Dominick John Dunne
(October 29, 1925 – August 26, 2009) was an American writer, investigative journalist, and producer. He began his career in film and television as a producer of the pioneering gay film ''
The Boys in the Band'' (1970) and as the producer of the award-winning drug film ''
The Panic in Needle Park
''The Panic in Needle Park'' is a 1971 American drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino (in his first lead role) and Kitty Winn. The screenplay was written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, adapted from the 1966 novel ...
'' (1971). He turned to writing in the early 1970s, and after the 1982 murder of his daughter
Dominique
"Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-bo ...
, began to write about the interaction of wealth and high society with the judicial system. Dunne was a frequent contributor to ''
Vanity Fair'', and, beginning in the 1980s, often appeared on television discussing crime.
Early life
Dunne was born in 1925 in
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, the second of six children of Richard Edwin Dunne, a hospital chief of staff and a heart surgeon, and Dorothy Frances (née Burns).
His maternal grandfather, Dominick Francis Burns (1857–1940), was a successful grocer, who, in 1919, co-founded the Park Street Trust Company, a neighborhood savings bank. Although his
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...
family was affluent, Dunne recalled feeling like an outsider in the predominantly
WASP
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
West Hartford
West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census.
The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...
suburb where he grew up.
As a boy, Dunne was known as Nicky. He attended the
Kingswood School
(''In The Right Way Quickly'')
, established =
, closed =
, type = Independent
, religious_affiliation = Methodist
, president =
, head_label = Headmaste ...
and the
Canterbury School in
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is t ...
,
but was drafted into the Army during his senior year of high school. Dunne served in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and received the
Bronze Star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
for heroism during the
Battle of Metz
The Battle of Metz was a battle fought during World War II at the city of Metz, France, from late September 1944 through mid-December as part of the Lorraine Campaign between the U.S. Third Army commanded by Lieutenant General George Patton and ...
. After the war, he attended
Williams College
Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...
, from which he graduated in 1949.
Dunne was the older brother of writer
John Gregory Dunne
John Gregory Dunne (May 25, 1932 – December 30, 2003) was an American writer. He began his career as a journalist for ''Time'' magazine before expanding into writing criticism, essays, novels, and screenplays. He often collaborated with his wif ...
(1932–2003), a screenwriter and a critic who married the writer
Joan Didion
Joan Didion (; December 5, 1934 – December 23, 2021) was an American writer. Along with Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson and Gay Talese, she is considered one of the pioneers of New Journalism. Didion's career began in the 1950s after she won an ...
. The brothers wrote a column for ''
The Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' and they also collaborated on the production of ''
The Panic in Needle Park
''The Panic in Needle Park'' is a 1971 American drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino (in his first lead role) and Kitty Winn. The screenplay was written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, adapted from the 1966 novel ...
.'' Didion and John Gregory Dunne wrote the screenplay, while Dominick Dunne produced the film (which featured
Al Pacino
Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...
in his first leading role).
Career
After graduating from Williams College, Dunne moved to New York City, where he became a stage manager for television. Later,
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
brought him to Hollywood to work on the television version of ''
The Petrified Forest
''The Petrified Forest'' is a 1936 American film directed by Archie Mayo and based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1935 Broadway drama of the same name. The motion picture stars Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay was written ...
''. Dunne worked on ''
Playhouse 90
''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...
'' and became vice president of
Four Star Television
Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer, and Joel McCrea, it was insp ...
. He frequently socialized with members of Hollywood's elite, including
Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1932 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She is best remembered for her leading role as the witch Samantha Stephens on the televisi ...
and
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
, but in 1979, beset with addictions, he left Hollywood and moved to rural
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. There, he said, he overcame his personal demons and wrote his first book, ''The Two Mrs. Grenvilles.''
In November 1982, his daughter,
Dominique Dunne
Dominique Ellen Dunne (November 23, 1959 – November 4, 1982) was an American actress. Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, Dunne studied acting at Milton Katselas' Workshop, where she appeared in stage productions. She made her ...
, best known for her part in the film ''
Poltergeist
In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...
'', was murdered by strangulation. Dominick Dunne attended the trial of John Thomas Sweeney, Dominique's ex-boyfriend. Sweeney was convicted of
voluntary manslaughter
Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human being in which the offender acted during ''the heat of passion'', under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed to the point that they cannot ...
and sentenced to six and a half years in prison, but he only served two and a half years of his sentence. Dunne's article "Justice: A Father's Account of the Trial of his Daughter's Killer" ran in the March 1984 issue of ''
Vanity Fair''.
Dunne started writing regularly for ''Vanity Fair''. He based several bestselling novels on real events, including the murders of
Alfred Bloomingdale's mistress,
Vicki Morgan
Victoria Lynn Morgan (August 9, 1952 – July 7, 1983) was the mistress of Alfred S. Bloomingdale, heir to the Bloomingdale's department store fortune. The details of their tumultuous relationship became known after Morgan sued Bloomingdale's est ...
(''An Inconvenient Woman''), and banking heir
William Woodward, Jr.
William Woodward Jr. (June 12, 1920 – October 31, 1955) was the heir to the Hanover National Bank fortune (later Manufacturer's Hanover), the Belair Estate and stud farm and legacy,
and a leading figure in racing circles before he was s ...
, who was shot by his wife,
Ann Woodward
Ann Eden Woodward (born Evangeline Lucille Crowell; December 12, 1915 – October 10, 1975) was an American socialite, showgirl, model, and radio actress. In 1940, while working as a nightclub dancer and radio actress, she was voted "The Most Bea ...
(''The Two Mrs. Grenvilles''). He eventually hosted the TV series ''
Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice
''Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice'' is an American crime TV series that examined real-life cases of crime, passion, and greed involving privileged or famous people. The episodes were shown on truTV (formerly Court TV) and on Star ...
'' on
Court TV
Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former cable television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news cove ...
(later
truTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows.
The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...
), in which he discussed the justice and injustice of the intersection of celebrity and the judicial system. He covered the famous trials of
O. J. Simpson,
Claus von Bülow
Claus von Bülow (born Claus Cecil Borberg; 11 August 1926 – 25 May 2019) was a Danish-born British lawyer, consultant and socialite. In 1982, he was convicted of both the attempted murder of his wife Sunny von Bülow (born Martha Sharp ...
,
Michael Skakel
Martha Elizabeth Moxley (August 16, 1960 – October 30, 1975) was a 15-year-old American high school student from Greenwich, Connecticut, who was murdered in 1975. Moxley was last seen alive spending time at the home of the Skakel fa ...
,
William Kennedy Smith
William Kennedy Smith (born September 4, 1960) is an American physician and a member of the Kennedy family who founded an organization focused on land mines and the rehabilitation of landmine victims. He is known for being charged with rape in a ...
, and the
Menendez brothers
Joseph Lyle Menendez (born January 10, 1968) and Erik Galen Menendez (born November 27, 1970) are American brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Mary Louise ("Kitty") Menéndez.
During the trial, the Me ...
.
The Library of America
The Library of America (LOA) is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature. Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LOA has published over 300 volumes by authors rangi ...
selected Dunne's account of the Menendez trial, ''Nightmare on Elm Drive'', for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American true crime writing, published in 2008.
In 2005, former California
Congressman
A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
Gary Condit
Gary Adrian Condit (born April 21, 1948) is an American former politician who represented California's 18th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003. He gained significant national attention for an extramarital af ...
won an undisclosed financial settlement and an apology from Dunne, who had earlier implicated him in the disappearance of Condit's intern
Chandra Levy
Chandra Ann Levy (April 14, 1977 – May 1, 2001) was an internship, intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., who disappeared in May 2001. She was presumed murdered after her skeletal remains were found in Rock Creek P ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Levy was from Condit's Congressional district, and Condit had previously admitted to an extramarital affair with her. As part of the settlement, Dunne issued a brief statement that it was not his intention “to imply that Mr. Condit was complicit in Levy’s disappearance." In November 2006, Condit again sued Dunne for comments Dunne made about him on ''
Larry King Live
''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly.
Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles s ...
'' on
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
. This lawsuit was eventually dismissed.
Throughout his life, Dunne frequently socialized with, wrote about, and was photographed with celebrities. Sean Elder's review of Dunne's memoir, ''The Way We Lived Then'', recounted how Dunne appeared at a wedding reception for
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...
, writing, "But in the midst of it all, there was one man who was getting what ceramic artist
Ron Nagle
Ron Nagle (born February 21, 1939) is an American sculptor, musician and songwriter. He is known for small-scale, refined sculptures of great detail and compelling color.
Nagle lives and works in San Francisco, California.
Life
Born in San Fr ...
would call 'the full cheese,' one guy everyone gravitated toward and paid obeisance to."
That man was Dunne, who mixed easily with artists, actors, and writers present at the function. Dunne was quoted as saying that Hopper wished he "had a picture of myself with
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...
and
Norman Mailer
Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...
."
In 2008, at age 82, Dunne traveled from New York to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
to cover
O. J. Simpson's trial on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery for ''Vanity Fair''. He said it would be his last such assignment. Having reported on Simpson's first trial and having thought the judicial system failed the families of
Nicole Brown Simpson
Nicole Brown Simpson (née Brown; May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994) was the ex-wife of the former professional American football player, O. J. Simpson, to whom she was married from 1985 to 1992. She was the mother of their two children, Sydney an ...
and
Ron Goldman
Ronald Lyle Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994) was an American restaurant waiter and a friend of Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of the American football player O.J. Simpson. He was murdered, along with Brown, at her home in Los Angele ...
—as well as his own family after his daughter's murder—he was personally vested in Simpson's fate.
Dunne's adventures in Hollywood were described in the documentary film ''
Dominick Dunne: After the Party'' (2008), directed by Kirsty de Garis and Timothy Jolley. The film documents his hardships and successes in the entertainment industry. In the film, Dunne reflects on his past as a World War II veteran, falling in love and raising a family, his climb and fall as a Hollywood producer, and his comeback as a writer. In 2002, director Barry Avrich released an unauthorized documentary about Dunne, ''Guilty Pleasure''. It provides a more candid look at Dunne's life and includes those who took issue with his journalistic style. It was released globally and featured
Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr.Adam Bernstei ''The Washington Post'', March 30, 2005; retrieved April 17, 2006. (; October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal ...
,
Griffin Dunne
Thomas Griffin Dunne (; born June 8, 1955) is an American actor, film producer, and film director. Dunne studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. He is known for portraying Jack Goodman in '' An Amer ...
, and producer
David Brown.
Final years and tribute
In September 2008, Dunne disclosed that he was being treated for
bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become mali ...
. At the time of his death, he was working on ''Too Much Money''. On September 22, 2008, Dunne complained of intense pain, and was taken by ambulance to
Valley Hospital. He died on August 26, 2009, at his home in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and was buried at Cove Cemetery, in the shadow of
Gillette Castle in
Hadlyme, Connecticut
The Hadlyme North Historic District is an Historic district (United States), historic district located in the southwest corner of the town of East Haddam, Connecticut (just north of the town line with Lyme, Connecticut, Lyme). It represents the ...
.
On October 29, 2009 (what would have been Dunne's 84th birthday), many of his family and friends gathered at the
Chateau Marmont
The Chateau Marmont is a hotel located at 8221 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The hotel was designed by architects Arnold A. Weitzman and William Douglas Lee and completed in 1929. It was modeled loosely after the Château d'Amboise ...
to celebrate his life. ''
Vanity Fair'' paid tribute to Dunne and his extensive contributions to the magazine in its November 2009 issue.
Family
Dunne was married to
Ellen Beatriz Griffin from 1954 to 1965. He was the father of Alexander Dunne and the actors
Griffin Dunne
Thomas Griffin Dunne (; born June 8, 1955) is an American actor, film producer, and film director. Dunne studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. He is known for portraying Jack Goodman in '' An Amer ...
and
Dominique Dunne
Dominique Ellen Dunne (November 23, 1959 – November 4, 1982) was an American actress. Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, Dunne studied acting at Milton Katselas' Workshop, where she appeared in stage productions. She made her ...
, as well as two daughters who died in infancy.
Dominique Dunne, most known for her role in the film
''Poltergeist'', was strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend, John Sweeney, on November 4, 1982.
Dominick Dunne covered Sweeney's trial for ''Vanity Fair'', and alongside the rest of his family, expressed his outrage when Sweeney was acquitted of second-degree murder in favor of voluntary manslaughter.
Bibliography
*''The Winners'' - (March 17, 1982). Simon & Schuster.
*''
The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
''The Two Mrs. Grenvilles'' is a 1987 television miniseries based on Dominick Dunne's 1985 novel of the same name and dramatizing the sensational killing of William Woodward, Jr. by his wife, Ann Woodward in 1955. Directed by John Erman, the min ...
'' - (January 2, 1986). Crown Publishing Group.
*''Fatal Charms: And Other Tales of Today'' - (January 6, 1987). Crown Publishing Group.
*''People Like Us'' - (May 28, 1988). Crown Publishing Group.
*''
An Inconvenient Woman'' - (May 19, 1990). Crown Publishers.
*''The Mansions of Limbo'' - (July 30, 1991). Crown Publishers.
*''
A Season in Purgatory
''A Season in Purgatory'' is a 1993 novel by Dominick Dunne. It was inspired by the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley, for which Ethel Skakel Kennedy's nephew Michael Skakel was eventually convicted. Dunne became fascinated with the story after coveri ...
'' - (May 27, 1993). Bantam Press.
*''
Another City, Not My Own
''Another City, Not My Own'' is a 1997 novel by Dominick Dunne. The roman à clef, subtitled ''A Novel in the Form of a Memoir'', was inspired by Dunne's experiences in Los Angeles while covering the O.J. Simpson murder trial for '' Vanity Fair'' ...
'' - (November 9, 1997) Crown Publishers.
*''The Way We Lived Then: Recollections of a Well-known Name Dropper'' - (September 28, 1999). Crown Publishers.
*''Justice: Crimes, Trials, And Punishments'' - (July 26, 2001). Crown Publishers.
*''
Too Much Money'' - (December 15, 2009). Ballantine Books.
Filmography
References
External links
Dominick Dunne, Chronicler of Crime, Dies at 83, The New York Times, August 26, 2009Celebrity Author And Hartford Native Dominick Dunne Dies At Age 83". The Hartford CourantObituary–
Star-Gazette
The ''Star-Gazette'' is the major newspaper for Elmira, New York. Based in Elmira, the publication is owned by Gannett.
History
The ''Star-Gazette'' was the first newspaper of the now massive Gannett conglomerate. It was founded as the weekly ' ...
Dominick Dunne– ''Daily Telegraph'' obituary
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, Dominick
1925 births
2009 deaths
American legal writers
20th-century American memoirists
20th-century American novelists
Bisexual men
Bisexual writers
Novelists from Connecticut
Novelists from New York (state)
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
Deaths from bladder cancer
American people of Irish descent
Military personnel from Hartford, Connecticut
Writers from Hartford, Connecticut
People from West Hartford, Connecticut
Williams College alumni
United States Army personnel of World War II
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers
Film producers from Connecticut
Canterbury School (Connecticut) alumni
LGBT people from Connecticut
LGBT people from New York (state)
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people
American writers of Irish descent