Diana Canova

Diana Canova

Diana Canova in 2010
Born Diane Canova Rivero
(1953-06-01) June 1, 1953
West Palm Beach, Florida
Other names Diana Rivero Canova
Education Hollywood High School
Alma mater Los Angeles City College
Occupation Actress, singer
Years active 1974–present
Spouse(s) Geoff Levin (1976–79)
Elliot Scheiner (1985–present)
Children 2
Parent(s) Judy Canova
Filberto Rivero

Diana Canova (born June 1, 1953) is an American actress known for her role of the promiscuous Corinne Tate, daughter of Jessica Tate (played by Katherine Helmond) on Soap (1977–80). Since her departure, both she and Helmond have remained close friends.[1]

Early life

Canova was born Diane Canova Rivero[2] in West Palm Beach, Florida to actress and singer Judy Canova and Cuban musician Filberto Rivero.[3] She was raised in the Greater Los Angeles Area, where she graduated from Hollywood High School. Canova later studied acting at Los Angeles City College.[3]

Career

Canova in 1979

Canova made her television acting debut in a 1974 episode of Happy Days portraying Richie's date who is taller than him. She later guest-starred on episodes of Chico and the Man and Starsky and Hutch and appeared in television films before landing the role of Corinne Tate on Soap in 1977, opposite Katherine Helmond. She remained with the series until 1980. In 1979, she made an appearance on Barney Miller as nude dancer/prostitute/graduate student Stephanie Wolf in "Strip Joint" (Season 6, Episode 6).[4]

Later, in 1980, ABC executives offered Canova her own television series, starring alongside Danny Thomas in I'm a Big Girl Now. The show lasted just one season. She then co-starred on the short-lived CBS sitcom Foot in the Door in 1983. A few years later, she was cast as Sandy Beatty on Throb, a sitcom which was broadcast in syndication from 1986 to 1988. In 1990, she played Maggie McCauley in an episode of Murder, She Wrote, entitled "Murder: According to Maggie".[5] In 1993, Canova co-starred in the ABC sitcom Home Free (which also featured Marian Mercer, her co-star from Foot in the Door). Since the mid-1990s, she has mainly done voice work for cartoons in video shorts. In 1995, she played "Jenny" in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company.[4]

Currently, Canova works as an adjunct professor of voice at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York[6] as well as teaches private lessons. She has also been working with the school systems of Easton and Redding, Connecticut, where she directs musicals and short plays as well as a high school improv troupe, which performs at local charity events. Under her leadership, Joel Barlow High School's theater program has won several awards from the Connecticut Drama Association and has set the record for winning first place two years in a row in multiple categories[7].

Personal life

Canova currently resides in Redding, Connecticut, with her husband,[8] record producer Elliot Scheiner. The couple have two children.[3]

Religion

Canova spent a number of years as a member of the Church of Scientology, an organization she later began to criticize. She found the Scientologists straightforward in their desire for money, declaring in 1993 in a Premiere magazine interview, "The first time I walked in those doors, they said, 'Just give us all the money in your bank account.'" She also criticized the Church's counseling practice, called auditing, when she said "They're telling you, 'Don't spend $100 an hour on a shrink's couch, it'll ruin your mind.' Auditing is so much better?"[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Diana Canova". ericscelebrityencounters.wordpress.com. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  2. ↑ Frank Canova. "Canova Family Tree". Canova3.com. Retrieved September 24, 2014. NOTE: Date of birth given as June 2, 1953, which appears to be inaccurate.
  3. 1 2 3 "Diana Canova". lacitycollege.edu. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Diana Canova on IMDb
  5. ↑ Murder, She Wrote ("Murder: According to Maggie") episode, imdb.com; accessed December 12, 2014.
  6. ↑ "What Is Diana Canova Up to These Days?". American Profile. 2013-09-01. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  7. ↑ "Barlow drama program wins top state award". The Redding Pilot. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  8. ↑ Tucker, Suzi (2010-12-12). "Redding Resident of the Week: Diana Canova". weston-ct.patch.com. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  9. ↑ John H. Richardson, "The poorer and famous Hollywood Scientologists", Premiere, September 1993
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.