Dana Valery
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Dana, the youngest of three children, was born outside of Milan, Italy
in late 1943. The family emigrated to Johannesburg,South Africa in
1952. By the age of sixteen, Dana was a rising star in music and
theater, and won the CBS recording award as the "Best Female Singer of
1964." She was one of the original cast members touring South Africa
and Rhodesia with the popular musical revue, "Wait a Minim!" She
rejoined the cast for the Broadway Production, which ran for 456
performances (1966-1967) at the John Golden Theater. During a 1965 trip
to Germany to study languages, she visited her brother, Sergio Franchi,
who was performing in Italy. He encouraged her to stay in music and
develop a concert repertoire. Dana has performed world-wide on the
concert stage, on television, and on radio; and has several USA hit
records and albums to her credit. Deeply affected by the untimely death
of her brother, Dana pursued a major career change in 1991. With her
second husband, Peter Catalano, she founded a company advocating good
health and meaningful relationships.