Dana Barron

The Griswold Family Legacy

Dana Barron never had to search for a calling, because it was in her genes. The daughter of a stage actress and a commercial director, she represents the fifth generation of a family dedicated to show business in New York. She started working in advertising before the age of ten and soon made her way onto Broadway stages alongside major names in the American theater scene.

In 1983, audiences knew her as Audrey Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation. That road comedy alongside Chevy Chase defined her public image before she turned twenty. But Hollywood has strange rules when it comes to sequels, and Barron was the only one of the original children who did not return for the later installments of the film franchise.

It was a casting decision that still sparks debate on '80s nostalgia forums.

That first major role came after her appearance in The Last American Virgin in 1982. In that cult teen film, she played a teenager in a story far rawer than its sex-comedy packaging suggested. That duality between the wholesome American girl and darker teen dramas allowed her to work steadily throughout the decade.

A Refuge on Television

The 1990s brought more complex characters and a change of pace in her career. In 1992, she joined the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 to play Nikki Witt over nine episodes. Her character became Brandon Walsh's romantic interest and brought a different kind of energy to the halls of West Beverly High.

And although her time on the series was brief, the fan reaction at the time was immediate. Barron knew how to bring naturalness to characters who, in other actresses' hands, might have come off flat. So her move to television became a natural step to escape being typecast in the teen cinema of the eighties.

Filming lasted just six weeks.

In 1998, she landed a regular role on the series The Magnificent Seven, playing Casey Wells. Over twenty-two episodes, she proved she could handle the television western with the same skill she brought to sitcoms. But television was changing, and long-term contracts were becoming harder and harder for actors of her profile to secure.

The Move Into Executive Producing

Acting stopped being her only priority as the new century went on. She became interested in the process behind the camera and earned her producing degree from New York University. In 2003, she returned to her most famous role in the TV movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure, where, in addition to acting, she got involved in the production side of things.

His private life has always stayed away from the Los Angeles tabloids. He is in a stable relationship with director and screenwriter Michael Vickerman, and together they have a son named Taylor. This stability allowed him to choose projects more selectively, without the pressure of having to attend every premiere of the season.

In 2013, she appeared in the TV movie Snow Bride.

That project for Hallmark Channel was one of her last major on-camera jobs before she focused on volunteer work and personal projects. In 2021, she made a special guest appearance, lending her voice to an episode of the comedy series The Goldbergs. The production of that episode cost two million dollars because of the image rights to the original films being recreated.