Diana Scarwid

Acting

Diana Scarwid

Born

1955-08-27 (71)

Place of birth

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

69 titles

Diana Elizabeth Scarwid (born August 27, 1955) is a retired American actress, best known for her portrayal of adult Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1980). She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Inside Moves (1980), and for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Truman (1995). She has over 70 film and television credits to her name. Her films include Pretty Baby (1978), Honeysuckle Rose (1980), Rumble Fish, Silkwood (both 1983), Psycho III, Heat, Extremities (all 3 in 1986), The Neon Bible (1995), Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), What Lies Beneath (2000), A Guy Thing (2003), Party Monster (2003…

Known for

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit poster
8.0

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999

Law & Order poster
7.3

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

Law & Order

1990

Criminal Minds poster
8.3

An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.

Criminal Minds

2005

Prison Break poster
8.1

Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.

Prison Break

2005

The X-Files poster
8.4

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

The X-Files

1993

Lost poster
8.0

Stripped of everything, the survivors of a horrific plane crash must work together to stay alive. But the island holds many secrets.

Lost

2004

Film credits

2000s · 13 titles

What Lies Beneath poster
6.4

Norman and Claire Spencer are a seemingly happily married couple who uncover a terrible secret… a secret so disturbing it threatens to destroy them.

What Lies Beneath

2000

A Guy Thing poster
5.9

Paul Morse is a good guy. When his friends throw him a wild bachelor party, he just wants to keep his conscience clean -- which is why he's shocked when he wakes up in bed with a beautiful girl named Becky and can't remember the night before. Desperate to keep his fiancée, Karen, from finding out what may or may not be the truth, he tells her a teensy lie. Soon his lies are spiraling out of control and his life is a series of comical misunderstandings.

A Guy Thing

2003

The Clearing poster
5.8

When affluent executive Wayne Hayes is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee and held for ransom in a forest, Wayne’s wife is forced to reckon with the FBI agents as they negotiate with the kidnapper.

The Clearing

2004

Party Monster poster
5.8

The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s was a world like no other. Into this candy-colored, mirror ball playground stepped Michael Alig, a wannabe from nowhere special. Under the watchful eye of veteran club kid James St. James, Alig quickly rose to the top... and there was no place to go but down.

Party Monster

2003

Path to War poster
6.7

A powerful drama of soaring ambition and shattered dreams that takes a provocative insider's look at the way the USA goes to war—as seen from inside the LBJ White House leading up to and during the Vietnam War.

Path to War

2003

Nora Roberts' Tribute poster
5.7

A former child star buys her grandmother's house to rescue it from ruin but her hope for serenity is soon eclipsed by haunting dreams of her famous grandmother, who died of a supposed overdose in the house more than 30 years ago.

Nora Roberts' Tribute

2009

Dream Boy poster
6.1

The story of Nathan, a young teenager who tries to flourish in a romantic relationship with neighbour Roy. The two young men will have to face the brutal reality of the rural south of the United States in the late 1970s.

Dream Boy

2008

Dirty Pictures poster
6.1

A Cincinnati museum director goes on trial in 1990 for exhibiting sadomasochistic photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe.

Dirty Pictures

2000

Valley of the Heart's Delight poster
7.3

When a fatal kidnapping ignites a firestorm of suspicion and rage in idyllic 1933 San Jose, California, a hard-nosed young reporter takes on the powers-that-be to prevent the lynching of two men he believes are innocent.

Valley of the Heart's Delight

2006

The Angel Doll poster
5.4

The story of two small town boys from different sides of the tracks: 1950's childhood and self-redemption. Young "Whitey" Black (so called because of a tuft of blanched hair on the left side of his head) lives in poverty with his single mother and ailing, four-year old sister, Sandy. Just across town, young Jerry Barlow lives the advantages of a middle class lifestyle with both parents and his younger brother. When mischief casts Whitey and Jerry into a shared paper route, Jerry quickly learns of Whitey's desire to buy his sister an angel doll for Christmas. Even though no such dolls exist in their hometown, Whitey, Jerry and a host of colorful characters set out in search of Sandy's gift. Along the way, reversals of fortune, theft, prejudice and, ultimately, the boy's friendship opens their eyes to the vastness of the small town around them.

The Angel Doll

2002

Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On poster
10.0

Documentary which focuses more on the impact of the film upon its release and how it has seeped into the culture since that time. It is always fun to hear John Waters speak on a subject he is passionate about.

Mommie Dearest: Joan Lives On

2006

Mommie Dearest: Life with Joan poster
10.0

Documentary which delves a bit deeper into the story of the film in which the cast and crew discuss some of the narrative beats, the performances in some of the scenes, how true-to-life the depictions were and more.

Mommie Dearest: Life with Joan

2006

Mommie Dearest: The Revival of Joan poster
10.0

A documentary in which the creative team discuss the process of adapting the material, the challenge of bringing an icon to life, bringing Frank Perry on to direct, trying to bring authenticity to the casting process and more.

Mommie Dearest: The Revival of Joan

2006

1990s · 13 titles

Bastard Out of Carolina poster
7.1

A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.

Bastard Out of Carolina

1996

The Cure poster
7.9

Erik, a loner, finds a friend in Dexter, an eleven-year-old boy with AIDS. They vow to find a cure for AIDS together and save Dexter's life in an eventful summer.

The Cure

1995

Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain poster
6.2

Two teen girls, one from the city, one from the country, try to find the hidden gold of Bear Mountain learning about friendship, loyalty and courage on the way.

Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain

1995

If These Walls Could Talk poster
6.8

A powerful, intimate portrait of three women living in the same house during different eras who all face unplanned pregnancies. The vignettes follow a recently widowed nurse struggling to take control of her life in the early 50s, a mother of four balancing raising a family and maintaining a career in the 70s, and a student making a difficult decision with the help of one woman that will change the course of both their lives in the 90s.

If These Walls Could Talk

1996

Ruby Bridges poster
6.8

When six-year-old Ruby Bridges is chosen to be the first African-American to integrate her local elementary school, she is subjected to the true ugliness of racism for the first time.

Ruby Bridges

1998

The Neon Bible poster
6.1

During a train ride, a teenager recalls his upbringing in 1940s small-town Georgia and the events that have led to this point.

The Neon Bible

1995

Truman poster
7.4

Biographical account of America's President for the latter part of WWII. Shows Truman's rise from small-town nobody to leader of the USA, his decision to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan, and subsequent election as the US' post-war President.

Truman

1995

Down Will Come Baby poster
5.6

Leah Garr wants to move from Phoenix to take a new job in Denver to help her family (Husband Marcus and Daughter Robin). When Robin goes to camp to give her parents time to sort things out, something unexpected occurs. On Robin's return from camp she finds out her mom is taking the new job in Denver, only returning each weekend to visit. During this turmoil in Robin's life, A new lady, Dorothy, befriends Robin, moves into the same apartment complex and spends a lot of time with her and her father Marcus. Leah is concerned about this because she does not know very much about Dorothy or her intentions. It soon becomes clear that Dorothy is after much more than friendship with the Garr family.

Down Will Come Baby

1999

Before He Wakes poster
4.0

Initially cleared of "accidentally" killing her husband, an idyllic wife and mother comes under suspicion when police learn that her first husband also perished under similar circumstances. As the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that she'll stop at nothing to protect her secrets.

Before He Wakes

1998

The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue poster
4.9

When an unemployed Detroit man is arrested for a crime he didn't commit, his three children are determined to get him out of jail in time for Christmas and they decide to enlist the help of "the most powerful man in the world" - President Hoover. En route to the White House, they meet an array of colorful characters.

The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue

1996

Critical Choices poster
6.3

A Milwaukee Women's Health Clinic becomes the battleground between pro-choice activists and right-to-life demonstrators over and Easter Sunday weekend and involves three different women, each representing different sides of the issue.

Critical Choices

1996

Night of the Hunter poster
5.8

A false preacher ingratiates himself with a dead man's family to find where he hid the money from a robbery.

Night of the Hunter

1991

Labor of Love: The Arlette Schweitzer Story poster
7.0

When a woman learns she cannot bear children, her mother decides to be a surrogate for her.

Labor of Love: The Arlette Schweitzer Story

1993

1980s · 16 titles

Rumble Fish poster
7.0

Absent-minded street thug Rusty James struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days of gang warfare.

Rumble Fish

1983

Mommie Dearest poster
6.4

Renowned film star Joan Crawford's abuse towards Christina, her adopted daughter, intensifies as her professional and romantic relationships turn sour.

Mommie Dearest

1981

Psycho III poster
5.7

When Maureen Coyle, a suicidal nun who resembles Norman's former victim, Marion Crane, arrives at the motel, all bets are off and "Mother" is less than happy.

Psycho III

1986

Silkwood poster
6.9

Like most of the people in her town, Karen Silkwood works at the local nuclear plant producing highly radioactive plutonium. Exposed one day to a lethal dose of radiation, Karen faces the blank walls of corporate indifference and denial. As her illness increases, her protest grows louder and she becomes an obvious danger to the powers that be.

Silkwood

1983

Brenda Starr poster
4.8

Fearless reporter Brenda Starr needs a big scoop if she wishes to retain her lofty status within the world of journalism, so she ventures deep into the Amazon Rainforest to investigate a story involving a mad scientist's plot to blow the planet to smithereens. Her investigation pits her against a collection of dastardly villains and the myriad dangers of the jungle.

Brenda Starr

1989

Extremities poster
6.2

A woman escapes from the man who is about to rape her, but leaves her purse behind. Afraid that her attacker might come after her, she goes to the police, but with no proof of the incident, they can do nothing. In fact, the man does use the information in her bag and comes to her apartment with the intent of rape, but she sprays him in the face with insect repellent, and then holds him captive. She is then faced with deciding whether to go to the police who might not believe her and release him, or to kill him.

Extremities

1986

Heat poster
5.8

Reynolds plays an ex-soldier-of-fortunish character in Vegas, taking "Chaperone" jobs, fighting with the mob, and trying to get enough money together to move to Venice, Italy.

Heat

1986

The Ladies Club poster
5.5

A policewoman who was raped forms a vigilante group of various rape victims. They abduct and castrate men who have committed repeated violations of women and gotten away with it through legal technicalities.

The Ladies Club

1986

Strange Invaders poster
5.0

Alien beings, who settle in a small midwestern town, are disturbed by a young professor determined to rescue his daughter from their clutches.

Strange Invaders

1983

After the Promise poster
7.5

Elmer Jackson, a carpenter in a small Californian town in the 1930s, struggles to bring up his 4 young boys after the death of his wife. He is horrified when the government (citing trumped-up charges of parental neglect) places the boys into various foster homes and institutions, unaware of the abuse that boys would then be subjected to. The conditions imposed by the court and the difficulties caused by the Depression make Elmer's determined and vigorous quest to find his boys extremely difficult. His second wife helps him to regain custody.

After the Promise

1987

Inside Moves poster
6.3

After a failed suicide attempt leaves him partially crippled, Rory begins spending a lot of time at a neighborhood bar full of interesting misfits. When Jerry the bartender suddenly finds himself playing basketball for the Golden State Warriors, Rory and the rest of the bar regulars hope his success will provide a lift to their sagging spirits. Will Jerry forget his friends? What about his junkie hooker girlfriend and her pimp?

Inside Moves

1980

Honeysuckle Rose poster
5.4

Buck Bonham is a country singer on the road caught in a romantic triangle with Dyan Cannon and Amy Irving, the daughter of one of his longtime musical sidekick.

Honeysuckle Rose

1980

A Bunny's Tale poster
5.3

A dramatization of Gloria Steinem's undercover investigation of the working conditions Bunnies faced at the Playboy Clubs.

A Bunny's Tale

1985

Thou Shalt Not Kill poster
7.0

A man is wrongly convicted for murder and sent to prison, where he is accused of murdering a brutal guard he killed in self-defense.

Thou Shalt Not Kill

1982

Desperate Lives poster
6.5

A brother and sister get caught up in the drug scene in their local high school, with tragic results.

Desperate Lives

1982

The Making Of Psycho III poster
NR

From Psycho III (1986): Anthony Perkins stars in and directs the most shocking Psycho film of all.

The Making Of Psycho III

1986

Series credits

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit poster
8.0

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999

Law & Order poster
7.3

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

Law & Order

1990

Criminal Minds poster
8.3

An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.

Criminal Minds

2005

Prison Break poster
8.1

Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.

Prison Break

2005

The X-Files poster
8.4

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

The X-Files

1993

Lost poster
8.0

Stripped of everything, the survivors of a horrific plane crash must work together to stay alive. But the island holds many secrets.

Lost

2004

Heroes poster
7.4

Common people discover that they have super powers. Their lives intertwine as a devastating event must be prevented.

Heroes

2006

Cold Case poster
7.7

The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she is assigned cases that have never been solved. Detective Lilly Rush combines her natural instincts with the updated technology available today to bring about justice for all the victims she can.

Cold Case

2003

Hawaii Five-O poster
7.2

Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. Jack Lord portrayed Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, the head of a special state police task force which was based on an actual unit that existed under martial law in the 1940s. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular. Many episodes would end with McGarrett instructing his subordinate to "Book 'em, Danno!", sometimes specifying a charge such as "murder one".

Hawaii Five-O

1969

The Outer Limits poster
7.7

Anthology series composed of distinct story episodes, sometimes with a plot twist at the end, with occasional recurring story elements that were often tied together during season-finale clip shows.

The Outer Limits

1995

Starsky & Hutch poster
7.4

Streetwise Detective David Starsky partners up with a more intellectual partner, Kenneth 'Hutch' Hutchinson, to protect citizens and patrol the streets of Bay City.

Starsky & Hutch

1975

Pushing Daisies poster
7.9

A pie-maker, with the power to bring dead people back to life, solves murder mysteries with his alive-again childhood sweetheart, a cynical private investigator, and a lovesick waitress.

Pushing Daisies

2007

From the Earth to the Moon poster
8.1

The story of the United States' space program, from its beginnings in 1961 to the final moon mission in 1972.

From the Earth to the Moon

1998

Wonderfalls poster
7.7

Jaye Tyler, a recent Brown University graduate with a philosophy degree, holds a dead-end job as a sales clerk at a Niagara Falls gift shop. Jaye is the reluctant participant in conversations with various animal figurines — a wax lion, brass monkey, stuffed bear, and mounted fish, among others — which direct her via oblique instructions to help people in need.

Wonderfalls

2004

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones poster
7.3

In the 1960s, Reverend Jim Jones began as an idealist helping minorities and working against racism. After a move to San Francisco and increased power and attention, Jones became focused on his belief in nuclear holocaust, declared himself a prophet, and founded the Peoples Temple. With a loyal following of over 1,000, who donated their entire life savings to him and to join his commune, he moves them to Guyana. When possible crimes come to the attention of the authorities, and once notified that some individuals are being held against their will, an investigation begins. Rather than face the charges, Jones commits suicide, and roughly 900 of his followers do the same.

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

1980

A Will of their Own poster
7.5

A Will of their Own is a 1998 American television mini-series directed by Karen Arthur. The film follows six generations of females within one family, and their struggle for power and independence in America. The film debuted on October 18, 1998 on the NBC network to strong critical reviews. It was released to DVD late 2003.

A Will of their Own

1998

Kingston: Confidential poster
7.0

Kingston: Confidential is an American mystery crime drama that aired on NBC for 13 episodes during the spring of 1977, following the success of a 1976 made-for-TV movie entitled Kingston.

Kingston: Confidential

1977

Gibbsville poster
10.0

Gibbsville is an American drama television series starring John Savage and Gig Young that aired on NBC from November 11 to December 30, 1976. The series centered on the activities of two reporters for a newspaper in a small Pennsylvania town in the 1940s.

Gibbsville

1976

Studs Lonigan poster
8.8

Studs Lonigan is a three-part American television miniseries produced by Lorimar Television for NBC, based on the 1932–35 novel trilogy by American author James T. Farrell. Each story is represented in 100-minute episodes: Young Lonigan, The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, and Judgment Day. From 1918 and 1930, Irish-American Bill 'Studs' Lonigan comes of age in Chicago, Illinois, a city full of temptations.

Studs Lonigan

1979