Actress Dorothy Tristan, best known for her roles in classic films such as ‘Klute, The Past Condemns’ (1971) and ‘Scarecrow’ (1973), died last Sunday (8/1), aged 88.
Her death was announced by her husband, director John D. Hancock (“A Player’s Last Battle”). She had been battling Alzheimer’s for over 10 years.
Born May 9, 1934 and raised in Manhattan, Tristan began her career as a model, traveling Europe and appearing on the covers of prestigious magazines such as Life and Vogue.
Her film debut was in “End of the Road” (1970), an R-rated movie because of the sex scenes, in which she played the love interest of Stacy Keach’s character (“The Bourne Legacy”).
The following year, she played an addicted prostitute opposite Jane Fonda (“A Sogra”) in “Klute, O Passado Condemna” (1971), and opposite Gene Hackman (“The Jury”) and Al Pacino (” Hunters”) in ” Scarecrow” (1973).
During the 1970s, Tristan appeared in the films ‘The Mysterious Seer’ (1974), ‘A Place Without Parents’ (1974), ‘The Scarlet Pirate’ (1976), ‘Roller Coaster Horror’ (1977) – released with a special sound to give the audience the impression that they are on the terrifying ride – and “Summer Dreams” (1979), her first collaboration with husband John D. Hancock.
At that time, the actress also made guest appearances on hit series, such as ‘Gunsmock’ (in 1974), ‘Kojack’ (1974), ‘The Incredible Hulk’ (1977) and ‘The Waltons’ (1979), among the others.
In 1986, Dorothy Tristan participated in the successful comedy “A Vagabundo na Alta Roda”, directed by Paul Mazursky (“An Unmarried Woman”), but then took an almost 30-year break from the screens.
But he did not leave the cinema. She just changed places and went behind the camera, writing some movies that her husband directed, like ‘Behind the Closed Door’ (1987), ‘Heaven on Fire’ (1988), ‘A Piece of Eden’ (2000 ) and ” Suspended Animation” (2001).
She returned to acting only in 2015, in the drama “The Looking Glass”, written and performed by her, and also directed by Hancock. In the film, she plays a woman who needs to care for her teenage granddaughter at the same time her dementia symptoms begin to show.
By this time, Dorothy was already weakened by illness and was having difficulty memorizing her lines. Because of this, much of her dialogue was improvised. And, in situations where that wasn’t possible, cards were used so that she could read her lines.
After that, she made yet one last film appearance, in the drama ËœThe Girls of Summer’ (2020), which was also directed by her husband.
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Source: Terra
Jason Root is a writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth coverage of famous people in entertainment, sports, and politics. He has a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines and bringing readers an inside look at the lives of the famous. He has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley.
