Dillon

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Lore & Background

Dillon's early career was marked by a standout performance as Sonya in a 1961 student production of Chekhov's *Uncle Vanya*. Director Alan Schneider recalled her as 'the most talented young actress I'd ever worked with,' praising her 'emotional range and richness' despite finding her 'highly volatile and completely unpredictable.' She was nominated for a 1963 Tony Award for her Broadway debut in *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* as Honey, and at the time of her death, she was the last surviving cast member of that original production. Her first feature film was *The April Fools* in 1969. She earned her first Oscar nomination for *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977), playing a mother whose child is abducted by aliens. Four years later, she received a second Oscar nomination for *Absence of Malice* (1981), playing a suicidal teacher. She is perhaps best known for her role as the mother of Ralphie and Randy in Bob Clark's 1983 film *A Christmas Story*. She was replaced by Julie Hagerty in the 2022 sequel *A Christmas Story Christmas*; according to Peter Billingsley, she was retired from acting at that time but gave her full support to the project. Her later film roles include *Magnolia* (1999), for which she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, and *Reign Over Me* (2007).

In Their Own Story

In the cramped backstage of a Chicago theater, a young actress named Linda Dillon—still a senior at the Goodman School of Drama—prepared to play Sonya in Chekhov's *Uncle Vanya*. Director Alan Schneider had fought to cast her over the objections of the theater's artistic director, who warned she was 'highly volatile and completely unpredictable.' During four weeks of rehearsal, Schneider 'alternately adored and hated' her. She was 'never the same twice in a given scene,' always threatening to quit or kill herself. Yet he was convinced she was 'extraordinary,' the potential peer of Geraldine Page and Kim Stanley. Years later, that same volatility would serve her as Honey in *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*, earning her a Tony nomination, and as the desperate mother in *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*, which brought her an Oscar nomination.

Reader's Guide

Melinda Dillon's career is defined by a series of powerful supporting performances. She began as an improvisational comedian and stage actress, making her Broadway debut in the original 1962 production of *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. She was the last surviving cast member of that production at the time of her death. Her film breakthrough came with *Bound for Glory* (1976), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Female Acting Debut category. She earned Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977) and *Absence of Malice* (1981). She is perhaps best known for playing Mrs. Parker in *A Christmas Story* (1983). Her later notable roles include *Magnolia* (1999), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and *Reign Over Me* (2007). Dillon was married to actor Richard Libertini from 1963 to 1978, and they had one son. She died on January 9, 2023, at age 83.

Did You Know?

• Melinda Dillon was nominated for a 1963 Tony Award for her Broadway debut in the original production of *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*.
• She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977) and *Absence of Malice* (1981).
• She was the last surviving cast member of the original Broadway production of *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* at the time of her death.
• Dillon was a staffer on Democrat Eugene McCarthy's 1968 presidential campaign.
• She was replaced by Julie Hagerty in the 2022 sequel *A Christmas Story Christmas* because she had retired from acting.