Griffin Dunne Biography
Thomas Griffin Dunne (/ˈdʌn/; 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 American Werewolf in London (1981) and Paul Hackett in After Hours (1985), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Early life
Thomas Griffin Dunne was born in New York City. He is the oldest child of Ellen Beatriz (née Griffin) and Dominick Dunne. His father was born and raised in an Irish Catholic family, while his maternal grandfather was Irish-American and his maternal grandmother was from Sonora, Mexico. He is the older brother of Alexander and Dominique Dunne. His mother founded the victims' rights organization Justice for Homicide Victims after Dominique's murder in 1982. His father was a producer, writer, and actor. He is also a nephew of writers John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion. Raised in Los Angeles, Dunne attended the Fay School in Southborough, M*achusetts and Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, where he developed an interest in acting, appearing in many school plays. He was scheduled to perform in a school production of Othello when, on the eve of a performance, a teacher found him smoking *. Dunne was subsequently expelled, and moved back to New York to pursue his acting interests. He studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre under Sanford Meisner.
Career
Acting
Dunne began his professional acting career at age 19 with a small supporting role in The Other Side of the Mountain in 1975. He has since appeared on both film and television, starring in An American Werewolf in London (1981) as Jack Goodman, Johnny Dangerously (1984) as Tommy Kelly, After Hours (1985) as Paul Hackett, Who's That Girl (1987) as Loudon Trott opposite Madonna, My Girl (1991) as Jake Bixler, Quiz Show (1994) as the Geritol Account Executive, Game 6 (2005) as Elliott Litvak, and I Like It Like That (1994) as Stephen Price. Dunne also played Dr. V*, opposite Matthew McConaughey, in the Oscar-winning 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club.
Dunne's TV appearances include Frasier (pilot episode "The Good Son" as caller Russell, and in season 3 episode 11 "The Friend" as Bob), Saturday Night Live, Alias, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Episodes 5, 118, and 128). He portrayed Tony Mink in the comedy Trust Me on TNT. In 2012, Dunne guest-starred as management consultant Marco Pelios in seven episodes of the premiere season of the Showtime TV series House of Lies.
In 2018 he joined the cast of This is Us where he starred as Nicky Pearson, Jack Pearson's brother until the series concluded in 2022.
Producing
Dunne's first experience as a producer was the successful 1982 film, Chilly Scenes of Winter, an adaptation of the 1976 novel of the same name by Ann Beattie. Dunne and his co-producers, Amy Robinson and Mark Metcalf, had formed their production company, Triple Play Productions, in the late 1970s and optioned Beattie's book after agreeing to her stipulation that she be given a role. The film had a less than successful short run in theaters when it was released three years earlier with a "happy" ending and an alternate *le, at the insistence of the distributor, United Artists. The trio persevered to have the film re-released with a more realistic ending and the same *le as the book, which proved more successful. Dunne had a small part in the film, as Mark, a young doctor. After Mark Metcalf left the company, Dunne and Robinson continued as producing partners. Their company, now called Double Play Productions, produced several films, including Baby It's You, After Hours, Running on Empty and Game 6. In 1986, the company had signed an agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a two-year production agreement.
Directing
Dunne's directorial debut was the 1995 short film Duke of Groove. For it, Dunne received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, along with producer Thom Colwell.
Since then, he has directed five feature films, including Addicted to Love (1997) and Practical Magic (1998). He also directed one segment of the 2012 anthology film Movie 43. Dunne produced and directed Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017), a do*entary about his aunt, author Joan Didion, whom Dunne interviews and appears with on screen.
Personal life
Dunne was married to American actress Carey Lowell from 1989 to 1995. They had one daughter together, actress Hannah Dunne.
He married Anna Bingemann, an Australian stylist, in July 2009.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Griffin Dunne at IMDb
- Griffin Dunne at AllMovie
