episode: "Orlando" |
2014 | Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and Friends | Herself | TV Special |
2014 | Sons of Anarchy | Renee O'Leary Egan | Episode: "The Separation of Crows" |
2015 | Backstrom | Judge Nunn | Episode: "Rock Bottom" |
2015 | Documentary Now! | Joelle Fellweather | Episode: "The Eye Doesn't Lie" |
2016 | Better Things | Jace | Episode: "Sam/Pilot" |
2017-2022 | Claws | Juanda Husser | 11 episodes |
2017 | Vice Principals | Nash | 9 episodes |
2017 | Shameless | Aunt Ronnie | Episode: "Fuck Paying It Forward" |
2018 | Into the Dark | Red | Episode: "Pooka!" |
2019 | Unbelievable | RoseMarie | Recurring |
2019 | Why Women Kill | Ruby Jenkins | Episode: "Practically Lethal in Every Way" |
2019 | Room 104 | Sharon | Episode: "Animal for Sale" |
2021 | Them | The Woman | 2 episodes |
2022 | A League of Their Own | Beverly | 8 episodes |
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female | |
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National libraries | |
Biographical dictionaries | |
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