Dianna Catterton

Dianna Nicole Catterton grew up in Clinton Maryland right outside of Washington D.C. Her mother Audrey worked as a hairdresser and after elementary school Dianna would spend her afternoons listening to all the women in the in beauty shop tell stories as she would do her homework and her mother finished her shift. Her father, Jim was a race car driver before Dianna was born. He had some success driving stock cars but after a few bad accidents decided to stop. Seeing her father religiously watch racing on television and knowing the passion he had for it always stuck with her. She spent her childhood taking piano and dance lessons and went on to teach piano lessons during college. She attended Charles County Community College in LaPlata Maryland and received an A.A. in General Studies. During that time she took photography courses and played volleyball on the college team. She also fell in love with psychology. After graduating she was unsure of where to further her education but a rainbow would make all the difference. On the way back from touring the University of North Carolina at Wilmington she and her parents saw the biggest rainbow they had ever seen. Her mother felt it was a sign that UNCW was the place she should go. That rainbow changed everything. Late that summer she and her childhood best friend began their studies at UNCW. Dianna had no idea that her secret desire to try acting was about to cross paths with a booming film industry nestled in this cozy coastal community that was home to Screen Gem Studios. After some time in Wilmington a college friend recommended auditioning for Opera House Theatre Company's seasonal auditions. Dianna was petrified but made herself audition and landed a small part in the musical Funny Girl. Dressed in a sheer costume, an enormous headpiece and heels she walked down a cascading staircase saying her lines as one of the four showgirls. She was so nervous she could barely say the few lines she had. Despite her nerves she was hooked. She was so impressed by the lead in the show she asked her how she too could learn how to act. The lead recommended training with acting coach Mick McGovern. Scene study and cold reading with Mick became a pivotal part of Dianna's journey. "I couldn't stop. I was taking college classes, waiting tables, and training 20 hours a week at the studio. I loved acting and couldn't get enough. I just wanted to learn as much as I could and as fast as I could as possible." Dianna said. Another powerhouse in the Wilmington community was acting coach Tammy Arnold. Dianna began taking on-camera classes with Tammy to develop film technique as well as classes in script analysis. Shortly after she began writing scripts as well. But she never could've written what happened next. Dianna has played various roles for OWN, Netflix, CBS, ABC, NBC, PixL and Paramount Pictures. She has played a homeless woman suffering from schizophrenia, a prison guard who felt remorse, a survivor of sexual assault, a racist sheriff, a country woman with a chip on her shoulder, a sassy reporter, a crazed fan, an angry protester, a calm translator in a tense negotiation, a friendly waitress, a divorcee taking advantage of her personal trainer, and a terrified mother in a hostage situation. "I just want to share someone's story. To walk in their shoes and live their life. We all matter and I think sharing someone's story with no judgment helps us all understand each other a little more. And I want to make people laugh too. To help somebody laugh and forget a bad day, that's everything," Dianna said. You can see Dianna on the screen or on a hiking trail. In 2016 she decided to challenge herself by hiking 50 hikes in 50 weeks and celebrated her 50th hike at Multnomah Falls in Portland Oregon. In 2017, she doubled her goal and celebrated her 100th hike in Muir Woods outside of San Francisco. She lives with her best bud and rescue dog Wolfie where they watch a lot of Hallmark movies and Law n Order reruns.