- Son of Margaret Abott, first ever female gold medalist, who won the golf competition at the 1900 Olympic Games.
- Younger brother of writer Finley Peter Dunne Jr.
- Son of "Finley Peter Dunne", the Irish-American editor and humorist who is perhaps best known for having created the character "Mr. Dooley the saloon-keeper".
- During his later years worked as a syndicated columnist and essayist for "The Los Angeles Times" and "Time" magazine, on a variety of subjects ranging from astronomy to music and aviation.
- Along with director William Wyler and John Huston, he formed the Committee for the First Amendment to protest the procedures of the House Un-American Activities Committee.
- His Malibu (CA) home was a social and political hot spot for Hollywood's liberal and progressive activists for decades, notably during the Sen. Joseph McCarthy-led "Red Scare" era of the 1950s and the Vietnam war era. Meetings were held for both local and national issues.
- During World War II headed the Motion Picture Bureau of the Office of War Information.
- One of the founders of the American Screen Writer's Guild.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content