Dominique Ellen Dunne (November 23, 1959-November 4, 1982) was an American actress, most notable for her role as Dana Freeling in Poltergeist. She was set to star as Robin Maxwell in the 1983 series V, but was tragically killed by her ex-boyfriend during a heated argument.
Early life[]
Dunne was born to producer-writer Dominick Dunne and ranching heiress Ellen Dunne (neé Griffin), and was the younger sister of actor Griffin Dunne. She had another brother, Alex. Her paternal uncle was writer John Gregory Dunne, and her paternal aunt was writer Joan Didion.
She was educated at Westlake School for Girls, Taft School, Fountain Valley School, and briefly studied abroad after high school, where she learned to speak Italian. She eventually moved back to her roots in Los Angeles, determined to become an actress.
Career[]
Dunne studied acting at Milton Katselas’ workshop. Her first role was that of Cathy Robinson in the 1979 film Diary of a Teenage Hitchiker. Dunne appeared in various television shows and television films. Her only theatrical role was in the 1982 film Poltergeist.
Personal life[]
Dunne met a man named John Thomas Sweeney at a party in 1981. They swiftly began a relationship and rented a home together. However, Sweeney grew paranoid that Dunne was cheating on him, and felt inadequate as she came from an entirely different background than he did. He grew increasingly violent and controlling.
In one incident, Sweeney beat Dunne’s head against the floor and ripped out chunks of her hair, causing her to escape from a bathroom window, where she fled to her mother’s house. Soon after, he strangled and beat her in a rage, leaving bruises all over her face and neck. Her injuries were visible on an episode of Hill Street Blues, taped just a day after the attack, where Dunne played a battered teenager. She did not need makeup for the role. By this point, she broke off the relationship, but Sweeney was persistent. After moving out of their shared home, he began to drive down the street they’d lived on together, which resulted in the locks to the home being changed.
Murder[]
On October 30, 1982, Sweeney interrupted a phone call between Dominique and a friend. Despite her efforts to ignore him, she answered, but did not give in to his demands. He’d sent items to her doorstep in another attempt at reconciliation, but Dunne would not budge. Sweeney then left his job at Ma Maison restaurant and walked several blocks to her home. She did not care to speak with him, but was persuaded, and they began to talk at the front porch. David Packer, another actor who was at Dunne’s residence to rehearse some lines for their upcoming role, soon heard shouting, smacking, a couple of screams, and a thud. He phoned police, but they claimed the address was not in their jurisdiction.
Packer then phoned a friend and warned them that he may not survive the night, giving Sweeney’s name out. He went outside through the back of the house and found Sweeney kneeling next to Dunne’s body in the driveway, which prompted another call to police. Once paramedics arrived, they managed to get Dominique’s pulse back, but after her arrival at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, it became apparent she was severely injured, and she was placed on life support. Doctors performed scans on her brain and determined that she was brain dead, and five days after the initial attack, her family removed her from life support and gave consent for organ donation. Dunne died 19 days before her 23rd birthday.
A subsequent autopsy revealed that strangulation must have occurred for at least three minutes, supported by findings of anoxic encephalopathy and aspiration pneumonia. Contusions were visible all over her neck. Her funeral was held on November 6, 1982, at the Church of the Good Shepherd. She was buried in Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park.
Aftermath[]
When authorities arrived on scene, Sweeney had exclaimed to them, “I killed my girlfriend.” He was arrested and charged with attempted murder. Sweeney would insist that he did not remember much of the attack, and had tried to take his own life after he realized what he had done, but no evidence was found to support such a claim.
His trial began in August 1983, where he was found not guilty of second degree murder, but guilty of voluntary manslaughter. He was also charged with a misdemeanor assault for a previous attack before Dunne’s death. Sweeney was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison, but only served two-and-a-half years.
The Dunne family, outraged, protested Sweeney’s hiring at a new restaurant shortly after his release. He then moved and legally changed his name. The family would continue to advocate for victims of abuse and crime.
Filmography[]
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) - As self
- Flatbush (1979) - Unknown role
- Lou Grant (1979-1980) - Teri Wilk/2nd Girl
- Family (1980) - Erica
- Breaking Away (1980-1981) - Paulina Bornstein
- The Righteous Apples (1980-1981) - Brenda Howard
- Weekend (1982) - Unknown role
- Hart to Hart (1982) - Christy Ferrin
- Fame (1982) - Tracy
- CHiPs (1982) - Amy Kent
- The Quest (1982) - Italian Girl
- St. Elsewhere (1982) - Unconfirmed, possible role in pilot episode
- Bring ‘Em Back Alive (1982) - Marcella
- Hill Street Blues (1982) - Cindy
- V (1983) - Robin Maxwell (Posthumous shots only)