Daughter of W. S. (an army officer) and E. Norine (Barnett) Dillon.
Has performed on stage with Chicago's legendary Second City improvisational comedy troupe.
She has played two Hoosiers (Indiana residents) - in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (which takes place in Muncie, Indiana), and in A Christmas Story (1983) (which takes place in Hohman, Indiana). Hohman is actually the name the main Avenue that passes through the historic district of the city Hammond, Indiana.
Studied acting with both Lee Strasberg and at the Goodman Theater School.
Was nominated for Broadway's 1963 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"