Dorothy Tristan


Dorothy Tristan was an American actress and screenwriter. She was best known for her roles in the films Klute, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and Scarecrow. She co-wrote the films Steal the Sky and Weeds. She also wrote the films Suspended Animation, which is based on her novel, and A Piece of Eden. Tristan started her career as a model and was on the magazine covers of Vogue and Life. In 1957, she married her first husband, Aram Avakian. They divorced in 1972. A couple of years before that, she made her film debut in End of the Road, which was made by Avakian. In 1975, she married John D. Hancock and they would collaborate on films like Weeds.
On January 7, 2023, she died in La Porte, Indiana, of complications from Alzheimer's disease. She was 88.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1970End of the RoadRennie Morgan
1971KluteArlyn Page
1973Isn't It Shocking?Doc LovellTV film
1973ScarecrowColey
1974Man on a SwingJanet Tucker
1974GunsmokeLyla RossTV series; 2 episodes
1975Fear on TrialLaura FaulkTV film
1976SwashbucklerAlice
1976Griffin and PhoenixJean GriffinTV film
1977RollercoasterHelen
1979California DreamingFay
1979The WaltonsCallie May JordanTV series; 1 episode
1986Down and Out in Beverly HillsDorothy
1987WeedsScreenwriter
1988Steal the SkyTV film; screenwriter
2000A Piece of EdenScreenwriter
2001Suspended AnimationScreenwriter
2015The Looking GlassKarenAlso screenwriter
2020The Girls of SummerWoman on the Porch