An enduring, fresh-faced beauty who started out on stage as a child actress in the '70s, Lane landed movie roles while still a teen. Although she appeared in a number of high-profile films (
Rumblefish,
The Outsiders), she was mainly used as eye candy, and after a couple of bad choices — including turning down the mermaid role in
Splash but signing on to megaflops
Streets of Fire and
The Cotton Club — her career stalled. After a three-year hiatus, she returned to showbiz in 1987, yet for the next 15 years, she toiled away in substandard parts or projects, aside from a few notable roles such as her Emmy-nominated turn as a prostitute in the 1989 miniseries
Lonesome Dove. Then her steamy performance as a suburban mom embroiled in an affair in 2002's
Unfaithful deservedly earned her rave reviews as well as Golden Globe and Oscar nods. After three decades in entertainment, she had finally arrived on the A-list.
Diane Lane Fast Facts:
- Made her professional acting debut at the age of 6, at New York's famed La MaMa experimental theater.
- Appeared on Broadway as a child in the musical Runaways (1978) and revivals of The Cherry Orchard and Agamemnon (both 1977).
- Named one of "Hollywood's Whiz Kids" by Time magazine when she was 14.
- Described as the new Grace Kelly by Laurence Olivier after the two starred in her film debut, 1979's A Little Romance.
- Was hit in the eye with a tennis ball in 1980, giving her a permanently dilated pupil.
- In December 2004, Lane called L.A. police after an argument with her husband Josh Brolin. He was arrested on suspicion of spousal battery but the case was later dropped.
- Diane Lane Relationships:
- Burt Lane - Father
- Colleen Farrington - Mother
- Eleanor Jasmine Lambert - Daughter
- Josh Brolin - Husband
- Christopher Lambert - Ex-husband
- Diane Lane Awards:
- 2002 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1989 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2004 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
