Diane Salinger

Acting

Diane Salinger

Born 1951-01-25 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Diane Louise Salinger (born January 25, 1951) is an American actress and voice actress known for her distinctive character roles across film, television, and stage. She gained recognition for her role as Apollonia in the television series "Carnivàle" (2003–2005) and appeared in notable films such as "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," "Batman Returns," and "Ghost World". With a career marked by versatility, Salinger has performed in popular TV shows including "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "ER," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," and "Law & Order". Beyond acting, she is a dedicated teacher and director who founded an acting workshop for at-risk youth and has directed theatrical pieces for high-profile audiences.

Acting credits

Batman Returns poster
7.0

The monstrous Penguin, who dwells in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with corrupt mayoral candidate Max Shreck to topple the Batman once and for all. But when Shreck's timid assistant Selina Kyle finds out, and Shreck tries to kill her, she's transformed into the sexy Catwoman. She teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly unexpectedly when she confronts the caped crusader.

Batman Returns

1992

Bird poster
6.9

Saxophone player Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker comes to New York in 1940 and is quickly noticed for his remarkable way of playing. He becomes a drug addict but his loving wife Chan tries to help him.

Bird

1988

The Scarlet Letter poster
6.1

Set in puritanical Boston in the mid 1600s, the story of seamstress Hester Prynne, who is outcast after she becomes pregnant by a respected reverend. She refuses to divulge the name of the father, is "convicted" of adultery and forced to wear a scarlet "A" until an Indian attack unites the Puritans and leads to a reevaluation of their laws and morals.

The Scarlet Letter

1995

Pee-wee's Big Adventure poster
6.5

The eccentric and childish Pee-wee Herman embarks on a big adventure when his beloved bicycle is stolen. Armed with information from a fortune-teller and a relentless obsession with his prized possession, Pee-wee encounters a host of odd characters and bizarre situations as he treks across the country to recover his bike.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

1985

The Butcher's Wife poster
5.7

A clairvoyant woman thinks that she's met her future husband because she's seen him in a dream. They marry and he takes her back to his butcher shop in New York city, where her powers tend to influence everyone she meets while working in the shop. Through her advice, she helps others and eventually finds the true man of her dreams.

The Butcher's Wife

1991

First Period poster
5.2

New girl Cassie and outcast Maggie are easily the most awkward girls in high school. Together, they decide the way to win the hearts of the cute boys and popular girls is to come in first at the school talent show. But rivals Heather, Other Heather, and their popular boyfriends Brett and Dirk will stop at nothing to keep our heroes the laughing stock of the school. It's going to take makeovers, courage, and maybe even a little rapping to beat them in true 80s style.

First Period

2013

Alice poster
6.3

Alice Tate, mother of two, with a marriage of 16 years, finds herself falling for a handsome sax player, Joe. Stricken with a backache, she consults herbalist Dr. Yang, who realizes that her problems are not related to her back, but in her mind and heart. Dr. Yang's magical herbs give Alice wondrous powers, taking her out of her well-established rut.

Alice

1990

Earth and the American Dream poster
6.7

A beautiful and disturbing film recounts America’s story from the environment’s point of view. From the arrival of Columbus to the simple wilderness living of the 16th and 17th centuries, through the agrarian lifestyle of the 18th century, the changes from the Industrial Revolution, to the 20th century when most of the planet’s resources have been depleted — this film examines the North American landscape and all the wildlife destruction, deforestation, soil depletion and pollution that have been wrought to make the American Dream come true.

Earth and the American Dream

1992

Ghost World poster
7.1

Two quirky, cynical, teenaged girls try to figure out what to do with their lives following high school graduation. After they play a prank on an eccentric, middle-aged record collector, one of them befriends him, which causes a rift in the girls’ friendship.

Ghost World

2001

Pee-wee's Big Holiday poster
6.1

A fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday.

Pee-wee's Big Holiday

2016

The Magic Bubble poster
3.1

A middle-aged woman frees herself from the spirit-crushing influence of her husband by refusing to remember what her age is.

The Magic Bubble

1993

Rest Stop poster
5.5

In Texas, the aspirant actress Nicole Carrow runs away home to Los Angeles with her boyfriend Jess Hilts. They drive through a shortcut in an old road, and when they park in a rest stop, Jess is abducted by the sadistic driver of an old yellow truck. Along the night, Nicole is threatened by the sick maniac, while mysterious things happen to her in the place.

Rest Stop

2006

The Morning After poster
6.0

Failed actress Alex Sternbergen wakes up hungover one morning in an apartment she does not recognize, unable to remember the previous evening -- and with a dead body in bed next to her. As she tries to piece together the events of the night, Alex cannot totally rely on friends or her estranged husband, Joaquin, for assistance. Only a single ally, loner ex-policeman Turner Kendall, can help her escape her predicament and find the true killer.

The Morning After

1986

Dante's Inferni poster
NR

The Infernal journey through the first part of the afterlife, Hell, begins in a dark forest where Dante is threatened by three wild beasts. He's rescued by his hero Virgil at Beatrice's request. Virgil guides and protects Dante on his dark journey descending circle-by-circle and their subdivisions to the center of the Earth where Lucifer resides, and out into Purgatory.

Dante's Inferni

2025

Terri poster
6.4

Terri, a pajama-clad, disaffected high school student learns how to engage the world with the help of Mr. Fitzgerald, his assistant principal.

Terri

2011

Love's Long Journey poster
7.0

Missie's surprise pregnancy sets her on a new course that is both thrilling and terrifying. After all the planning and dreaming, she and her husband Willie are headed west in a covered wagon, leaving behind the prairie home of Missie's parents. Now, caught between the excitement of the new adventure and the pain of not knowing when she'll see her family again, Missie copes with the challenges, and cherishes the rewards, of her new homestead.

Love's Long Journey

2005

Rest Stop: Don't Look Back poster
6.0

One year after running away from home, Nicole and Jesse are still missing. When Jesse's brother, Tom, returns home from active duty, he sets out with his friends Marilyn and Jared to locate the lost couple. Their search leads them to the stretch of old highway with a mysterious Rest Stop, where they find themselves in the same predicament as Nicole and Jesse: confronting a madman.

Rest Stop: Don't Look Back

2008

One Night Stand poster
3.8

Michelle Sanderson is a woman who seems to have everything -- great looks, a promising career, a large circle of friends. But the one thing she yearns for most is a romantic relationship, which somehow eludes her. One night, Michelle meets a stunning young man and the game of seduction begins. But is this stranger really the man of her dreams or is he something more dangerous? A steamy one-night stand sets the stage for a suspenseful exploration of a woman's need for the right lover and the consequences she faces when choosing a person she just met.

One Night Stand

1995

Creature poster
4.7

A crew of scientists arrives on a far, cold planet to examine archaic artifacts of unknown origin. They discover that their German enemies already have a ship there. When they seek their help after a failed landing, they only find the Germans’ bodies, obviously slaughtered by one of the archaic creatures, awoken to new life. Now the alien is after them.

Creature

1985

Street of Dreams poster
5.0

The film follows a laid-back private investigator Kyd Thomas who gets thrust into Hollywood's world of crime after he meets Laura Cassidy. Laura is a cocaine addict who Kyd saves from being beaten and raped.

Street of Dreams

1988

No Deposit poster
3.0

Mickey Ryan falls from grace due to a series of downward spiraling events beyond his control. With his life turned upside down, Mickey tries valiantly to resolve his issues but hooks up with the wrong people who blind him with anger and hate.

No Deposit

2015

The Auteur Theory poster
4.6

At an absurdly self-indulgent student film festival, the directors of the (mostly terrible) short films start getting killed off one by one and a budding British documentary filmmaker decides to investigate.

The Auteur Theory

1999

The Telling poster
3.2

In this horror anthology film, three girls pledge the most popular - and cruelest - sorority on campus. For their final task, they must tell the scariest story they know. Containing three distinct stories - one featuring a murderous doll, one a has-been actress and her run in with a film crew of the undead and, finally, a hunt-and-kill fright-fest.

The Telling

2009

Freedom poster
5.5

Two men separated by 100 years are united in their search for freedom. In 1856 a slave, Samuel Woodward and his family, escape from the Monroe Plantation near Richmond, Virginia. A secret network of ordinary people known as the Underground Railroad guide the family on their journey north to Canada. They are relentlessly pursued by the notorious slave hunter Plimpton. Hunted like a dog and haunted by the unthinkable suffering he and his forbears have endured, Samuel is forced to decide between revenge or freedom. 100 years earlier in 1748, John Newton the Captain of a slave trader sails from Africa with a cargo of slaves, bound for America. On board is Samuel's great grandfather whose survival is tied to the fate of Captain Newton. The voyage changes Newton's life forever and he creates a legacy that will inspire Samuel and the lives of millions for generations to come.

Freedom

2014