Dorothy Tristan Dies: Star Of ‘Klute’ And ‘End Of The Road’ Was 88

Bruce Haring and Greg Evans
·2 min read

Dorothy Tristan, an actress best known for her roles in the films Klute and End of the Road, died Jan. 8 of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. She was 88 and died in her sleep at home, according to her husband, director John D. Hancock, to whom she was married for 48 years.

Tristan co-wrote and starred in the 2015 independent drama The Looking Glass in her final role. She did the film after a decades-long absence from acting. She played a woman caring for her troubled 13-year-old granddaughter (Grace Tarnow) as symptoms of her dementia appear. Her husband directed the film, set in the couple’s longtime home in La Porte County, Indiana.

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Tristan made her film debut in the X-rated cult classic End of the Road (1970), where her and Stacy Keach’s characters have an affair. She went on to play druggie prostitute Arlyn Page opposite Jane Fonda in 1971’s Klute. She also appeared in 1971’s Scarecrow.

Her resume includes performances in Frank Perry’s Man on a Swing (1974), A Place Without Parents (1974), Swashbuckler (1976), Rollercoaster (1977) and Paul Mazursky‘s Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986).

Tristan then shifted to a behind-the-cameras role, working with her director husband on the Sam Elliott-film Prancer (1989), A Piece of Eden (2000), Suspended Animation (2001) and Girls of Summer (2020).

Survivors include her children, Alex, a photojournalist, and Tristan, a musician; her grandchildren, Sebastian, Chloe and Aram; and her great-grandson, Elijah.

An open house to celebrate her life is planned for Saturday afternoon, January 14th, from noon until four at 7355 N Fail Road, LaPorte, Indiana 46350.

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