Melinda Dillon Net Worth: What Roles Was She Best Known for?

Melinda Dillon is an American actress who has starred in numerous cult classics like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and A Christmas Story. She has received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for her work in these movies. Her acting career covers over half a century, including film, television, and the stage. This page has been revised to include the most recent information about Melinda Dillon net worth.

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Melinda Dillon Net Worth

Melinda Dillon is an American actress who has a net worth of $3 million.  In October 1939, Hope, Arkansas, birthed Melinda Dillon. She married Richard Libertini from 1963 to 1978. She starred in the 1963 Broadway version of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and was nominated for a Tony. Dillon played Mary in the 1976 picture Bound for Glory and was nominated for a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year – Actress.

She was nominated for an Oscar and a Saturn Award for playing Jillian Guiler in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Melinda Dillon was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1981 for her role as Teresa in the absence of Malice. Harry and the Hendersons’ Nancy Henderson earned her a Saturn Award nomination.

Magnolia’s Rose Gator, played by Melinda Dillon, was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. State of Emergency earned her a CableACE nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. F.I.S.T., A Christmas Story, and The Prince of Tides starring Melinda Dillon.

Who was Melinda Dillon?

On October 13, 1939, Melinda Dillon made her debut into the world in Hope, Arkansas. Before graduating high school, she had spent her childhood on military posts in Arkansas, Germany, and Chicago. After she received her diploma, she secured a job at Second City, a well-known comedy club in Chicago, where she worked as a coat check girl. While working for the club, she volunteered to participate in a skit, giving her her first taste of the performing world.

Melinda Dillon Early Life

Hope, Arkansas, is where Dillon was born on October 13, 1939, while Cullman, Alabama, is where he spent his childhood. Following his return to the United States after serving in the German military for four years, Dillon enrolled in Hyde Park High School and the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now known as DePaul University).

What Roles Was Melinda Dillon Best Known for?

She left for New York City in 1963 to pursue a career in theatre. That’s precisely what she did when she was nominated for a Tony Award for her first big Broadway performance as Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Melinda’s acting career began on stage, but she eventually moved to Los Angeles to play Ralphie Parker’s mom in the film adaptation of the beloved holiday classic, A Christmas Story.

When Ralphie begs her for a BB gun, she famously responds, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, directed by Steven Spielberg, she plays a woman who becomes fixated on finding a way to communicate with aliens after they abduct her son.

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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ Actress and Two-time Oscar Nominee Melinda Dillon Dies at 83

Actress Melinda Dillon, 83, passed away at her Los Angeles home, her family announced. Dillon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice. For reasons of privacy, Dillon’s family waited until today, February 3rd, to announce his passing.

Everyone looked up to and wanted to collaborate with Dillon, but despite being nominated for multiple Oscars, she was never recognized for her acting prowess. Dillon’s first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress was for her role as Jillian Guiler in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg‘s film about the abduction of a young child, Barry, by extraterrestrial beings.

Melinda Dillon, ‘Close Encounters,’ ‘A Christmas Story’ star, dead at 83 https://t.co/DGVuFOGQdN pic.twitter.com/KtfTRPMAHx

— New York Post (@nypost) February 3, 2023

Her first nomination came in 1963 for her performance in the original Broadway production Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Her second nomination came four years later, in 1981, for her role as Teresa in the absence of Malice. A Christmas Story fans will never forget her endearing portrayal of Mother Parker.

She Earned the Respect of Her Peers in the Industry

Dillon won respect and admiration of her contemporaries with films like Norman Jewison’s F.I.S.T. (1978), Barbra Streisand’s The Prince of Tides (1991), and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia (1999), and many of her colleagues expressed their condolences and fond memories of her on social media.

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

While directing her in The Prince of Tides, Barbra Streisand penned: “I’ve always thought Melinda Dillon was a fantastic actress because she had such a lovely grace and subtlety to her performances. For Prince of Tides, she was a joy to work with. She deserves peace.”

Posted by: Jon Cryer “The writing of Melinda Dillon had a huge impact on my life. Her work in Close Encounters was flawless throughout. I appreciate her willingness to share her talent with the world.” Williams treated her to a Twitter tribute: “Melinda Dillon, farewell. As one would expect, she was modest and pleasant to deal with. In other words, a pro. RIP.”