Person · Actress · Active 1962–2012
Melinda Dillon
1939–2023, Hope
American actress, born in Hope. Nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Appeared in 18 films on this site, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Prince of Tides (1991) and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995). Among the 83 actors and directors Melinda Dillon shares films with on this site, the most frequent are M. Emmet Walsh (3 films), Paul Newman (2) and Martin Sheen (2).
She was nominated for a 1963 Tony Award for her Broadway debut in the original production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Absence of Malice (1981).
Melinda Dillon · authors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Partners by shared films
Who Melinda Dillon made films with
Directors
Co-stars
- 3M. Emmet Walsh actorBound for Glory, Slap Shot, Harry and the Hendersons
- 2Paul Newman actorSlap Shot, Absence of Malice
- 2Martin Sheen actorEntertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
- 2David Carradine actorBound for Glory, The Effects of Magic
- 2Stockard Channing actressStaying Together, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
- 2Blythe Danner actressThe Prince of Tides, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
1 more partner with two or more films
One film together
- The April Fools 1969Catherine Deneuve, Jack Lemmon, Charles Boyer, Myrna Loy, Sally Kellerman, Peter Lawford
- Bound for Glory 1976Randy Quaid, James Hong
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977François Truffaut, Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Carl Weathers, Lance Henriksen
- F.I.S.T. 1978Sylvester Stallone, Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle, Brian Dennehy
- Absence of Malice 1981Sally Field, Wilford Brimley
- Songwriter 1984Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Rip Torn, Lesley Ann Warren, Gailard Sartain
- Harry and the Hendersons 1987John Lithgow, David Suchet, Don Ameche
- Staying Together 1989Sean Astin, Dermot Mulroney
- Captain America 1990Ned Beatty
- Spontaneous Combustion 1990Brad Dourif, John Landis
- The Prince of Tides 1991George Carlin, Nick Nolte, Jeroen Krabbé
- To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar 1995Robin Williams, Naomi Campbell, Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, RuPaul, Chris Penn, Michael Vartan
- Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story 1996Heather Graham, Moira Kelly
- The Effects of Magic 1998Kathy Bates, Robert Carradine
- Adam & Steve 2005Parker Posey, Kristen Schaal, Sally Kirkland
- Reign Over Me 2007Donald Sutherland, Adam Sandler, John de Lancie, Liv Tyler, Joey King, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cicely Tyson, Jonathan Banks, Saffron Burrows, B. J. Novak
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 2012Keira Knightley, Steve Carell, Patton Oswalt, Adam Brody, Amy Schumer, Connie Britton, William Petersen, Melanie Lynskey
Films in this guide
Best known
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977actress, as Jillian Guiler
- The Prince of Tides 1991actress
- To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar 1995actress
- Reign Over Me 2007actress
- Bound for Glory 1976actress, as Mary / Memphis Sue
- Captain America 1990actress
1960s
- The April Fools (1969)actress
1970s
- Bound for Glory (1976)actress, as Mary / Memphis Sue
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)actress, as Jillian Guiler
- Slap Shot (1977)actress
- F.I.S.T. (1978)actress
1980s
- Absence of Malice (1981)actress
- Songwriter (1984)actress
- Harry and the Hendersons (1987)actress
- Staying Together (1989)actress
1990s
2000s
- Adam & Steve (2005)actress
- Reign Over Me (2007)actress