Griffin Dunne

Ellen Griffin

John Gregory Dunne (uncle) Joan Didion (aunt)

Thomas Griffin Dunne (; born June 8, 1955) is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his performances on film and television, he has received nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Primetime Emmy Award.

Dunne is the oldest child of journalist Dominick Dunne and activist Ellen Beatriz and studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He made his film-acting debut in The Other Side of the Mountain (1975). He portrayed Jack Goodman in the John Landis comedy horror film An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Paul Hackett in Martin Scorsese's black comedy After Hours (1985), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He also acted in supporting roles in My Girl (1991), Straight Talk (1992), Quiz Show (1994), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), The French Dispatch (2021), and Caught Stealing (2025).

As a filmmaker, he made his directorial debut with the short Duke of Groove (1995), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He made his feature-length directorial debut with Addicted to Love (1997) followed by Practical Magic (1998) and The Accidental Husband (2008). He also directed the Netflix documentary Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017). On television, he guest-starred on Frasier for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He also took guest roles in House of Lies (2013–2014), I Love Dick (2016–2017), This Is Us (2018–2022), Goliath (2019–2021), and Only Murders in the Building (2024).

Early life

Thomas Griffin Dunne was born on June 8, 1955, in New York City. He is the oldest child of Ellen Beatriz (née Griffin) and Dominick Dunne. His father was born and raised in an Irish Catholic family, while his maternal grandfather was Irish-American and his maternal grandmother was from Sonora, Mexico. He is the older brother of Alexander and Dominique Dunne. His mother founded the victims' rights organization Justice for Homicide Victims after Dominique's murder in 1982. His father was a journalist, producer, writer, and actor. He is also a nephew of writers John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion. Raised in Los Angeles, Dunne attended the Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts, and Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, where he developed an interest in acting, appearing in many school plays. He was scheduled to perform in a school production of Othello, when on the eve of a performance, a teacher found him smoking marijuana. Dunne was subsequently expelled and moved back to New York City to pursue his acting interests. He studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre under Sanford Meisner.

Career

Acting

Dunne began his professional acting career at age 19 with a small, supporting role in The Other Side of the Mountain in 1975. He has since appeared on both film and television, starring in An American Werewolf in London (1981) as Jack Goodman, Johnny Dangerously (1984) as Tommy Kelly, After Hours (1985) as Paul Hackett, Who's That Girl (1987) as Loudon Trott opposite Madonna, My Girl (1991) as Jake Bixler, Quiz Show (1994) as the Geritol Account Executive, Game 6 (2005) as Elliott Litvak, and I Like It Like That (1994) as Stephen Price. Dunne also played Dr. Vass, opposite Matthew McConaughey, in the Oscar-winning 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club.

Dunne's television appearances include Frasier (pilot episode "The Good Son" as caller Russell, and in season three, episode 11 "The Friend" as Bob), Saturday Night Live, Alias, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (episodes "Jones", "Country Crossover", and "Players"). He portrayed Tony Mink in the comedy Trust Me on TNT. In 2012, Dunne guest-starred as management consultant Marco Pelios in seven episodes of the premiere season of the Showtime TV series House of Lies.

In 2018, he joined the cast of This is Us, in which he starred as Nicky Pearson, Jack Pearson's brother, until the series concluded in 2022.

Producing

Dunne's first experience as a producer was the successful 1982 film Chilly Scenes of Winter, an adaptation of the 1976 novel of the same name by Ann Beattie. Dunne and his co-producers, Amy Robinson and Mark Metcalf, had formed their production company, Triple Play Productions, in the late 1970s and optioned Beattie's book after agreeing to her stipulation that she be given a role. The film had a less-than-successful short run in theaters when it was released three years earlier with a "happy" ending and an alternate title, at the insistence of the distributor, United Artists. The trio persevered to have the film re-released with a more realistic ending and the same title as the book, which proved more successful.

Directing

Dunne's directorial debut was the 1995 short film Duke of Groove. For it, Dunne received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, along with producer Thom Colwell.

Since then, he has directed five feature films, including Addicted to Love (1997) and Practical Magic (1998). He also directed one segment of the 2013 anthology sex comedy film Movie 43, which later earned him a Razzie. Dunne produced and directed Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017), a documentary about his aunt, author Joan Didion, whom Dunne interviews and with whom he appears on screen.

Writing

Dunne has written articles for The New York Times Travel section, Details magazine, and Porter magazine, and has a Kindle Single collection of short stories on Amazon called "Air Guitar". His NYT best-selling family memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club, was released on June 11, 2024.

Personal life

Dunne was married to American actress Carey Lowell from 1989 to 1995. They had one daughter together, actress Hannah Dunne.

He was married to Anna Bingemann, an Australian stylist, from 2009 to 2010.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Syme, Rachel. (October 24, 2017). "Their Love Letter to Aunt Joan (Didion)". [[The New York Times]].
2. (January 13, 1997). "Paid Notice: Deaths DUNNE, ELLEN GRIFFIN". The New York Times.
3. (August 28, 2009). "Celebrity Author And Hartford Native Dominick Dunne Dies At Age 83 -- Courant.com".
4. (November 3, 1997). "Paid Notice: Deaths DUNNE, ELLEN GRIFFIN". The New York Times.
5. "Griffin Dunne Biography (1955-)".
6. Nathan, Jean. (May 18, 1997). "He's Adding Director to His List of Credits". The New York Times.
7. "A conversation with Griffin Dunne".
8. "Alumni".
9. Radish, Christian. (January 20, 2013). "Griffin Dunne Talks Directing a Segment in Comedy Anthology MOVIE 43, Matthew McConaughey's Weight Loss in DALLAS BUYER'S CLUB, and More".
10. Atlas, James. (October 10, 1982). "How 'Chilly Scenes' Was Rescued". [[New York Times]] Books section.
11. Malooley, Jake. (August 16, 2023). "AFTER HOURS takeover edition".
12. Westarp, Elaine (April 12, 1990). "[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/656000679 Producer leaves town with babe]". ''The News and Observer''. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com. "Hannah Beatriz Dunne, 8 pounds, 12 ounces made her Carolina debut at 3:17 a.m. Sunday at Rex Hospital."
13. (June 15, 2010). "Done and Dunne! Interior Designer Woos New York Royalty with Soho Loft".
14. (September 4, 2024). "Griffin Dunne Joins Darren Aronofsky's ''Caught Stealing''".
15. "Griffin Dunne".