Melinda Dillon, who played Ralphie’s mother in 1983’s A Christmas Story, will not return for the sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas.
Dillon reportedly retired from acting in 2007 and as such won’t be seen in the upcoming film, which is set to drop on HBO Max on Thursday, November 17, 2022.
In the highly anticipated sequel, Ralphie’s mother, Mrs. Parker, will be portrayed by Airplane! star Julie Hagerty.
Besides, A Christmas Story, Dillon has starred in several films and tv shows over the years including portraying Jillian Guiler in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Rose Gator in Magnolia (1999), Nancy Henderson in Harry and the Hendersons (1987), and many others.
Melinda Dillon received a 1963 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in the original production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles as Jillian Guiler in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Teresa in Absence of Malice (1981). The performance won the actress a KCFCC Award.