Dominique Dunne

Early life and education

Dunne was born in Santa Monica, California, the youngest child of Ellen Beatriz "Lenny" (née Griffin), a ranching heiress, and Dominick Dunne, a writer, producer, and actor. Dunne had Irish and Mexican ancestry. Dominick was born and raised in an Irish Catholic family to an Irish-American father and his wife, who was from Sonora, Mexico. Dunne had two older brothers, Alexander "Alex" and Griffin Dunne, who is an actor, producer and director. She was also the niece of married writers John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion. Her godparents were Maria Cooper-Janis, daughter of actors Gary Cooper and Veronica "Rocky" Cooper, and producer Martin Manulis. Her parents divorced in 1965.

Dunne attended Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, and Fountain Valley School in Fountain, Colorado. After graduation, she spent a year in Florence, Italy, where she studied art and learned Italian. She studied acting at Milton Katselas' Workshop and appeared in various stage productions, including West Side Story, The Mousetrap, and My Three Angels.

Career

Dunne's first role was in the 1979 television film, Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker. She then got supporting roles in episodes of popular 1980s television series, such as Lou Grant, Family, Hart to Hart, and Fame. Dunne also had a recurring role on the comedy-drama television series, Breaking Away, and she also appeared in several other television films.

After her television appearances, in 1981, Dunne was cast in the supernatural horror film Poltergeist in the main role of Dana Freeling, the teenaged daughter of a couple whose family is terrorized by malevolent ghosts. The film was produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper, and served as her feature film debut. Poltergeist was theatrically released in 1982, which marks both her first starring role and her only appearance in a theatrical feature. It went on to become a critical and commercial success, becoming the eighth highest grossing film of 1982, and since its release it has acquired a cult following. She was set to reprise the role in the following installments of the franchise, but she died before production began on the sequels; Poltergeist II: The Other Side, filmed in 1985 and released in 1986, explains her character's absence by stating that she has gone off to attend college.

Her last on-screen appearance was in the Hill Street Blues episode "Requiem for a Hairbag", which aired on November 18, 1982, only two weeks after her death. In the episode, she played a teenaged mother who was a victim of parental abuse and chose to give her baby up for adoption, out of fear of repeating the cycle of abuse that she endured with her own mother; due to an altercation with her abusive partner John Sweeney that occurred just before the episode was filmed, her bruises on screen were real. The episode was dedicated to her memory.

Dunne was cast in the miniseries V in 1982; she died during filming, so her role was portrayed by actress Blair Tefkin. According to series creator Kenneth Johnson, recovered footage of Dunne was used in a cameo appearance. The series was released in 1983, and is dedicated to her memory.

Death

Main article: Murder of Dominique Dunne

Dunne met John Thomas Sweeney, a sous-chef at the restaurant Ma Maison, at a party in 1981. After a few weeks of dating, they moved into a one-bedroom house together on Rangely Avenue in West Hollywood. The relationship quickly deteriorated due to Sweeney's jealousy and possessiveness.

On October 30, 1982, Sweeney strangled Dunne outside of her home. She was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she was placed on life support. She never regained consciousness. On November 4, her parents consented to have her removed from life support. At the request of her mother, Dunne's kidneys and heart were donated to transplant recipients. Her funeral was held on November 6 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Her godfather, Martin Manulis, delivered the eulogy. She was buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

Filmography

References

Works cited

References

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2. (December 3, 1986). "Strangled Actress : Did Slayer's Penalty Fit His Crime?".
3. (January 13, 1997). "Paid Notice: Deaths DUNNE, ELLEN GRIFFIN". The New York Times.
4. (August 28, 2009). "Celebrity Author And Hartford Native Dominick Dunne Dies At Age 83 -- Courant.com".
5. (November 5, 1982). "Actress Dominique Dunne Dies After Choking Attack". Daytona Beach Morning Journal.
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9. (November 4, 2019). "Remembering the Tragic Murder of 'Poltergeist' Star Dominique Dunne".
10. quint. "Click over, children! All are welcome! All welcome! Quint interviews Zelda Rubinstein!!!!".
11. Kyriazis, Stefan. (July 19, 2017). "Steven Spielberg SECRETLY directed Poltergeist for TWO very sneaky reasons: This is why".
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16. Boyar, Jay. (May 31, 1986). "MISSING IN ACTION: HOW SEQUEL-MAKERS DO WITHOUT STARS".
17. Macias, Gil. (July 8, 2020). "The Tragic Real-Life Story Of The Poltergeist Cast".
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20. (March 1984). "Vanity Fair".
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22. Arnold, Roxane. (February 18, 1987). "Actress' killer free, but victim's family still suffers". The Courier.
23. Darrach, Brad. (October 10, 1983). "An American Tragedy That Brought Death to Actress Dominique Dunne Now Brings Outrage to Her Family". People.
24. (November 1, 1982). "Actress Listed In Critical Condition". Toledo Blade.
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27. Pool, Bob. (April 15, 2002). "Westwood Fears Dead Could Lie Too Close; Cemetery: The owner of the resting place for Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon wants to build at property lines". Los Angeles Times.