Hollywood high jinks and a family caught in the spotlight
Griffin Dunne grew up around Hollywood royalty. He was roommates with Princess Leia, saved by James Bond and made his name in the 1981 cult classic An American Werewolf in London.
Griffin Dunne grew up in 1960's Los Angeles where his parents would throw regular lavish parties often attended by the who's who of Hollywood. Griffin was used to living in a family under the spotlight, his mother was an heiress, his father a producer and he was the nephew of two famous writers, Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. Following in their footsteps Griffin made his name as an actor in the 1981 cult classic An American Werewolf in London around the same time his younger sister Dominique starred in the Steven Spielberg produced film Poltergeist. However, things took a tragic turn when Dominique was violently killed by her ex-partner and the lives and trajectories of the Dunne family were changed irrevocably.
Presenter: Seyi Rhodes
Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder
Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Griffin Dunne and Carrie Fisher. Credit: Connie Freiberg)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Thu 18 Jul 202411:06GMTBBC World Service
- Thu 18 Jul 202417:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 18 Jul 202421:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only


