John Gregory Dunne
Encyclopedia
John Gregory Dunne was an American
novelist, screenwriter and literary critic.
, Connecticut
, and was a younger brother of author Dominick Dunne
. He suffered from a severe stutter and took up writing to express himself. Eventually he learned to speak normally by observing others. He attend the Portsmouth Priory School
and graduated from Princeton University
in 1954, where he was member of the Tiger Inn
, and worked as a journalist for Time
magazine. He credited the political essayist Noel Parmentel
with being his mentor in many ways.
He met Joan Didion
in New York in the 1950s, where she was an editor at Vogue
. In a 2005 interview Didion recalled, "We amused each other and I thought he was smart. He knew a lot of stuff that I didn't know, like politics and history - I had managed to go through school without learning much except a lot of poems." Having invited her to travel up to Connecticut one weekend in 1963 to visit his family, New England Irish Catholic, with six children, Didion said she, "liked the set-up, liked being there, and liked him." He married Joan Didion on January 30, 1964, at Mission San Juan Bautista
in California. He was 31 and she 29. They moved to live in a remote house on the California coast as Didion thought about a follow-up to her first novel, Run, River
, and Dunne worked on a book about the California grape pickers' strike, and they wrote a joint by-lined column for the Saturday Evening Post magazine. Unable to have children, in 1966 they adopted a baby at birth and named her Quintana Roo, after the Mexican state
.
Dunne and Didion gradually picked up writing work from book publishers and magazines, travelled together on journalism assignments, and established a working pattern that served for the next 40 years, a constant advising, consulting and editing collaboration. Critically acclaimed bestselling books followed for both - including for Dunne, The Studio, his non-fiction account of 20th Century Fox
, and they became collaborators on a series of screenplays, including The Panic in Needle Park
(1971), A Star Is Born
(1976) and True Confessions
(1981), an adaptation of his own novel. He was the author of a further non-fiction book about Hollywood, Monster
.
As a literary critic and essayist, he was a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books
. His essays were collected in two books, Quintana & Friends and Crooning.
He wrote several novels, among them True Confessions, based loosely on the Black Dahlia
murder, and Dutch Shea, Jr..
He was the writer and narrator of the 1990 PBS documentary L.A. is It with John Gregory Dunne, in which he guided viewers through the cultural landscape of Los Angeles.
He died in Manhattan, New York of a heart attack
, in December 2003. His final novel, Nothing Lost, which was in galleys at the time of his death, was published in 2004.
He was father to Quintana Roo Dunne, who died in 2005 after a series of illnesses, and uncle to actors Griffin Dunne
(who co-starred in An American Werewolf in London
) and Dominique Dunne
(who co-starred in Poltergeist
).
His wife, Joan Didion
, published The Year of Magical Thinking
in October 2005 to great critical acclaim, a memoir of the year following his death, during which their daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne, was seriously ill. It won the National Book Award
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist, screenwriter and literary critic.
Life
He was born in HartfordHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, and was a younger brother of author Dominick Dunne
Dominick Dunne
Dominick John Dunne was an American writer and investigative journalist, whose subjects frequently hinged on the ways in which high society interacts with the judicial system...
. He suffered from a severe stutter and took up writing to express himself. Eventually he learned to speak normally by observing others. He attend the Portsmouth Priory School
Portsmouth Abbey School
Portsmouth Abbey School is a private, coeducational boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12, located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Founded by the Benedictine monks of Portsmouth Abbey in 1926 as Portsmouth Priory School, the school offered a classical education to boys...
and graduated from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1954, where he was member of the Tiger Inn
Tiger Inn
The Tiger Inn is one of the ten active eating clubs at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Tiger Inn was founded in 1890 and is one of the "Big Four" eating clubs at Princeton .. Tiger Inn is the third oldest Eating Club...
, and worked as a journalist for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine. He credited the political essayist Noel Parmentel
Noel Parmentel
Noel E. Parmentel, Jr., was a leading figure on the New York political journalism, literary, and cultural scene during the third quarter of the 20th Century....
with being his mentor in many ways.
He met Joan Didion
Joan Didion
Joan Didion is an American author best known for her novels and her literary journalism. Her novels and essays explore the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos, where the overriding theme is individual and social fragmentation...
in New York in the 1950s, where she was an editor at Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
. In a 2005 interview Didion recalled, "We amused each other and I thought he was smart. He knew a lot of stuff that I didn't know, like politics and history - I had managed to go through school without learning much except a lot of poems." Having invited her to travel up to Connecticut one weekend in 1963 to visit his family, New England Irish Catholic, with six children, Didion said she, "liked the set-up, liked being there, and liked him." He married Joan Didion on January 30, 1964, at Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista was founded on June 24, 1797 in what is now the San Juan Bautista Historic District of San Juan Bautista, California. Barracks for the soldiers, a nunnery, the Jose Castro House, and other buildings were constructed around a large grassy plaza in front of the church and...
in California. He was 31 and she 29. They moved to live in a remote house on the California coast as Didion thought about a follow-up to her first novel, Run, River
Run, River
Run, River is the debut novel of Joan Didion, first published in 1963.-Summary:The novel is both a portrait of a marriage and a commentary on the history of California...
, and Dunne worked on a book about the California grape pickers' strike, and they wrote a joint by-lined column for the Saturday Evening Post magazine. Unable to have children, in 1966 they adopted a baby at birth and named her Quintana Roo, after the Mexican state
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
.
Dunne and Didion gradually picked up writing work from book publishers and magazines, travelled together on journalism assignments, and established a working pattern that served for the next 40 years, a constant advising, consulting and editing collaboration. Critically acclaimed bestselling books followed for both - including for Dunne, The Studio, his non-fiction account of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, and they became collaborators on a series of screenplays, including The Panic in Needle Park
The Panic in Needle Park
The Panic in Needle Park is a 1971 American film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino in his second film appearance. The screenplay was written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, adapted from the book by James Mills....
(1971), A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1976 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
(1976) and True Confessions
True Confessions (film)
True Confessions is a 1981 film directed by Ulu Grosbard, loosely based on the Black Dahlia murder case of 1947. The film stars Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall, was produced by Chartoff-Winkler Productions and is adapted from the novel of the same name by John Gregory Dunne.-Plot summary:In the...
(1981), an adaptation of his own novel. He was the author of a further non-fiction book about Hollywood, Monster
Monster: Living Off the Big Screen
Monster: Living Off the Big Screen is a 1997 book in which John Gregory Dunne recounts his experiences as a screenwriter in Hollywood. The book focuses on the process of drafting the screenplay for Up Close & Personal, 1996, a movie starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer...
.
As a literary critic and essayist, he was a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
. His essays were collected in two books, Quintana & Friends and Crooning.
He wrote several novels, among them True Confessions, based loosely on the Black Dahlia
Black Dahlia
"The Black Dahlia" was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short is an American woman and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful...
murder, and Dutch Shea, Jr..
He was the writer and narrator of the 1990 PBS documentary L.A. is It with John Gregory Dunne, in which he guided viewers through the cultural landscape of Los Angeles.
He died in Manhattan, New York of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, in December 2003. His final novel, Nothing Lost, which was in galleys at the time of his death, was published in 2004.
He was father to Quintana Roo Dunne, who died in 2005 after a series of illnesses, and uncle to actors Griffin Dunne
Griffin Dunne
-Personal life:Dunne was born Thomas Griffin Dunne in New York City, New York, the son of Ellen Beatriz Dunne and Dominick Dunne. His mother founded the victims' rights organization Justice for Homicide Victims and his father was a producer, writer, and actor...
(who co-starred in An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne....
) and Dominique Dunne
Dominique Dunne
Dominique Ellen Dunne was an American actress.Dunne made appearances in several made for television movies, television series, and films, and played a supporting role as the oldest daughter, Dana Freeling, in the 1982 film Poltergeist...
(who co-starred in Poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
).
His wife, Joan Didion
Joan Didion
Joan Didion is an American author best known for her novels and her literary journalism. Her novels and essays explore the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos, where the overriding theme is individual and social fragmentation...
, published The Year of Magical Thinking
The Year of Magical Thinking
The Year of Magical Thinking , by Joan Didion , is an account of the year following the death of the author's husband John Gregory Dunne . Published by Knopf in October 2005, the book was immediately acclaimed as a classic in the genre of mourning literature...
in October 2005 to great critical acclaim, a memoir of the year following his death, during which their daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne, was seriously ill. It won the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
.
Books
; University of California Press, 2007, ISBN 9780520254336- The Studio
- Vegas E.P. Dutton, reprinted 2005 Thunder's Mouth Press
- The Red White and Blue (1987)
- HarpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
(1989) - Dutch Shea, Jr.
- Monster: Living Off the Big ScreenMonster: Living Off the Big ScreenMonster: Living Off the Big Screen is a 1997 book in which John Gregory Dunne recounts his experiences as a screenwriter in Hollywood. The book focuses on the process of drafting the screenplay for Up Close & Personal, 1996, a movie starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer...
- Playland (1994); reprint, Random House, Inc., 2005, ISBN 9781400035014
Screenplays
- Panic in Needle Park (1971)
- A Star Is BornA Star Is Born (1976 film)A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
(1976) - True ConfessionsTrue Confessions (film)True Confessions is a 1981 film directed by Ulu Grosbard, loosely based on the Black Dahlia murder case of 1947. The film stars Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall, was produced by Chartoff-Winkler Productions and is adapted from the novel of the same name by John Gregory Dunne.-Plot summary:In the...
(1981) - Up Close & PersonalUp Close & PersonalUp Close & Personal is an American romantic drama film directed by Jon Avnet, and starring Robert Redford as a news director and Michelle Pfeiffer as his protegée, with Stockard Channing, Joe Mantegna and Kate Nelligan in supporting roles....
(1996)