Biography for
John Gregory Dunne More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

25 May 1932, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Date of Death

30 December 2003, New York City, New York, USA (heart attack)

Spouse

Joan Didion

(30 January 1964 - 30 December 2003) (his death) 1 child

Trivia

Younger brother of writer Dominick Dunne.

Uncle of actor/director Griffin Dunne, actress Dominique Dunne and Alexander Dunne.

Father-in-law of Gerry Michael.

Had a childhood stammer that forced him to express himself on paper.

He was one of six children.

His father was a surgeon.

Spent two years in the US Army.

Was privately educated at a Catholic boarding school - Portsmouth Priory School, Rhode Island

Worked at an advertising agency beforebecoming a staff writer for Time magazine.

Daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne Michael.

Dunne turned to writing to help cope with a childhood stuttering problem.

He began his career as a journalist. Among other things, he worked for Time magazine for 5 years. He was also a novelist, screenwriter and literary critic.

He graduated from Princeton University in 1954.

He was the best-selling author of "True Confessions", his breakout novel published in 1977. It is the story of a tough, bleak account of a woman's brutal murder and its connection to two brothers, a policeman and a priest. Dunne and his wife, writer Joan Didion, collaborated on the 1981 film adaptation. The novel sold over one million copies.

He wrote "The Studio" [1969]. It was the result of a year spent observing behind the scenes at the 20th Century Fox studio.

Uncle and godfather of Harrison Dunne.

His ashes and the ashes of his daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne Michael, who died on August 26, 2005, are interred at the Cathedral of St. John The Divine in New York City.

Personal Quotes

Screenwriters are regarded in the industry as chronic malcontents, overpaid and undertalented, the Hollywood version of Hessians - measuring their worth in dollars, since ownership of their words belongs to those who hire and fire them.

Salary

A Star Is Born (1976)

$125,000+10% of profits