Diane Adair Gaidry, Actress and Producer (1964 - 2019)

A highly acclaimed veteran of film, television, stage and commercial productions, Diane Gaidry works diligently with other actors and actresses to develop the full creative potential of the independent film. Born on 11 October 1964 at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota to Tom Gaidry and Barbara Carr, Diane moved as a youth to San Jose, California and then to Buffalo, New York where her interest in acting flourished.

While still in high school, she launched her professional career as an actress in local theatre productions. In 1986 she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. In 1994 she received a Masters Degree in Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Until recently Diane lived in Los Angeles, CA, but is now considering a move to New York as her career blossoms.

Her first major professional role was as Shawn Love, wife of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, in the TV drama "Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys" (1990 ABC Movie of the Week). In 1991 she appeared in the television science fiction film "Frankenstein: The College Years" in which she played a friend. Following these initial roles, she was in the 1995 NBC TV drama "Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning" as Annie and in an episode NBC's "Medium".

Diane's first role in independent films was in 1986 in the feature film "The Stupid Years" shown at the Berlin Film Festival about a hipster coming of age. In 1998 she played a party girl in the short comedy "The Shy and the Naked, a story of love and obsession among artists and mathematicians and also was in the short film "Love Without Socks".

In 2001 she appeared as Greta in "Egg" and as Lucy in the full-length drama "America So Beautiful" - set during the Iranian hostage crisis. Diane co-produced and starred as Ellie Moore in the 2002 featurelength movie "The Dogwalker".

More recent credits include Diane as Maya in "Birth of an Industry" (2004), as the waitress in "The Act" (2004), as Angela, the call girl in Transaction" (2005) and as Petite in "Need" (2005). She starred in the award-winning movie "Loving Annabelle" (2006) as the Catholic school poetry teacher Simone Bradley who falls in love with her student Annabelle. For this role she won the 2006 Best Actress Award at the Los Angeles Outfest. Also in 2006 she was Beverly in the film "Concerned Lady for America".

In the Fall of 2006 Diane returned to her hometown of Buffalo to play Mary Tyrone in the Irish Classical Theatre Company's stage production of "Long Day's Journey Into Night". In 2008 at the same theater she completed a run of "Charley's Aunt" in which she played Dona Lucia.

In 1993 Diane Gaidry and Jacques Thelemaque co-founded Filmmakers Alliance (FA). From a grassroots collective of eight independent filmmakers, FA has grown into an important independent filmmaking resource with over 400 members. FA helps and supports young filmmakers by providing them equipment as cameras, lights and shooting locations. Diane was the Executive Director of FA and oversaw Programming and Distribution. Several FA films in which she starred have won awards including Best Short Comedy at Cinquest 2001 and Best Short at Methodfest 2001 for "Egg", Best First Feature Film at Cinequest for "The Dogwalker", which also played at the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Prix du Grand Jury (the top honors) at the 2006 Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival in France for "Transaction". The Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival is rated worldwide as most prestigious short film festival.

Diane Gaidry is a superb, talented actress with a strong background in theater, television and independent films. With her outstanding talents and kind, appealing personality, she will continue to win wide acclaim as an actress and producer.