In her life long career as a physical comedienne, Diane Wasnak apprenticed with Master Mime, Tony Montanaro. Diane (aka “Pino”) then joined the Pickle Family Circus and partnered with Joan Mankin to become “Pino & Queenie Moon”, the first female clown duo to be featured in the history of American circus. Under the tutelage of Master Trainer, LuYi, Diane put her acrobatic training to work in the clown duo, “Pino & Razz” with Jeff Raz. After ten years with the Pickles, Diane went on to be featured in Cirque du Soleil’s production of “Mystere”.
On screen, Diane was MoCap stunt double for Jada Pinkett Smith in the “Matrix” games. On the theatrical stage Diane received major acclaim for her portrayal of “Puck” in Marin Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Diane portrayed eleven different characters in Actor’s Theatre of Louisville’s “A Tuna Christmas”. And in 2006, Diane and her dog, Bonzer, made their Broadway debut in “Busker Alley” starring Glenn Close.
An accomplished Animal Handler, Diane graduated from the San Francisco SPCA’s Dog Trainers Academy and apprenticed with Cinema Safari Zoo. In 2015, Diane’s work with the Palo Alto Humane Society earned the team a Telly Award for their video, “It’s A Dog’s Day”. Diane’s career spans four decades with many more credits in Stage, Film and Television.
Coming from a line of professional writers, Diane pays tribute to her mother, Lynn Wasnak, who wrote for a wide range of publications and created the newsletter, Many Voices Press. She also wishes to honor her grandmother, Iverne Golloway-Koehler, who used various pen names and composed hundreds of children's stories for many publications between 1935-1975.