Griffin Dunne

Last updated

Griffin Dunne
Griffin Dunne by David Shankbone.jpg
Dunne in 2010
Born
Thomas Griffin Dunne

(1955-06-08) June 8, 1955 (age 67)
New York City, U.S.
Education The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • director
Years active1975–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 1989;div. 1995)

Anna Bingemann
(m. 2009)
Children Hannah Dunne
Parent(s) Dominick Dunne
Ellen Griffin
Relatives Dominique Dunne (sister)
John Gregory Dunne (uncle)
Joan Didion (aunt) [1]

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.

Contents

Early life

Thomas Griffin Dunne was born in New York City, to Ellen Beatriz (née Griffin) and Dominick Dunne. Dunne has Irish and Mexican ancestry, his father was born and raised in an Irish Catholic family with his maternal grandfather an Irish-American and his maternal grandmother a Mexican who was from Sonora, Mexico. [2] [3] 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. [4] [5] He is also a nephew of writers John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion. Raised in Los Angeles, Dunne attended the Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts and then went to Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Colorado 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 marijuana. Dunne was immediately expelled, and moved back to New York soon afterwards to pursue his acting interests. [6] He studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre under Sanford Meisner. [7] [8]

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. Vass, opposite Matthew McConaughey, in the Oscar-nominated 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club . [9]

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

In 1995, Griffin Dunne was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for Duke of Groove , which he directed and co-wrote. He shared the nomination with producer Thom Colwell. Along with his producing partner, actress/producer Amy Robinson, he has produced several films including Baby It's You , After Hours , Running on Empty and Game 6 through their company, Double Play Productions. In 1986, the company had signed an agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a two-year production agreement. [10]

Directing

Dunne's directorial debut was the 1995 short film Duke of Groove. 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 documentary about his aunt, author Joan Didion, whom Dunne interviews and appears with on screen.

Personal life

Dunne was married to American actress Carey Lowell with whom he has one daughter, actress Hannah Dunne from 1989 to 1995.

He married Anna Bingemann, an Australian stylist, in July 2009. [11]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleCredited as
DirectorProducerActorRoleNotes
1975 The Other Side of the Mountain YesHerbie Johnson
1979 Head Over Heels YesYesDr. Mark
1981 An American Werewolf in London YesJack Goodman
The Fan YesProduction Assistant
1983 Baby It's You Yes
Cold Feet YesTom Christo
1984 Johnny Dangerously YesTommy Kelly
1985 After Hours YesYesPaul Hackett
Almost You YesAlex Boyer
1987 Amazon Women on the Moon YesDoctorSegment: "Hospital"
Who's That Girl YesLoudon Trott
1988 The Big Blue YesDuffy
Me and Him YesBert
Running on Empty Yes
1990 White Palace Yes
1991 My Girl YesMr. Jake Bixler
Once Around YesYesRob
1992 Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even YesDavid
Straight Talk YesAlan Riegert
1993 Naked in New York YesAuditioner
The Pickle YesPlanet Cleveland ManUncredited
1994 I Like It Like That YesStephen Price
Quiz Show YesGeritol Account Executive
1995 Search and Destroy YesMartin Mirkheim
1996 Duke of Groove YesShort film
Joe's Apartment Yes
1997 Addicted to Love Yes
1998 Practical Magic Yes
2000 Lisa Picard Is Famous YesYesAndrew
2001 Piñero YesAgent
Sam the Man YesMan in Bathroom
2002 40 Days and 40 Nights YesJerry Anderson
Cheats YesMr. Davis
2003 Stuck on You YesHimself
2005 Fierce People YesYes
Game 6 YesYesElliott Litvak
2006 Bondage YesDr. Simon
Your Product HereYesShort film
2007 Snow Angels YesDon Parkinson
2008 The Accidental Husband Yes
The Great Buck Howard YesJonathan Finerman
2009 Shrink YesUncredited
2010 Last Night YesTruman
2012 The Discoverers YesLewis Birch
2013 Broken City YesSam Lancaster
Blood Ties YesMcNally
Movie 43 YesSegment: "Veronica"
Dallas Buyers Club YesDr. Vass
2014 Rob the Mob YesDave Lovell
Fugly! YesJefferey
2015 Touched with Fire YesGeorge
Tumbledown YesUpton
Consumed YesPeter
2016 My Dead Boyfriend YesJoey Lucas / Nick McCrawley
2017 War Machine YesRay Canucci
Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold YesYes
2018 Ocean's 8 YesParole Board Officer
Alright Now YesJoanne's Dad
2019 Bittersweet Symphony YesGriffin
2021 With/In: Volume 2 YesYesSegment: "One Night Stand"
The French Dispatch YesLegal Advisor

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1986 Amazing Stories DickEpisode: "Secret Cinema"
1986 Alfred Hitchcock Presents KnollEpisode: "The Jar"
1986 Saturday Night Live Frankie ToussaintEpisode: "William Shatner/Lone Justice"; uncredited
1989 Trying Times DavidEpisode: "Hunger Chic"
1990 Secret Weapon Mordechai VanunuTelevision film
1992 Screenplay Michael TyneEpisode: "Buying a Landslide"
1993 Hotel Room RobertEpisode: "Getting Rid of Robert"
1993 L.A. Law Gerard SamuelsEpisode: "F.O.B."
1993 Frasier Russell (voice)Episode: "The Good Son"
1995The Android AffairTeach / WilliamTelevision film
1996 Frasier Bob ReynoldsEpisode: "The Friend"
2001 Blonde The Playwright 2 episodes
2001–07 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Henry TalbottEpisode: "Jones"
2002 Warning: Parental Advisory Frank Zappa Television film
2002 A Nero Wolfe Mystery Nicolas Losseff2 episodes
2002What Leonard Comes Home ToLeonardTelevision short
2004 Alias Leonid Lisenker2 episodes
2006 3 lbs Dr. Jerry Cole2 episodes
2006–07 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Seamus Flaherty2 episodes
2009 Trust Me Tony Mink13 episodes
2009 Leverage Marcus StarkeEpisode: "The Two Live Crew Job"
2010 How to Make It in America FresconiEpisode: "Crisp"
2010 White Collar Wesley KentEpisode: "Company Man"
2010 The Good Wife Judge Jared QuinnEpisode: "Cleaning House"; also director
2011 Damages Dean Gullickson3 episodes
2012–14 House of Lies Marco Pelios8 episodes
2013 Girls Thomas - John's FatherEpisode: "It's a Shame About Ray"
2013 The League BurtEpisode: "The Von Nowzick Wedding"
2014 Red Band Society Ruben Garcia3 episodes; also director
2015 Manhattan Woodrow Lorentzen4 episodes
2015–16 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll Music Therapist2 episodes
2016 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Benno GilbertEpisode: "Fashionable Crimes"
2016–17 I Love Dick Sylvère8 episodes
2018 Imposters Herman2 episodes
2018 Succession Dr. Alon ParfitEpisode: "Austerlitz"
2018 The Romanoffs Frank SheffliedEpisode: "Panorama"
2018–2022 This Is Us Nicky Pearson20 episodes
2019 Better Things DurhamEpisode: "The Unknown"
2019–21 Goliath Gene Bennett7 episodes
2021 Search Party Richard Wreck2 episodes
2021 The L Word: Generation Q Isaac Zakarian2 episodes
TBA The Girls on the Bus Bruce TurnerRecurring role, upcoming series

Awards and nominations

YearTitleAssociationCategoryResultRef
1986 After Hours Golden Globe Award Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Nominated [12]
1986 Independent Spirit Award Best Feature (shared with Robert F. Colesberry & Amy Robinson )Won
1994Love Matters CableACE Award Actor in a Movie or Miniseries Nominated
1996 Duke of Groove Academy Award Best Short Film – Live Action (shared with Thom Colwell)Nominated
1996 Frasier Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated
2000 Lisa Picard Is Famous Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Award Nominated
2000 Deep Ellum Film Festival Pioneer Filmmaker Award Won
2013 The Discoverers Sarasota Film Festival Achievement in Acting Won
2013 Sedona International Film Festival Outstanding Actor Won
2014 Movie 43 Golden Raspberry Award Worst Director Won

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References

  1. Syme, Rachel (October 24, 2017). "Their Love Letter to Aunt Joan (Didion)". The New York Times . p. 1.
  2. "Paid Notice: Deaths DUNNE, ELLEN GRIFFIN". The New York Times. January 13, 1997. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  3. "Celebrity Author And Hartford Native Dominick Dunne Dies At Age 83 -- Courant.com". August 28, 2009. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  4. "Paid Notice: Deaths DUNNE, ELLEN GRIFFIN". The New York Times. November 3, 1997.
  5. "Griffin Dunne Biography (1955-)". Filmreference.com.
  6. Nathan, Jean (May 18, 1997). "He's Adding Director to His List of Credits". The New York Times.
  7. "A conversation with Griffin Dunne". Little White Lies. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  8. "Alumni". neighborhoodplayhouse.org. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  9. Radish, Christian (January 20, 2013). "Griffin Dunne Talks Directing a Segment in Comedy Anthology MOVIE 43, Matthew McConaughey's Weight Loss in DALLAS BUYER'S CLUB, and More". Collider . Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  10. "Dunne & Robinson Ink 2-Year Pact With MGM". Variety . March 5, 1986. p. 6.
  11. "Done and Dunne! Interior Designer Woos New York Royalty with Soho Loft". The New York Observer . June 15, 2010.
  12. "Griffin Dunne". IMDb. Retrieved September 16, 2018.