Who Was Melinda Dillon’s Husband? Did She Have Kids?
Fans of A Christmas Story and Close Encounters of the Third Kind felt devastated to hear of Melinda Dillon’s death. She got her start on Broadway and made a splash in Hollywood with two Oscar nominations and several notable roles. Now, we’re looking back on her personal life. Here’s what to know about Melinda Dillon’s husband and whether she had any kids.
Who was Melinda Dillon’s husband, Richard Libertini?
Melinda Dillon married her husband, Richard Libertini, in 1963. She was 23 years old and known for her Broadway roles. According to Sportskeeda, Libertini also got his start on Broadway, though he also took on notable roles in TV and films. He was known for his role as Frank Walker in the 1985 film Fletch, which starred notable actors such as Joe Don Baker, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Chevy Chase, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Tim Matheson. Libertini also starred in Sharky’s Machine as Nosh. As for TV, he starred as the Godfather in the ABC sitcom, Soap, which began in the late ’70s.
The Christmas Story actor reflected on her marriage to Libertini in The New York Times. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she grew up moving from one city to the next with her mother and stepfather who was in the Army. Ultimately, Dillon left home at 16.
“I left home so early that when I found somebody who wanted to take care of me, I just stopped everything,” she said.
Dillon and Libertini divorced in 1978, and Libertini died from cancer in 2016. He was 82.
Did Melinda Dillon have kids?
Melinda Dillon and her husband, Richard Libertini, had one child — Richard Libertini Jr. Not much is known about Libertini Jr. However, while talking to The New York Times, Dillon noted she was living with her son in a rented room in Malibu after she and her husband separated. Dillon’s son was 11 years old, making him born in 1965. The actor noted she felt “terribly homesick” in Malibu.
Dillon never went on to remarry after her first husband. But it seems she could’ve had additional children, as The New York Times also notes she had two miscarriages during her marriage.
Richard Libertini Jr. has not released a statement regarding his mother’s death. Other actors and directors, like Steven Spielberg, have spoken publicly.
“Melinda was generous of spirit and lent such kindness to the character she played in Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Spielberg said, according to Deadline. “She was a wonderful actor, and as gifted in dramas — including her unforgettable turn in Absence of Malice — as she was in beloved comedies like A Christmas Story, Harry and the Hendersons, and Slapshot. We will all miss her.”
She said she got ‘buried alive’ from life as a suburban housewife
It’s unclear what kind of relationship Melinda Dillon had with her husband and child during her marriage. But it seems the suburban housewife life wasn’t for her. She told The New York Times that she felt “buried alive” without her work in acting.
“I got buried alive; that’s what got me to act again,” Dillon said.
She then reflected on never fully realizing the “American dream” she grew up with. “I had had the American dream — to go to New York and study with Lee Strasberg,” she added. “I guess I just wasn’t prepared for it all to happen so quickly in New York. I’m not sophisticated; hadn’t had any kind of cultural education at all, so when it came to meeting people and presenting any kind of ideas I might have to offer, I would be terrified.”
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