Hope Native, Oscar Nominated Actress Melinda Dillon Passed Away in January

Two-time Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon, a native of Hope, passed away January 9th according to the Neptune Society, a cremation service n Long Beach, California.

Dillion played the mother in “A Christmas Story” in 1983.  She was nominated for an Oscar for “Close encounters of the Third Kind” and “Absence of Malice”.  Other movies she appeared in include “Slap Shot”, “Harry and the Hendersons”, and “Bound for Glory”.  On tv her appearances included “Judging Amy” and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”.  On Broadway, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her appearance in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

The Hempstead County Historical Society made her the subject of her meeting on January 24th.  According to Josh Williams, her family was connected to Hope doctor  Dr. Luther M. Lile of Hope.