- Underwent open-heart surgery for a blocked artery in 1997 but had the wrong artery operated on. Later sued for medical malpractice and was awarded 7.5 million dollars. He's had to undergo five operations in total to correct his heart problem.
- David Letterman publicly suggested Carvey as his replacement on Late Show with David Letterman (1993) after he left for CBS.
- Holds the record for having said "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" most often.
- Dana's brother Brad is an engineer and a pioneer in the video production field. He developed "Video Toaster", an inexpensive setup for Hollywood quality video making. The character "Garth" from Wayne's World (1992) is based on Dana's brother.
- Living in Southern California with wife Paula, he fills his house with grown-up toys, likes to shoot baskets and play guitar and drums.
- Also a very talented drummer
- When Carvey was a kid, he was a huge Kirk Douglas fan. Carvey credits him as a role model and eventually a mentor and friend as he had the honor of acting with him in the film "Tough Guys". They became very close afterwards.
- Impersonations include George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Ross Perot, and Walter Mondale on Saturday Night Live (1975).
- Was one of the guests to attend Kirk Douglas's 100th birthday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, on December 9, 2016.
- Has highly praised Kirk Douglas for his stardom in acting.
- Formerly worked as a busboy at a Holiday Inn.
- Is a fan of the band The Village People.
- Has two sons, Dex (born 1991) and Thomas (born 1993).
- Appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999) in 2000 and won $32,000 for his charity.
- He appeared on the January 16-22, 1993 cover of "TV Guide" along with fellow SNL alumni Phil Hartman doing their presidential parodies. Carvey did George Bush, Sr. and Hartman did Bill Clinton.
- His older brother Mark Carvey was his assistant on Wayne's World 2 (1993).
- Won the 1977 San Francisco Comedy Competition.
- Attended Carlmont High School in Belmont, CA.
- From the same hometown as David Lynch.
- Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 98-99. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
- Son Dex died of an overdose at 32.
- His ancestry is seven sixteenths (7/16ths) Norwegian, with his other roots being English, German, Swedish, and Irish.
- Brother of Brad Carvey.
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