Beverly D'Angelo

Beverly D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951) is an American singer and actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Ellen Griswold in the National Lampoon's Vacation film series, Patsy Cline in Coal Miner's Daughter, and Doris Vinyard in American History X. D'Angelo was born in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Priscilla (née Smith), a violin, and Gene D'Angelo, a bass player and television station manager. She is of part Italian descent. Her maternal grandfather, Howard Dwight Smith, was the architect who designed iconic Ohio Stadium, also known as "the Horseshoe" at The Ohio State University. D'Angelo began work in the theatre, appearing on Broadway in 1976 in Rockabye Hamlet (also known as Kronborg: 1582) a musical based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Although the production was a failure, running less than a month, D'Angelo's performance as Ophelia attracted positive attention. After gaining minor roles in movies including Annie Hall, D'Angelo had a string of hit movies in the late 1970s,... full article at wikipedia