| The
Writeup: A skillful character actress, Melinda Dillon
made her feature film debut in The April Fools (1969) and
has worked in movies and television ever since. She has two
Oscar nominations to her credit, for Close Encounters of the
Third Kind (1977, Supporting), playing Jillian Guiler, and
for Absence of Malice (1981, Supporting), playing Teresa Perrone,
the libel victim. Other notable films in her career include
Slap Shot (1977), a great performance in the hilarious A Christmas
Story (1983, playing Mother), Harry and the Hendersons (1987,
playing Nancy Henderson in this super silly but somewhat amusing
movie), Spontaneous Combustion (1990), The Prince of Tides
(1991), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), and Magnolia
(1999, an impressive effort by P.T. Anderson that was quirky,
funny, and touching). She has also done good work on TV, including
the mini series Space (1985), plus TV movies The Shadow Box
(1980), Right of Way (1983), Shattered Innocence (1988), Judgment
Day: The John List Story (1993), and A Painted House (2003). |
