Dominique Dunne was the youngest child of former TV and film producer, and more recently novelist, Dominick Dunne and the sister of actor/producer Griffin Dunne.

Dominique Dunne was born on November 23, 1959, in Santa Monica, California, and after her parents' divorce she moved to New York and then moved again to Beverly Hills.

After highschool Dominique Dunne went to the University of Colorado to study acting, but after the first year she decided to pursue her career and left college for Hollywood.

It only took Dominique three weeks in Hollywood to earn her first acting job and others would soon follow.

Dominique Dunne was well known in Hollywood's social scene and all those that knew her thought highly of her. Dominique Dunne's biggest mistake seems to have been attending a party where she met, and fell in love with, chef John Sweeney. Sweeney was both very emotionally and physically abusive to Dominique.  Evidence of John Sweeney's abuse of Dominique Dunne could be seen on the set of her guest appearance on the TV show Hill Street Blues where she didn't need makeup to play an abuse victim.

On Halloween eve 1982 Dominique Dunne finally grew tired of John Sweeney's abuse and ended the relationship.  The night of October 30, 1982, while Dominique Dunne and actor David Packer were rehearsing a scene from the original science fiction mini-series V, at Dominique Dunne's house, John Sweeney showed up.  Dominique Dunne and John Sweeney then went outside where they started arguing.  John Sweeney then strangled Dominique into a brain dead coma.  On November, 4, 1982, at age 22, Dominique Dunne died after her family had her taken off of life support.  Dominique Dunne never regained consciousness after being strangled by John Sweeney.

John Sweeney was convicted of murdering Dominique Dunne but only served two and a half years, of a six year-six month sentence, in prison for her murder.  I have read somewhere that John Sweeney has been seen parked across from Dominique Dunne's gravesite at the Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.  Nauseating isn't it?

Had she lived, Dominique Dunne would surely have gone on to be one of Hollywood's greatest actresses.  We have John Sweeney to thank for robbing us of a very talented actress just as she was at her peak.

It is this web author's very opinionated opinion that John Sweeney is total scum.  Sweeney it is my sincere hope that you die, after leaving the cemetary, in a single car collision.

Immediately before her death, Dominique Dunne was cast in the first two episodes of the original sci-fi mini-series V as Robin Maxwell.  She died before finishing her work in the sci-fi series's second episode.  On the credits of the second episode of the original mini-series V were the words, "In loving memory of Dominique Dunne, her family and friends miss her."

Justice hasn't totally eluded John Sweeney.  After Sweeney's release from prison he got another job as chef at an upscale L.A. restaurant, which paid an annual salary of 80K. Dominique Dunne's mother, Ellen Griffin, started a grievence support group called, "Justice for Victims of Homicide."  On the nights that John Sweeney worked Dominique's mother and other group members would hand out slips of paper to restaurant partons that read, "The hands that will prepare your meal tonight also murdered Dominique Dunne." John Sweeney was instantly fired and moved to the Northwest and changed his name to John Maura.  Johnny it doesn't matter where you move to or what you choose to call yourself or change your name to because you're never going to move away from the fact, or change the fact, that you're a piece of slime. Should we feel sorry for John Sweeney?  I don't.

On June 6, 2000, I got an email from someone claiming to be John Maura or, as the former John Sweeney.  I know that on the net that people might not always be who they tell you they are, but I believe that this was the real John Maura.  If you're interested in the details of the email I'll share them with you.

I have added a Dominique Dunne pic gallery.  If you're a fan of hers then you should come back often because it will be updated on a semi-regular basis.