Dianne Wiest is a world-famous actress, an icon, a two-time Oscar winner, and a four-time Oscar nominee. Originally, Wiest wanted to be a ballerina but took up stage acting along the way. She most notably starred as Desdemona alongside James Earl Jones in Othello on Broadway.
Her film debut was in 1980 but she became a bigger name in the industry in 1985 when she worked with Woody Allen on The Purple Rose Of Cairo. Wiest has starred and supported in many famous and popular movies, so it can be difficult for fans to narrow down her best roles.
10 Hannah And Her Sisters, 1986
Hannah And Her Sisters takes place between two Thanksgivings and features three arcs for the three main characters. Hannah And Her Sisters centers around Hannah (who has taken a break from her career to take care of her children), Holly (an out-of-work actress who is beginning to have feelings for Hannah's ex-husband, Mickey), and Lee (who begins an affair with Hannah's current husband, Elliot).
Wiest plays Holly so wonderfully that she won her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
9 The Lost Boys, 1987
The Lost Boys is about two brothers who move to California with their mom. The two brothers, Mike and Sam, soon realize that the town is overwrought with biker gangs and mysterious deaths, as well as rumors about vampires.
The younger brother meets children who claim to be vampire hunters while the older brother starts showing signs that he might have become a vampire himself. Lucy Emerson, the mom of the two boys, is portrayed by Wiest. Wiest plays a lot of mothers throughout her career, and she is always successful.
8 I Care A Lot, 2020
A Netflix original, I Care A Lot is about the cunningly smart Marla Grayson, played by Rosamund Pike. Marla works with her girlfriend to obtain the rights to elderly peoples' property and assets, and then sells everything and drains them of their wealth. The kicker is that she does this through entirely legal actions. Her latest victim, Ms. Jennifer Pearson (Dianne Wiest), won't be so easily swindled.
Wiest plays Jennifer Pearson, a woman with no living family who is seemingly the perfect target for Grayson's scheme. Little does Grayson know, Pearson is involved in some secret work of her own and has someone protecting her. Grayson may have met her match.
7 The Birdcage, 1996
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane star in The Birdcage as Armand and Albert respectively, a couple who own a successful drag bar in Miami Beach. Armand's son from a one-time romantic encounter, Val, is coming home so he can introduce Armand to his fiancé and her parents. Only one problem: her parents don't know that Armand is gay.
Armand and Albert agree to pretend to be heterosexual. The Birdcage is an extremely important movie in its own right but when Dianne Weist appears as Val's soon-to-be mother-in-law, it somehow becomes more iconic.
6 Edward Scissorhands, 1990
Edward Scissorhands is much like a modern version of Frankenstein but with Tim Burton's heartfelt storyline. Edward Scissorhands follows Edward (Johnny Depp), a humanoid created by a scientist who died before he could add the finishing piece - hands. Edward is discovered by Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest), who takes him in. Edward makes a connection with her daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder).
Wiest perfectly portrays Peg, an open-hearted mother who takes Edward in despite not really understanding him. Peg sympathizes with Edward and shows an open-mindedness that few others did.
5 Parenthood, 1989
Parenthood tells the story of the Buckman family and all the things they go through. It talks about dysfunctional families, estranged family members, raising children, being the black sheep, and other familial themes. Gil and Karen Buckman have 3 kids and live nearby to their extended family.
Wiest plays Helen Buckman, Gil's sister. She is a bank manager who had a messy divorce. She has two kids, Julie and Garry, whom her ex-husband wants nothing to do with. She is hilarious in this role and, as always, plays a wonderful mother.
4 Bullets Over Broadway, 1994
Bullets Over Broadway takes place in 1928 and centers around David Shayne, a playwright who hasn't had a hit in a while. David meets Nick Valenti, who says he will produce David's next show. The only problem is, Valenti is a member of the mob and insists that his girlfriend has a large part in the play. David has to deal with a talentless star and Helen Sinclair, the lead he's having an affair with.
Dianne won an Oscar for her role as Helen Sinclair because she is truly hilarious as the grand dame who is constantly at odds with every other character. She has marvelous one-liners and is utterly stunning in Bullets Over Broadway.
3 The Mule, 2018
Clint Eastwood stars as Earl Stone in The Mule, a movie about an 80-something-year-old Korean war vet whose horticulture business is suffering financially. He is offered a job as a driver, which seems easy enough, except he's actually transporting copious amounts of drugs for a Mexican cartel.
Wiest plays Mary, Stone's estranged ex-wife. Her role isn't very large in The Mule, but she gives an excellent performance that leaves the audience with a more earnest experience.
2 Let Them All Talk, 2020
Let Them All Talk follows Alice, a famous author who is traveling to Great Britain to receive an award. She is taking a cruise to London with two college friends and her nephew. The three leads - Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, and Dianne Wiest - deliver incredible performances as friends who haven't seen each other for some time until they all come together to gossip on a lavish cruise across the Atlantic.
Dianne Wiest plays one of Streep's college friends, Susan. Susan is a grandmother who values friendship and understands how hard it is to resume with someone after decades. Wiest described Let Them All Talk as, "Very sort of realistic and close to life, with this huge undercurrent of mystery."
1 Footloose, 1984
Footloose is a classic in the film and theatre communities. Footloose is about a boy, Ren, who moves to the small town of Bomont where dancing and rock and roll music are banned. He meets a girl, Ariel, who wants to rebel against this law as well, but her father is the town Reverend. The parents of the town want this newcomer and trouble-maker gone.
Ariel's mother, Vi Moore, is portrayed by Wiest. Vi is a very quiet character who loves her husband and their daughter, but she sees how they want different things. She really helps push the Reverend to support dancing.