From the late ‘70s through the early ‘90s, the delicious Diane Stilwell was all over your screens—television series, movies, and, at one point, in no less than ten national commercials running at the same time. She grew up in Decatur, Illinois, moved to Chicago at age 17, and then to New York at 19, where she used her training as an actress and dancer for performances on Broadway and Off-Broadway. She also grabbed a place in Beverly Hills, and flew back and forth depending on the gig she booked. Her first big on-screen role was playing a secretary in The Sentinel (1977) with Ava Gardner and Christopher Walken, followed by one as a stewardess in Rich Kids (1979) with John Lithgow. She also popped up on the big screen as Willow Wertz in Robert Altman’s HealtH (1980) with Carol Burnett and Lauren Bacall, Carla in Just Between Friends (1986) with Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Danson, and in the role of nurse Robin in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), where Geena Davis steals her top, leaving Diane’s round globes on display above the top of her full bra cups. On the little screen, she appeared in 18 different TV series in 13 years, including The Waltons, Remington Steele, The Duck Factory, Night Court, The Cavanaughs, The Oldest Rookie, Who’s The Boss?, My Two Dads, Empty Nest, and Harry and the Hendersons. Diane retired from acting after 1991, moved back to Chicago and became a teacher and life coach, “specializing in goal mastery, emotional freedom and ultimate transformation,” according to her website.
