Dominique Dunne

Dominique Dunne
Dunne in Fame (1982)
Born	Dominique Ellen Dunne (1959-11-23)November 23, 1959 Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Died	November 4, 1982(1982-11-04) (aged 22) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Homicide by strangulation
Burial place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Education	Harvard-Westlake School Taft School Fountain Valley School
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1979–1982
Parents	Dominick Dunne Ellen Griffin Dunne
Relatives	Griffin Dunne (brother) John Gregory Dunne (uncle) Joan Didion (aunt) Hannah Dunne (niece)
Signature

Dominique Ellen Dunne (November 23, 1959 – November 4, 1982) was an American actress.^[1] Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, she made her on-screen debut with the television film Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker (1979), and thereafter played the recurring roles of Erica on the drama series Family (1980), and Paulina Bornstein on the comedy series Breaking Away (1980–1981). Her breakthrough came with the starring role of Dana Freeling in the horror film Poltergeist (1982).^[2] She went on to headline the western film The Shadow Riders (1982), and portray Amy Kent on the crime series CHiPs (1982).

On October 30, 1982, Dunne was strangled by her ex-boyfriend, John Thomas Sweeney, during an argument on the driveway of her West Hollywood home. She fell into a coma and died five days later on November 4, 1982. In a court case that gained significant media coverage, Sweeney was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Dunne's death, and served three and a half years in prison.