Melinda Dillon: Last News

It’s taken nearly 30 years, but the long-awaited sequel to “A Christmas Story” finally has a release date.

Now that the turkey holiday has officially passed, there’s one month left of the year to fully get in the Christmas spirit. Whether this be through holiday favorite films like Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas or with newer hits like The Holiday and Last Christmas, many options — cable and streaming — exist to watch festive films and shows.

Tony-winning actress Melinda Dillon, best known for her starring role in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 epic Close Encounters of the Third Kind, has passed away at 83. The two-time Oscar nominee's family confirmed in an obituary that she died on January 9, but no cause of death has been revealed at this time. Over her legendary career in Hollywood, the star, who was born in Hope,  Arkansas earned a nod for Best Supporting Actress twice at the Academy Awards. Her acting credits in film, television and on Broadway span more than four decades.In addition to a memorable role as Ralphie’s high-strung mother, A Christmas Story, she famously won a Tony for her Broadway debut in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Passed away: Tony-winning actress Melinda Dillon, best known for her starring role in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 epic Close Encounters of the Third Kind, has passed away at 83In 1976, she admitted that the intense play made her 'go crazy' and she spent time in a psychiatric hospital. 'I was in Virginia Woolf, and I just went crazy; it was really that simple,' she told the New York Times, at the time. She continued: 'We had to have a whole different cast for that, but I was called in to do it many, many times because the gal would get sick. I would do it three hours in the afternoon, then study with Lee Strasberg for two hours, and do the play three hours at night...

Melinda Dillon, a two-time Oscar nominee for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice who also played Ralphie’s mom in A Christmas Story, has died. She was 83. Her family said she died January 9 in Los Angeles but did not give other details.

Oh, Fudge!Actor Peter Billingsley has returned to his “A Christmas Story” roots as his character Ralphie — almost 40 years later.Billingsley, 51, portrayed Ralphie Parker in the 1983 Christmas flick and the adult version is back for HBO Max’s sequel.The upcoming “A Christmas Story Christmas” drops on the streamer on Nov. 17, however, a quick 30-second trailer debuted Monday.The brief clip showcases a young Ralphie and then quickly cuts to a flash of the older character as he returns to his hometown for the Christmas season.The new movie will revolve around Ralphie bringing his own kids home for the holidays on Cleveland street in the 1970s.

HBO Max has dropped the first footage of Peter Billingsley in his return as Ralphie in the upcoming A Christmas Story Christmas, the sequel to the classic holiday pic A Christmas Story.