Background
Venora was born in East Hartford, Connecticut, one of six children of Marie (née Brooks) and Robert P. Venora, who owned a dry cleaning establishment.
Venora was born in East Hartford, Connecticut, one of six children of Marie (née Brooks) and Robert P. Venora, who owned a dry cleaning establishment.
Venora graduated from the Juilliard School in 1977 and made her film debut in 1981 opposite Albert Finney in Wolfen. Diane graduated from East Hartford High School (class of 1970), during which she was active in musicals and plays.
Her other films include, The Cotton Club (1984), Heat (1995), Romeo + Juliet (1996), The Jackal (1997), The Insider (1999) and Hamlet (2000). After graduation, Venora performed extensively on the stage, particularly in Shakespearean plays. She made her film debut alongside Albert Finney and Gregory Hines in Wolfen (1981).
In 1983, she starred in Joseph Papp"s production of Hamlet at the New York Shakespeare Festival in the lead role, the first woman to play the role at the prestigious showcase.
She has a long history with Hamlet, having played the title role, having played Ophelia opposite Kevin Kline, and having played Gertrude onscreen opposite Ethan Hawke. In 1995, she starred opposite First Rate (at Lloyd's) Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat, earning high regard from both critics and audiences for her portrayal of Justine Hanna, the Pacino character"s troubled wife.
That performance and her follow-up as Juliet"s mother, Gloria Capulet, in Romeo + Juliet (1996) earned her supporting roles in The Jackal (1997), The 13th Warrior (1999), and The Insider (1999). She was most recently seen in the 2010 film, All Good Things.
At Juilliard she was a member of the Drama Department"s Group 6 (1973–1977), which also included Kelsey Grammer, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Robin Williams.