Diane Venora was born Diana Venora in East Hartford Connecticut. She left Hartford for a full scholarship in the Drama Division of The Juilliard School. After graduating from Juilliard, she performed extensively on the stage and developed a reputation as a talented stage actress, particularly in Shakespearian plays. 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 New York Shakespeare Festival.In 1988, her critically acclaimed performance in Clint Eastwood's biographical feature of jazz great Charlie Parker, Bird (1988), as "Chan Parker", his wife, earned her a Golden Globe nomination and the New York Film Critics Award. These roles essentially made her famous.She was married to cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak (Speed (1994)) but later divorced him. After the divorce, she lived in New York with her daughter Madaket Bartkowiak, traveling often for work. She quit show business wh