EXCLUSIVE: Inside 'National Lampoon' Star Beverly D'Angelo's Secret Dream to Be a Singer After Accidentally 'Singing Herself' Into Iconic Comedy Roles
Beverly D'Angelo confessed she originally wanted to be singer, not an actress.
March 11 2025, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
While she's best known for playing Chevy Chase's wife Ellen Griswold in the cult classic National Lampoon's series, Beverly D'Angelo has confessed she actually wanted to be a singer, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Despite her signing aspirations, D'Angelo, 60, made a name for herself in Hollywood as an actress, starring in over 60 films, including Hair and Coal Miner's Daughter, in which she played country music legend Patsy Cline.
D'Angelo moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams when she was 17-years-old.
Growing up in Ohio, D'Angelo had dreams of becoming a star and moved to Los Angeles when she was 17-years-old and scored a job at Hanna Barbera Cartoon Studios.
She later moved to Canada where she trained as a studio vocalist and background singer for Ronnie Hawkins.
Finally, D'Angelo landed a Broadway gig in the musical Rockabye Hamlet, which would alter the course of her career forever.
D'Angelo's stint on Broadway opened more doors for 'film opportunities' than from 'record companies.'
She said of her acting career: "I kind of sang my way into the movies.
"When that Broadway show closed, the doors that opened weren't from record companies as much as film opportunities."
In 1977, D'Angelo played a small part in controversial director Woody Allen's hit Annie Hall.
The actress confessed she was "so naive about filmmaking" at the time.
D'Angelo added: "I didn't have a TV, I didn't go to movies, so I wasn't the least bit intimidated. I didn't know at the time that Woody was held in such high regard.
"He seemed very nice, but it was one day. My path didn't cross with his again."
After she starred in 1979's Hair, D'Angelo's dream of being a singer merged with her acting career when she was cast to play Cline in the Loretta Lynn biopic.
She said: "I was very, very confident about playing Patsy.
"What I didn't have confidence about was the machination of filmmaking."
The actress is best known for her role as Ellen Griswold.
The actress continued: "I'm a musician at heart. With music, I can sit at my piano right now and sing if I want to, and it speaks to me."
While D'Angelo explained her passion was music, she's best known for her "life-changing" role in the National Lampoon's series.
She said: "The life-changing aspect is how much the public connected with Ellen Griswold with so much love.
"I'm so grateful that these films have brought smiles to so many people."
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D'Angelo said she's 'so grateful' for the National Lampoon's series.
While D'Angelo admitted she was naive about filmmaking early in her career, she's currently working on a full-circle project combining her acting career and singing passion.
D'Angelo said she's "making a documentary about getting back to singing where I first began – with my singing Patsy's songs.
"I am going to drive cross country and warm up my voice, stop in little roadside places, and see what it's like to go into that part of America that everyone ignores and just be someone who wants to sing for people."
