Grease

 In the film musical "Grease" (1978), Dinah Manoff managed to nab the plucky, sexpot role of Marty Maraschino, despite the fact she lacked in dancing and singing skills. She faked her way through auditions and personality, alone, got her the part. Later, when it came down to doing the choreography, Dinah remained conveniently hidden in the background.

Manoff, the daughter of Lee Grant, was, at 19, one of the few principal members of the "Grease" cast to be reasonably high school age appropriate; when filming began in June 1977, Stockard Channing was 33, Michael Tucci was 31, Jamie Donnelly was 30, Annette Charles was 29, Olivia Newton-John was 28, Barry Pearl was 27, Jeff Conaway was 26, Didi Conn was 25, John Travolta was 23, Kelly Ward and Eddie Deezen were both 20, and Lorenzo Lamas was also 19.

Other career highlights for Manoff include:

- the role of Elaine Dallas (née Lefkowitz) on the ABC sitcom "Soap".

- her Broadway debut, Libby Tucker in Neil Simon's Broadway play, "I Ought to Be in Pictures". For her work in the play, she won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, as well as the Theatre World Award. She reprised that role for the film version in 1982, with Walter Matthau and Ann-Margret.

- Karen, the suicidal friend of Timothy Hutton's character, in the multiple Oscar-winning "Ordinary People" (1980).

- Maggie Peterson in "Child's Play" (1988), the first character to be killed by the murderous, possessed doll Chucky.

- Carol Weston on the NBC sitcom and "Golden Girls" spin-off "Empty Nest", a role for which she is best known on television, and appeared in every episode of the series.