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Dominick Dunne

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Dominick Dunne (born October 29, 1925) is an American writer and investigative journalist whose subjects frequently hinge on the ways high society interacts with the judiciary system. He was a producer in Hollywood and is also known from his frequent appearances on television.

Biography

Early life

Dunne was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Dorothy Frances (Burns) and Richard Edwin Dunne, a "well to do" Irish Catholic family. He is the older brother of John Gregory Dunne, an American novelist, screenwriter and literary critic, who was the husband of author Joan Didion.

Career

After Dominick's studies at Williams College and service in World War II, including the battle of Metz, he moved to New York, then to Hollywood, where he directed Playhouse 90 and became vice president of Four Star Pictures. He hobnobbed with the rich and the famous of those days. In 1979, he left Hollywood, moved to Oregon, and wrote his first book, The Winners. In November 1982, his actress daughter, Dominique Dunne, was murdered. Dunne attended the trial of her murderer (John Thomas Sweeney) and subsequently wrote Justice: A Father's Account of the Trial of his Daughter's Killer.

This poignant report showed his ability to penetrate the outward screen of the court proceedings giving insights into the complex stories of victims and perpetrators and the curious working of the law. He went on to write articles for Vanity Fair, books, and eventually issued a TV series, Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice on CourtTV (later truTV) to dissect justice and injustice at their intersection with the activities of celebrities. Famous trials he covered include those of O.J. Simpson, Claus von Bulow, Michael Skakel, William Kennedy Smith, and the Menendez brothers. While it was rumored in early 2006 that he intended to cease writing for Vanity Fair magazine, Dunne stated the opposite in a February 4, 2006, interview with talk show host Larry King. "Oh, I am at Vanity Fair. I'll be in the next issue and the issue after that. We went through, you know, a difficult period. That happens in long relationships and, you know, you either work your way through them or you get a divorce. And I didn't want a divorce and we've worked our way through and Graydon (E. Graydon Carter) and I are close and he's a great editor and I'm thrilled to be there.

Personal life

Today, Dunne lives in Connecticut. His family includes his sons Griffin and Alexander Dunne, his brother John Gregory Dunne (died 2003), his sister-in-law, writer Joan Didion, and the aforementioned Dominique (murdered 1982).

In 2005, Gary Condit won an undisclosed amount of money and an apology from Dunne, who had earlier implicated him in the disappearance of Chandra Levy. In November 2006, he was sued again by Condit for comments made about the former politician on Larry King Live on CNN.

Creative works

Novels

Nonfiction books

  • The Way We Lived Then: The Recollections of a Well-known Name Dropper (1999)
  • Justice: Crimes, Trials, And Punishments (2001)

Collections

Films

TV Series

Celebrity journalism and photographs

Dunne has frequently socialized with, authored journalism about, and been photographed with celebrities. A Salon.com review of his memoir, The Way We Lived Then, recounted how Dunne appeared at a wedding reception for Dennis Hopper. Sean Elder, the author of the review, wrote: "But in the midst of it all there was one man who was getting what ceramic artist Ron Nagle would call 'the full cheese,' one guy everyone gravitated toward and paid obeisance to." That individual was Dunne, who mixed easily with artists, actors and writers present at the function. The final line of the review quoted Dennis Hopper about Dunne: "I wish I had a picture of myself with Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer.

References

External links



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Last updated on Monday February 11, 2008 at 13:48:58 PST (GMT -0800)
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