1. On October 30,1982, Dunne was strangled by her ex-boyfriend John Sweeney during an argument on the driveway of her West Hollywood home.
16 Facts About Dominique Dunne
1. 2.
Dominique Dunne fell into a coma and died five days later on November 4,1982.
3.
Dominique Dunne was born in Santa Monica, California, the youngest child of Ellen Beatriz "Lenny", a ranching heiress, and Dominick Dominique Dunne, a writer, producer, and actor.
4.
Dominique Dunne had Irish and Mexican ancestry, her father was born and raised in an Irish Catholic family with her maternal grandfather an Irish-American and her maternal grandmother a Mexican who was from Sonora, Mexico.
5.
Dominique Dunne had two older brothers, Alexander "Alex" and Griffin Dominique Dunne, who is an actor, producer and director.
6.
Dominique Dunne was the niece of married writers John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion.
7.
Dominique Dunne's godparents were Maria Cooper-Janis, daughter of actors Gary Cooper and Veronica "Rocky" Cooper, and producer Martin Manulis.
8.
Dominique Dunne attended Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, and Fountain Valley School in Fountain, Colorado.
9.
Dominique Dunne studied acting at Milton Katselas' Workshop and appeared in various stage productions, including West Side Story, The Mousetrap, and My Three Angels.
10.
Dominique Dunne then got supporting roles in episodes of popular 1980s television series, such as Lou Grant, Family, Hart to Hart, and Fame.
11.
Dominique Dunne had a recurring role on the comedy-drama television series, Breaking Away, and she appeared in several other television films.
12.
Dominique Dunne was set to reprise the role in the following installments of the franchise, but she died before production began on the sequels; Poltergeist II: The Other Side, filmed in 1985 and released in 1986, explains her character's absence by stating that she has gone off to attend college.
13.
Dominique Dunne was cast in the miniseries V in 1982; she died during filming, so her role was portrayed by actress Blair Tefkin.
14.
Dominique Dunne met John Thomas Sweeney, a sous-chef at the restaurant Ma Maison, at a party in 1981.
15.
Dominique Dunne was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she was placed on life support.
16.
Dominique Dunne was buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.