Melinda Dillon, an actor who had been nominated for both the Oscar and the Tony Award, passed away on January 9. She is most known for her role as Mother Parker in “A Christmas Story,” as well as her appearances in “Magnolia” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Her age was 83.
The Neptune Society informed its members of her passing away.
Dillon is well-known for her performance as Jillian Guiler in the 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” directed by Steven Spielberg. For this portrayal, she was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of supporting actress.
She was nominated for a second time for supporting actress in 1982 for her performance as Teresa in “Absence of Malice,” which was directed by Sydney Pollack (1981).
She was recognized with a nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Debut at the Golden Globe Awards in 1977 for her performance in Hal Ashby’s “Bound for Glory” (1976).
After appearing in the holiday classic “A Christmas Story” (1983) directed by Bob Clark, the actor went on to star in “Harry and the Hendersons” (1987), “Captain America” (1990), and “Nightbreaker.” Her role as the matriarch of the Parker family earned her critical acclaim (1989).
Her most recent roles were in the 2007 film “Heartland,” and prior to that, she played the role of Rose Gator in the 1999 film “Magnolia,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
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In Chicago’s “The Second City,” where Dillon got his start in the entertainment industry, he was a stage actor and improv comic.
Honey, the character that the actor performed in the first production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf” by Edward Albee in 1962, earned her a nomination for a Tony Award as a featured performer in a play. In addition, she appeared in productions of “Paul Sill’s Story Theater” and “You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running.”
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Her debut in the feature film world came in 1969 with “The April Fools.” Her body of work in television includes appearances in episodes of “Bonanza” (1969), “The Twilight Zone” (1985), and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2005).
Melinda Dillon was such a great actress, with a wonderful delicacy about her. She was a delight to direct in Prince of Tides. May she rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/CuLJRlAP93
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) February 4, 2023
The actor was reared in Cullman, Alabama, but he spent four years in Germany before graduating from high school in Chicago. He was born in Hope, Arkansas, on October 13, 1939, although he moved to Alabama when he was young.
She holds a degree in acting from the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (which is now at DePaul University). Dillon was previously married to the actor Richard Libertini, but the couple split up in 1978.
