Melinda Dillon

Melinda Dillon, Tony and Oscar-nominated actor from 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and 'A Christmas Story,' died Jan. 9. She was 83.

She also acted in “Paul Sill’s Story Theater” and “You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running.” Her most recent appearances were in “Heartland” in 2007, and before that in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” (1999) as Rose Gator. Dillon is celebrated for her role as Jillian Guiler in Steven Speilberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), for which she earned an Oscar nomination for supporting actress.

Dillon died at the age of 83 on Jan. 9. According to Variety, her death was reported by the Neptune Society. Oscar and Tony-nominated actor Dillon was known for ...

[ The Hollywood Reporter. Dillon was born on Oct. Dillon’s first feature film was “The April Fools” in 1969. [Variety ](https://variety.com/2023/film/news/melinda-dillon-dead-a-christmas-story-1235512472/)reported. [Variety.](https://variety.com/2023/film/news/melinda-dillon-dead-a-christmas-story-1235512472/) [Variety](https://variety.com/2023/film/news/melinda-dillon-dead-a-christmas-story-1235512472/).

Melinda Dillon, a 2-time Oscar nominee for 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and 'Absence of Malice' who played the mom in 'A Christmas Story,' is died ...

Her reaction to her husband (Darren McGavin) proudly displaying the campy “leg lamp” — complete with fishnet stocking — he won in a contest, putting it in the front window for all to behold, was priceless. Her next big-screen role was as Mother Parker, the matriarch in A Christmas Story, which has become among the most popular holiday films of the past half-century. The twisty thriller also earned a sixth career Oscar nom for Newman. She would appear in Slap Shot and Close Encounters the following year and then co-starred opposite Sylvester Stallone, Rod Steiger and Peter Boyle in the trucker-union drama F.I.S.T. That was her Broadway debut, and she was the last surviving principal cast member from the production. She earned a Supporting Actress Oscar nom for the role.

Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon, who also starred in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, has died.

For her role in 1999's Magnolia, Dillon was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award along with the rest of the ensemble cast. Her role in 1976's Bound for Glory also earned her a nomination at the Golden Globes for New Star of the Year. Appearing in a variety of films, Dillon can also be seen in movies like The April Fools, Slap Shot, F.I.S.T., The Muppet Movie, Harry and the Hendersons, Spontaneous Combustion, Captain America, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Her body of work on the small screen includes roles in TV shows like The Defenders, Bonanza, The Jeffersons, Sara, CHiPs, Insight, The Twilight Zone, Tracey Takes On, Picket Fences, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Heartland. [THR](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/melinda-dillon-dead-close-encounters-christmas-story-1235317335/) reports that Dillon, known for her roles in films like A Christmas Story and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, died on Jan. Early on, she found success in her acting career, earning a Tony Award nomination with her Broadway debut by appearing in the original stage production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Melinda Dillon, the Oscar-nominated actress who starred in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and played Ralphie's high-strung mother in "A Christmas ...

I would do it three hours in the afternoon, then study with Lee Strasberg for two hours, and do the play three hours at night. “We had to have a whole different cast for that, but I was called in to do it many, many times because the gal would get sick. Then, George Grizzard left to do ‘Hamlet,’ and a strange thing happened. They have one son, Richard Libertini Jr. Born in Arkansas on Oct. “I think it was the way I was living; the play was so long, and the actors’ union wouldn’t let us play the matinee,” she explained to the

Melinda Dillon was a two-time Oscar nominee, and she also received a Tony nomination for her performance in Broadway's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

[in October](https://people.com/movies/a-christmas-story-christmas-first-look-peter-billingsley-ralphie-parker-exclusive/). He was such a gifted actor and a great person and such a mentor to me in [the shooting of the first film](https://people.com/movies/zack-ward-a-christmas-story-35th-anniversary/), and was kind of like having [another] dad." [A Christmas Story's 2022 sequel](https://people.com/movies/why-peter-billingsley-waited-almost-40-years-to-make-a-christmas-story-sequel-exclusive/), her son in the iconic holiday film, [Peter Billingsley](https://people.com/movies/a-christmas-story-star-peter-billingsley-says-prop-man-on-film-gave-him-real-chewing-tobacco/), told PEOPLE at the time that the sequel was very much a tribute to the original cast, including Dillon's husband in the movie, [Darren McGavin](https://people.com/celebrity/veteran-actor-darren-mcgavin-dies-at-83/), who died in 2006 at age 83. [Close Encounters of the Third Kind](https://people.com/post/close-encounters-third-kind-30th-anniversary-ultimate-edition/), which earned her the first of two Oscar nominations, with the second coming for her role in 1981's [Absence of Malice](https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-absence-of-malice-vol-16-no-25/). [focusing more on television and film roles](https://people.com/movies/a-christmas-story-cast-where-are-they-now/), including the 1969 comedy The April Fools, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the 1976 Woody Guthrie biopic [Bound for Glory](https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-bound-for-glory-vol-13-no-26/). [A Christmas Story](https://people.com/movies/a-christmas-story-sequel-teaser-trailer-peter-billingsley-hbo-max/), the actress began her career performing in the original 1962 production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which earned her a [Tony Award nomination](https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/).

Melinda Dillon has died. An Oscar and Tony-nominated actress whose most enduring part, for many audiences, was as doting (but soap-wielding) mom Mrs. Parker ...

She slowed down in the 2000s before ultimately retiring; her final few roles include an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2005, and then a small part in 2007 Adam Sandler drama Reign Over Me. (The joy she brings to the moment when Mother Parker encourages her reluctant youngest son to eat from his plate like “a little piggy” is an especial highlight.) There are many reasons A Christmas Story has remained in near-permanent holiday rotation for the last 40 years; the authenticity and delight Dillon brought to the part is undeniably one of them. Notable collaborators from the period include Hal Ashby, who cast her in his Woodie Guthrie biopic Bound For Glory, and Sydney Pollack, who filmed her alongside Paul Newman and Sally Field in 1981's Absence Of Malice. Moving to New York, she quickly landed in the limelight when she was cast in the role of young wife Honey in the original Broadway production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. (Other high-profile roles from the era included Steven Spielberg’s [Close Encounters Of The Third Kind](https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-1977), [Absence Of Malice](https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/absence-of-malice-1981), [Harry And The Hendersons](https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/harry-and-the-hendersons-1987), and more.) [Per THR](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/melinda-dillon-dead-close-encounters-christmas-story-1235317335/), Dillon’s death actually happened last month, on January 9, 2023, with [web site Giant Freakin Robot confirming her death](https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/melinda-dillon.html) after contacting family members today. Dillon ultimately left the part (opposite Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, and George Grizzard) after just nine months—citing the intensity of the material, the grueling schedule, and the sudden pressures of stardom for a subsequent stay in a psychiatric hospital—but not before picking up a Tony nomination for Best Performance By A Featured Actress.

Two-time Oscar nominee, for 'Close Encounters' and 'Absence of Malice,' got her start at Goodman School and Second City.

“It was grand,” she said in “The Second City,” a company history by Sheldon Patinkin. “Wanting to attract the attention of the beautiful Italian actor Richard Libertini, who was sitting nearby, I said, ‘Nobody loves me.’ He heard me and said, ‘Nobody loves me either.’ We smiled, and I left. In Patinkin’s book, she recalled the day she met Libertini, another Second City actor. Four years later, she was nominated for “Absence of Malice” (1981), in which her character was betrayed by an unscrupulous reporter. Dillon performed with the company in the early 1960s. Of her many film and TV roles, the best known was the long-suffering mother of Ralphie Parker, the boy yearning for an air rifle from Santa in the holiday perennial “A Christmas Story” (1983).

Dillon was a two-time Oscar nominee for "Close Encounters" and "Absence of Malice."

Her final credits included a 2005 guest spot on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and a three-episode spot on the medical drama “Heartland” in 2007. Dillon reunited with Newman in 1981 for “Absence of Malice,” picking up her second Oscar nomination in the process. Parker in the seasonal classic “A Christmas Story.” Dillon played Ralphie’s mother as a sweet attentive presence who was famously concerned that her son would shoot his eye out. After guest spots on shows like “Bonanza” and “The Jeffersons,” Dillon broke out for her performance in “Bound for Glory” opposite David Carradine as Guthrie. In 1962, Dillon played Honey in the original Broadway production of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” The performance earned her a Tony nomination at 23 years old. She studied acting at the Goodman School of Drama (now at DePaul University, formerly at the Art Institute of Chicago) and began her career performing improv at The Second City.

Melinda Dillion, the two-time-Oscar nominee, played Ralphie's mom in “A Christmas Story” and earned a Tony nomination.

In 1981 she played Teresa Perrone in the Sydney Pollack-directed thriller [“Absence of Malice” and received a nomination Academy Award nomination](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1982/A?qt-honorees=1) for Best Supporting Actress. Still, generations of viewers will remember the actor best for her role as Mrs. Julie Newmar.”

Actress Melinda Dillon, known for roles in films like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "A Christmas Story," died Jan. 9 at the age of 83, ...

The two-time Oscar-nominated actress was also known for her roles in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and 'Absence of Malice.'

Actress Melinda Dillon, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for the movies "A Christmas Story" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," has died, ...

And in “Absence of Malice,” she plays Paul Newman’s friend tormented by a reporter’s coverage of her abortion. May she rest in peace,” [Lou Diamond Phillips](https://twitter.com/LouDPhillips/status/1621690524984827909) wrote: “So very, very sad to hear of the passing of Melinda Dillon. In Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters,” she searches for her little boy after aliens abduct him. It was released in 1983 and went on to find an annual holiday audience on video and TV. No cause of death was given.

Actress Melinda Dillon, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for the movies "A Christmas Story" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," has died, ...

Melinda Dillon, known for her roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, A Christmas Story, and Absence of Malice, has passed away at the age of 83.

Although she couldn't make it back for the sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas, she was an integral part of the family as Mrs. For many families, Dillon entered their homes every Christmas as part of the comedic and heartwarming holiday classic A Christmas Story. Before gracing screens everywhere, Dillon was a talented actress on Broadway, exploding onto the scene with her Tony-nominated performance as Honey in the original 1963 production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Melinda Dillon was nominated for two Oscars, a Tony Award and a Golden Globe during her career.

Long before she played the role of Mother Parker in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story, Dillon had already been nominated for a Tony Award for the original 1962 production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She is survived by their son, Richard Libertini Jr. Julie Newmar, and Magnolia.

Dillon is celebrated for her role as Jillian Guiler in Steven Spielberg's “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), for which she earned an Oscar ...

She also acted in “Paul Sill’s Story Theater” and “You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running.” Her most recent appearances were in “Heartland” in 2007, and before that in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” (1999) as Rose Gator. Dillon is celebrated for her role as Jillian Guiler in Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), for which she earned an Oscar nomination for supporting actress.

Actress Melinda Dillon, famously known for her role in 'A Christmas Story', died on Jan. 9, People Magazine reported Friday night.

While a lot of the scenes from the film were shot in the area, [obituary](https://obituaries.neptunesociety.com/obituaries/san-pedro-ca/melinda-dillon-11110599) put together by her family which states that Dillon, of Los Angeles, died on Jan. [Are you ‘A Christmas Story’ expert? Test your knowledge of the classic movie](https://www.cleveland.com/movies/2022/12/are-you-a-christmas-story-expert-test-your-knowledge-of-the-classic-movie.html) [‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ review: Sequel nearly 40 years in the making tests the limits of nostalgia](https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/11/a-christmas-story-christmas-review-sequel-nearly-40-years-in-the-making-tests-the-limits-of-nostalgia.html) [‘A Christmas Story’ fun facts: 20 things you might not know about the film and its Cleveland connections](https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/11/a-christmas-story-fun-facts-20-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-film-and-its-cleveland-connections.html) [Peter Billingsley is back as Ralphie, talking ‘A Christmas Story,’ cold nights in Cleveland, and that new HBO Max sequel](https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/11/peter-billingsley-is-back-as-ralphie-talking-a-christmas-story-cold-nights-in-cleveland-and-that-new-hbo-max-sequel.html) No details have been released on the cause of death. Melinda Dillon, who was best known for her role as Mother Parker in the 1983 film “A Christmas Story,” has died at the age of 83,

Ms. Dillon appeared on Broadway in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and in films including "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

The whole kitchen blew up.” “And the kitchen flew apart. A break came when a performer fell ill and Ms. Dillon said the kitchen bedlam scene in “Close Encounters” was a one-take wonder. [ “Slap Shot,” ](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076723/)a 1977 hockey comedy starring Paul Newman, and alongside John Lithgow in [“Harry and the Hendersons” ](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093148/)(1987) as a family with a Sasquatch in tow. [Chinese restaurant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTq20prt0K8), she was not told the Peking duck would come with its head. Gachman urged viewers of the Christmas watch-list staple to give more due to Ms. “I’ll be rooting for the mom, and imagining a deleted scene where she kicks up her feet, has that Tom Collins and gets a quiet moment all to herself,” she wrote. “They got him,” Ms. “One look at her disheveled hair and shabby robe and exasperated stare and I thought: This woman is a damn hero,” she wrote in the New York Times in 2020. (Another famous scene is Dreyfuss’s character piling [mashed potatoes ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdkS0TgEG30)into a glob resembling Devil’s Tower.) “I guess I just wasn’t prepared for it all to happen so quickly in New York,” she said.