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Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American actress, filmmaker, and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Awards, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Awards nominations, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was named Female Star of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners in 1973 and the Hollywood Women's Press Club in 1979.
A former beauty queen who held the title of Miss West Seattle, Cannon made her television debut in 1958. Over the next decade, she became a common sight on episodic shows while appearing occasionally on Broadway theatre and in B-movies. In 1969, she had her breakthrough film role in the sex comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Cannon was nominated in that category again for Heaven Can Wait (1978), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama for her lead role in Such Good Friends (1971). She also was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film as the producer of Number One (1976).
Other films in which Cannon has performed include The Love Machine (1971), Shamus (1973), The Last of Sheila (1973), Child Under a Leaf (1974), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Honeysuckle Rose (1980), Coast to Coast (1980), Deathtrap (1982), Author! Author! (1982), Caddyshack II (1988), 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997), Out to Sea (1997), and Boynton Beach Club (2005). Cannon made her feature directorial debut with 1990's semiautobiographical drama The End of Innocence, which she also wrote and starred in. From 1997 to 2000, she played a recurring role on the legal series Ally McBeal.
Before her career took off, Cannon was married to Cary Grant for three years and gave birth to his only child, daughter Jennifer Grant. Reluctant to discuss the marriage since their 1968 divorce, Cannon initially turned down publishing deals following Grant's death in 1986. Her memoir Dear Cary was published in 2011 and became a New York Times Best Seller. In 2023, the book was adapted into a miniseries called Archie with Cannon executive producing.
In 1956, Cannon dropped out of college and went to live with her aunt Sally in Phoenix, Arizona, where she took a job at Merrill Lynch & Co.Haber, Joyce (April 3, 1970). "She's Trying To Shake An Image". St. Petersburg Times.Oppenheimer, Peer J. (January 11, 1970). "Dyan Cannon says: 'Don't Call Me the Ex-Mrs. Grant!. Family Weekly. Courted by nightclub owner Sonny Orling, then 32, she got engaged and followed him to Beverly Hills, California."Marriage Licenses". The Arizona Republic. June 21, 1956. p. 48. They soon parted, but she decided to stay in the area and enroll at UCLA. A part-time modeling job led to an interview with producer Jerry Wald, who suggested she change her professional last name to Cannon. She signed to MGM, doing promotional work for the film Les Girls (1957), and studied with acting teacher Sanford Meisner."Ex-Tacoma Girl Special Emissary for 'Les Girls. The News Tribune. December 23, 1957. p. 8.
In 1962, Cannon acted on Broadway with Jane Fonda and Bradford Dillman in The Fun Couple. "Dyan Cannon – Broadway Cast & Staff". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved November 14, 2024. Next came the national touring company of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, in which she played Rosemary.
In 1964 she guest-starred on Gunsmoke, playing Ivy Norton, an abused daughter looking to marry the man she loves in the episode "Aunt Thede". She portrayed Mona Elliott in the episode "The Man Behind the Man" of the 1964 CBS drama series The Reporter and had a regular role on the short-lived daytime soap opera Full Circle. Cannon also made guest appearances on 77 Sunset Strip, The Untouchables, Tombstone Territory, the 1960 episode "Sheriff of the Town" of the first-run syndicated Western series Two Faces West with Walter Coy as Cauter, and the 1962 Ripcord episode "The Helicopter Race" as Ripcord Inc.'s secretary and receptionist Marion Hines. She landed another role in a feature with The Murder Game (1965), then took four years off.
Cannon was slated to appear in The Traveling Executioner (1970) and Double Indemnity (1973), but bowed out and was replaced by Marianna Hill and Samantha Eggar, respectively.Scott, Vernon (February 15, 1970). "Dyan's Talk Of A Career More Than Just Acting". The Pittsburgh Press.McHarry, Charles (May 3, 1972). "On the Town". New York Daily News. p. 84.
In 1973, Cannon starred opposite Burt Reynolds in Shamus and played an agent based on Sue Mengers in The Last of Sheila, and was named Actress of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners.Peacock, Bruce (September 17, 1973). "Stage and Screen". The Leader-Post. In 1974, she gave a critically acclaimed performance in Child Under a Leaf and starred in the made-for-TV movie Virginia Hill with Harvey Keitel. Following this, she took a four-year absence from acting in feature films.Sweeney, Louise (June 11, 1981). "Dyan Cannon; Her Best Is Yet To Be". The Christian Science Monitor. Among the offers she turned down was Jacqueline Bisset's role in St. Ives (1976).Turan, Kenneth (July 17, 1978). "The Upbeat Life of Dyan Cannon". The Washington Post.
Cannon, who is also a singer/songwriter, starred in her own musical stage act at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and Harrah's Lake Tahoe during the mid-1970s. She then enrolled in the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women. She became the first Oscar-nominated actress to be nominated in the Best Short Film, Live Action category for Number One (1976), a project which Cannon produced, directed, wrote, and edited. It was a story about adolescent sexual curiosity.Saunders, Dick (January 7, 1977). "Dyan Cannon Eschews Limits". Los Angeles Times. p. F18. In 1978, Cannon co-starred in Revenge of the Pink Panther. That same year, she appeared in Heaven Can Wait, for which she received another Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Cannon hosted Saturday Night Live during its first season and guest-starred in the fourth season of The Muppet Show. She co-starred with then-boyfriend Armand Assante in the TV movie Lady of the House (1978), a dramatization of the life of Sally Stanford. In 1979, the Hollywood Women's Press Club voted Cannon as Female Star of the Year. "Dyan Cannon - Notes". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
Cannon appeared in Honeysuckle Rose (1980) with Willie Nelson, Coast to Coast (1980) with Robert Blake, Author! Author! (1982) with Al Pacino, and Sidney Lumet's Deathtrap (1982) with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. She starred in the TV movie Having It All (1982), as well as a miniseries, Master of the Game (1984), then had the title role in Jenny's War (1985).Dawidziak, Mark (November 4, 1985). "Dyan Cannon fights 'Jenny's War' with popgun talent". Akron Beacon Journal. After making Rock 'n' Roll Mom (1988) for Disney Channel, she appeared with an ensemble cast in Caddyshack II (1988).Green, Tom (February 4, 1988). "Dyan's desire: To be the next Madonna". USA Today. p. 3D. In addition, she co-wrote the title track for Chaka Khan's album, The Woman I Am, with Brenda Russell.
For her contributions to the film industry, Cannon was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983 with a motion picture star located at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard.United Press International (June 23, 1983). "Her fame is sealed in cement". The Tampa Tribune. p. 1.
Cannon had guest roles on the popular television shows and The Practice, and was a semiregular on Ally McBeal. In 1997, she could be seen in three major studio film releases: 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag with Joe Pesci; a remake of That Darn Cat; and Out to Sea with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Also that year, she worked with Sarah Michelle Gellar in the TV movie Beverly Hills Family Robinson. In 2001 and 2002, she had a regular part in the TV series Three Sisters. Cannon and Christopher Walken were reunited for Kangaroo Jack (2003), but her performance was cut down to a walk on in the final version of the film.
In 2005, she appeared in Boynton Beach Club, a movie about aging Floridians who have just lost their spouses; Cannon's real-life ex Michael Nouri played her love interest. Her later roles included A Kiss at Midnight (2008) for Hallmark Channel and the unaired pilot Women Without Men (2010) with Lorraine Bracco and Penny Marshall. She wrote and directed another short, Unleashed (2010). Cannon returned to the stage to star in a 2013 production of Ken Ludwig's The Fox on the Fairway in Overland Park, Kansas. After a hiatus from the screen, she acted in the equestrian-themed family film Hope's Legacy (2021). Forgoing its scheduled opening at Baltimore's Senator Theatre due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was instead released to streaming platforms. "Hope's Legacy Brings Eventing to the Big Screen". United States Eventing Association. March 10, 2020.Frisone, Nick (February 9, 2021). "Q&A: Dyan Cannon". Baltimore Media Blog.
Cannon published a bestselling memoir, Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant, in 2011. "Celebrities Books - Best Sellers". The New York Times. September 7, 2014. She had previously been approached by Swifty Lazar to write about her late ex-husband in 1986, turning down "millions", and declined another publishing offer some years later from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, stating that healing was still needed.Nolasco, Stephanie (November 20, 2019). "Cary Grant's ex-wife Dyan Cannon explains why she turned down Jackie Kennedy's offer to tell all in memoir". Fox News. Cannon served as executive producer of a four-part miniseries based on her book, entitled Archie, which premiered on BritBox in 2023 and stars Jason Isaacs as Grant and Laura Aikman as Cannon.Zemler, Emily (December 7, 2023). "Jason Isaacs didn’t want to become Cary Grant, so he became Archie Leach instead". Los Angeles Times.
In 2025, she began co-hosting the podcast God’s Table alongside Tracey E. Bregman, Kym Douglas, and Christine Avanti-Fischer. "God’s Table: Tracey Bregman Joins New Podcast". Soap Opera News. March 9, 2025.
Cannon married a second time on April 18, 1985, to lawyer-turned-real estate investor Stanley Fimberg.Demaris, Ovid (October 20, 1985). "How Dyan Cannon conquered her demons; Happy After All". Parade. p. 17. They divorced in 1991.Randle, Nancy (May 26, 1991). "Tumultuous times; Life may be a roller coaster, but Cannon stays on top of it". Chicago Tribune. In 2024, Cannon said Fimberg and she are still friendly.
Cannon has also been in relationships with comedian Mort Sahl, talent agent Ron Weisner, and sculptor Carl Hartman, as well as producers Murray Shostak and Leonard Rabinowitz, directors Jerry Schatzberg and Hal Ashby, and actors Armand Assante, Hy Chase, Ron Ely and Michael Nouri.Graham, Sheilah (February 24, 1969). Incredible Future,' Says Dyan". Hollywood Citizen-News. p. A-6.Chase, Chris (June 5, 1981). "Dyan Cannon has plenty to laugh about". The New York Times.Parkyn, John (August 8, 1999). "Bloodlines let Assante play many ethnic roles". Orlando Sentinel. She remains friendly with Nouri and accompanied him to a premiere four decades after their breakup. "Sidney Movie Premiere HD – Gallery Set 2". Social News XYZ. September 21, 2022. In 2025, Cannon told a reporter for People magazine that she has several friends with benefits.Flynn, Rachel; Stern, Abby (April 7, 2025). "Dyan Cannon Has 'Several' Friends with Benefits at 88". People. She later clarified that she had misunderstood the term.Nolasco, Stephanie (October 5, 2025). "Dyan Cannon clarifies ‘friends with benefits’ comment that left her Christian friends concerned". Fox News.
Cannon has often collaborated with her significant others on film and TV projects. Shostak and Rabinowitz produced her starring vehicles Child Under a Leaf and The End of Innocence, respectively; Schatzberg directed her in Honeysuckle Rose; Assante and Nouri were her leading men in Lady of the House and Boynton Beach Club, respectively; and she guest-starred on Ely's series The Aquanauts.
In 1972, Cannon revealed that she engaged in primal therapy.Manners, Dorothy (November 8, 1972). "Dyan Cannon Says Primal Therapy Helps". The Bradenton Herald. p. 9-A. She also dabbled in metaphysics and got kicked out of Esalen Institute. "Guest Messages". Angelus Temple. May 26, 2022. Cannon smoked three packs of cigarettes a day until 1971; she decided to stop after reading the habit would dull her libido.Wilson, Earl (June 29, 1971). "Dyan Cannon Now Taking Romance 'More Lightly. St. Joseph Gazette. She was a vegetarian for a long time, but quit that too.Blinn, Johna (October 10, 1976). "Dyan Cannon Whiz With Snacks". The Pittsburgh Press.
A longtime fixture at Los Angeles Lakers games, she is considered the team's second-most famous fan behind Jack Nicholson.Pearlman, Jeff (May 11, 2012). "Laker love for actress Cannon goes from basketball court to kitchen". Sports Illustrated.Oram, Bill (April 17, 2020). "Dyan Cannon on her Lakers brownies, courtside seats and championship belief". The Athletic.Gardner, Chris (April 15, 2016). "Longtime Lakers Fan Dyan Cannon on Kobe Bryant’s Life After Retirement: 'It's Going to Be Hard. The Hollywood Reporter.
For 12 years, Cannon hosted God's Party, a biweekly Bible study held at Radford Studio Center. She formerly identified as a Born again,Wooding, Dan (May 1, 2001). "Actress Dyan Cannon Ministers at 'God's Party. Christian Headlines.Rivenburg, Roy (July 8, 2001). "Heaven Can't Wait". Los Angeles Times. but has since expressed she is spiritual but not religious.
Career
Beginnings
Cannon made her film debut in 1960 in The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond; she had appeared on television since the late 1950s, including a guest appearance on Bat Masterson as Mary Lowery in the 1959 episode "Lady Luck" and again in a 1961 episode as Diane Jansen in "The Price of Paradise". She appeared in 1959 on CBS's , in episode 52, "Vanishing Act", as Nicole McCready. About this time, she was on the CBS Western Johnny Ringo, starring Don Durant, and on Jack Lord's Western Stoney Burke on ABC. She also appeared on Hawaiian Eye in 1961, opposite Tracey Steele, Robert Conrad, and Connie Stevens.
Stardom
Cannon's first major film role came in 1969's Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, which earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. In 1971, she starred in four films: The Love Machine, from the novel by Jacqueline Susann; The Anderson Tapes with Sean Connery and Christopher Walken; The Burglars with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif; and Otto Preminger's Such Good Friends, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Her name was used to market a fifth release that year, Doctors' Wives, in which she had top billing despite only making a cameo appearance.
Later work
Cannon wrote, directed, and starred in the semiautobiographical film The End of Innocence (1990).Sherrill, Martha (February 8, 1991). "Lunch With a Loose Cannon". The Washington Post. She subsequently appeared opposite Phylicia Rashad in Jailbirds (1991) and Kris Kristofferson and Tony Curtis in Christmas in Connecticut (1992), the latter of which was directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, before reuniting with Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice director Paul Mazursky for The Pickle (1993), alongside Danny Aiello.
Personal life
In 1961, Cannon began dating actor Cary Grant, who was 33 years her senior. "In Book, Dyan Cannon Opens Up About Cary Grant". ABC News. September 27, 2011. They married on July 22, 1965, and had one daughter, Jennifer Grant (b. February 26, 1966). Cannon filed for divorce in September 1967, and it was finalized on March 21, 1968.Associated Press (March 22, 1968). "Cary Grant's wife granted divorce". The Windsor Star.
Philanthropy
Cannon's experience as a single mother led to her becoming national spokeswoman for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which provides emotional support and companionship for children of one-parent homes.Hanauer, Joan (May 31, 1982). "Big Sister, Dyan". The Franklin Banner. p. 2. She paid for the tombstone of slain runaway Alyssa Margie 'Raven' Gomez, whom she'd met while making a documentary about homelessness.Pelisek, Christine (June 18, 2008). "Death of Raven, a Hollywood Beauty". LA Weekly. Cannon has used her celebrity to benefit other charitable organizations, such as Special Olympics, for mentally and physically disabled athletes.
Filmography
1958 Have Gun – Will Travel Fifi Episodes: "Twenty-Four Hours at North Fork" and "The Man Who Wouldn't Talk" Target Episode: "On Cue" 77 Sunset Strip Sheila Episode: "The Bouncing Chip" 1959 Highway Patrol Jean Deesing Episode: "Revenge" Playhouse 90 Gloria / Marcie Episodes: "The Velvet Alley", "The Ding-A-Ling Girl" and "A Trip to Paradise" Lock-Up Eileen Winfield Episode: "Change of Heart" Bat Masterson Mary Lowery Episode: "Lady Luck" Zane Grey Theatre Annie Episode: "Shadows" Hotel de Paree Peggy Joyce Episode: "The Only Wheel in Town" Wanted Dead or Alive Nicole McCready Episode: "Vanishing Act" 1960 The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond Dixie This Rebel Breed Wiggles The Detectives Olga May Episode: "The Chameleon Truck" Johnny Ringo Rhoda Episode: "Soft Cargo" Tombstone Territory Tracy Travers Episode: "The Injury" Two Faces West Episode: "Sheriff of the Town" 1960–1961 Full Circle Lisa Crowder Series regular 1961 Bat Masterson Diane Jansen Episode: "The Price of Paradise" Hawaiian Eye Julie Brent Episode: "The Big Dealer" The Aquanauts Thelma / Diana Hogarth Episodes: "The Radioactive Object Adventure" and "The Diana Adventure" Follow the Sun Lana Flanagan Episode: "The Woman Who Never Was" Ben Casey Donna Whitney Episode: "A Certain Time, a Certain Darkness" 1962 The Untouchables Mavis Carroll Episode: "Silent Partner" 77 Sunset Strip Kathy Episode: "The Bridal Trail Caper" The Red Skelton Show Clara II Episode: "Somebody Up There Should Stay There" Ripcord Marion Hines Episode: "The Helicopter Race" 1963 Stoney Burke Flatbush Episode: "Death Rides a Pale Horse" 1964 Mr. Broadway Marianne Episode: "Between the Rats and the Finks" The Reporter Mona Elliott Episode: "The Man Behind the Badge" Gunsmoke Ivy Norton Episode: "Aunt Thede" 1965 Burke's Law Francesca Szabo Episode: "The Weapon" The Murder Game 1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Alice Henderson National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress (3rd place)
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – FemaleMedical Center Elinor Crawford Episode: "Victim" 1971 Doctors' Wives Lorrie Dellman The Anderson Tapes Ingrid The Love Machine Judith Austin The Burglars Lena Such Good Friends Julie Messinger Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama 1972 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Various - Guest performer Episode: "Dyan Cannon" 1973 Shamus Alexis Montaigne The Last of Sheila Christine Cannon's character is believed to have been based on Sue Mengers. 1974 Child Under a Leaf Domino Virginia Hill Virginia Hill 1976 Number One Matt's mother Also writer, director, producer, editor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Live Action Short FilmSaturday Night Live Various - Guest host Episode: "Dyan Cannon/Leon & Mary Russell" 1978 Heaven Can Wait Julia Farnsworth Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressRevenge of the Pink Panther Simone Legree Lady of the House Sally Stanford 1980 The Muppet Show Herself Episode: "Dyan Cannon" Honeysuckle Rose Viv Bonham Cannon also sings three songs on the soundtrack:
"Two Sides To Every Story," "Loving You Is Easier," and "Unclouded Day."Coast to Coast Madie Levrington 1982 Deathtrap Myra Bruhl Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress Author! Author! Alice Detroit Having It All Thera Baylin 1983 Arthur the King Katherine 1984 Master of the Game Kate McGregor-Blackwell 1985 Jenny's War Jenny Baines 1988 She's Having a Baby Herself Rock 'n' Roll Mom Annie Hackett Caddyshack II Elizabeth Pearce 1990 The End of Innocence Stephanie Also director and writer 1991 Jailbirds Rosie LaCroix 1992 Christmas in Connecticut Elizabeth Blane 1993 Beverly Hills, 90210 Herself Episode: "Senior Poll" The Pickle Ellen Stone Based on an Untrue Story Varda Gray 1994 Bonnie Valin Episodes: "The Last Laugh: Part 1" and "The Last Laugh: Part 2" 1995 A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Jealous Jokester Josie Joplin The Naked Truth Mitzi Wilde Episode: "Girl Buys Soup While Woman Weds Ape!" 1996 The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits... Jess Wilding 1997 Beverly Hills Family Robinson Marsha Robinson That Darn Cat Mrs. Flint 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag Annette Bennett Out to Sea Liz LaBreche Allie & Me Karen Schneider 1997–2000 Ally McBeal The Honorable Judge Jennifer 'Whipper' Cone Recurring role; 17 episodes
Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Recurring Player1998 The Practice The Honorable Judge Jennifer 'Whipper' Cone Episode: "Line of Duty" Black Jaq Abby 'Bubblin' Browne Diamond Girl Abby Montana The Sender Gina Fairfax 1999 Kiss of a Stranger Leslie Arliss Herself Episode: "People Are Assets Too" 2000 My Mother the Spy Gloria Shaeffer 2001–2002 Three Sisters Honey Bernstein-Flynn Series regular 2003 Kangaroo Jack Anna Carbone 2004 After the Sunset Herself 2005 Boynton Beach Club Lois 2008 A Kiss at Midnight Kay Flowers 2010 Women Without Men Dominique Unsold pilot 2019 Five Old Comedy Writers Talking Sh*t Short subject Mood Swings Aunt Sam Episode: "Farrah's Day Off" 2021 Hope's Legacy Linda
Stage
1962 The Fun Couple Kathy Lyceum Theatre 1963–1964 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Rosemary Pillkington See full list here 1967 The Ninety Day Mistress Leona Hastings Biltmore Theatre 1975 Private Lives Amanda Prynne Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio 1976 Two for the Seesaw Gittel Mosca Arlington Park Theatre, Arlington Heights, Illinois 2013 The Fox on the Fairway Pamela New Theatre, Overland Park, Kansas
Footnotes
Further reading
External links
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