According to a cremation service in Long Beach, California, actress Melinda Dillon, who was nominated for an Oscar two separate times and was best known for her roles in the films “A Christmas Story” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” has passed away. Her age was 83.
According to Neptune Society, who handled Dillon’s cremation arrangements, Dillon passed away on January 9. There was no indication of what caused the death. On Friday, news of her passing spread to a large audience.
In the Christmas classic “A Christmas Story,” in which a little boy pines for a toy gun, she portrayed the role of the kid’s mother. It was first made available to the public in 1983, and it has since gained a following among those who watch holiday programming on video and television.
Prior to it, she had been nominated for an Academy Award twice in the category of Best Supporting Actress. In the film “Close Encounters,” directed by Steven Spielberg, a mother seeks for her missing son after extraterrestrials kidnap him. In addition, she portrays a companion of Paul Newman who is tortured by a reporter’s portrayal of her abortion in the film “Absence of Malice.”
In addition, she had roles in the films Slap Shot, Harry and the Hendersons, and Bound for Glory, as well as episodes of the television programmes Judging Amy and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Source: Page Six
Before he became successful in the film industry, Dillon was on Broadway in the 1960s in the original cast of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and was considered for a Tony Award nomination.
Twitter was flooded with condolences from Hollywood professionals and fans.
“Melinda Dillon was such a superb actor, and she possessed a tremendous delicacy all around her. In the role of Princess Tiana, she was a pleasure to direct. May God grant her eternal rest, “Barbra Streisand wrote.
It was written by Lou Diamond Phillips: “The news of Melinda Dillon’s demise has left me in indescribable amounts of sorrow. My second directorial attempt, Sioux City, featured her as the character of my adoptive mother. What a Source of Light and Blessing it is. Because her job appeared so smooth, it was simple to ignore how exceptionally talented she was. It makes me realise how fortunate I am to have known her. RIP.”.
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