Nancy Dow

Biography

Nancy Dow was an American actress, model & socialite. She is the mother of popular actress Jennifer Aniston. Nancy has acted in TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies(1966)" as Athena, "The Wild Wild West(1967) as Tersa, "Mr. Terrific(1967)" as Redhead, in the movies The Ice House(1969) ( as Jan Wilson) & Pure(2004) (as Lynne).

Childhood- Family

Nancy Dow was born as Nancy Maryanne Dow on Wednesday, July 22nd 1936 in Connecticut, United States to Gordon McLean Dow(father) & Louise Grieco(mother). Her mother left the family when Nancy was 12 years old.

She is the 3rd of the 6 sisters:

1. Joan Dow
2. Jean Dow
3. Nancy Dow
4. Linda Dow
5. Martha Ann Dow (1942 - 1947)
6. Sally Dow

Her maternal grandfather Louis Grieco was an Italian immigrant

Marriage- Relationships

Jack Melick

Nancy married Musician, bandleader and arranger Jack Melick Jr. (John Tunis. Melick) on August 25th 1956, the couple had a son named John T. Melick, III born in 1959. The couple divorced in 1961.

Her son John T. Melick has worked as an assistant director in numerous films/ series such as Into the Dark, Universal Soldier(1992), Piranha 3DD(2012), Thirteen(2003) among others. John married Shannon Melick in 1995 and they have two children- John T Melick IV and Eilish K Melick

Image: Jack Melick

John Aniston

After the divorce from Jack Melick, Nancy stayed unmarried for a while, Nancy married Greek origin actor John Anniston (born Yiannis Anitios Anastassakis) (of "Days of our Lives" fame) in 1965, The couple had a daughter born in 1969 named Jennifer Aniston, she is a popular Hollywood actress. The couple divorced in 1980 after a marriage of 15 years.

Image: Nancy Dow & John Aniston

Image: Nancy Dow with children- Son John Melick and daughter Jennifer Aniston

Daughter- Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer and Nancy stayed out of touch for 9 years in Jenifer's youth. Jennifer termed it a "Push and Pull" relationship. Jennifer stated that her mother being a model was consumed with things related to beauty and Jennifer was never an ideal daughter she wanted, this apparently never allowed the mother and daughter to get closer. Jennifer had not invited her mother Nancy to her wedding with Brad Pitt. Nancy herself had a troubled relationship with her father.

Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (1999)- Nancy wrote a biographical book covering memories, experiences, lessons and tragedies in 1999, it specifically covered her relationship with her daughter Jennifer, it is believed that Jennifer was unhappy about the book thing.

Talking of their relationship in the past, Jennifer has said "She was also very unforgiving. She would hold grudges that I just found so petty."

The two slowly reconciled some time after Jennifer's divorce with Brad Pitt.

Death

Nancy had two strokes in 2011 & 2012. Her health deteriorated after that. She could not walk or speak freely after the dual jolts, She died on 23rd May 2016 in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles. She was admitted to the hospital 2 days earlier to her death, she breathed her last in the hospital, she was 79 at the time. Both her children attended the funeral.

Career

In the 1960s Family comedy series created by Paul Henning- 'The Beverly Hillbillies' she appeared as Athena in the episode 'The Woodchucks' (S5E13)

In the late 1960s Western adventure series 'The Wild Wild West' created by Michael Garrison, she played Tersa in the episode 'The Night of the Tartar' (S2E19)

In the 1967 comedy series 'Mr. Terrific' starring Stephen Strimpell, Dick Gautier, Paul Smith; she appeared as a redhead in the episode 'The Sultan has Five Wives' (S1E17)

 In the 1969 horror thriller 'The Ice House' directed by Stuart E. McGowan, she played Jan Wilson

In the family drama written and directed by Dale Richard Howard, she played Lynne.

Filmography

Facts & Trivia

• Ancestry: She is of Italian descent from her maternal grandfather's side, other than that she is of English, Scottish and Irish background.
• Nancy would yell at her husband John to get him working, the difficulties of family added to her getting angry at times, which gradually formed an unsavoury image in the eyes of her children.
• The family lived in poverty in the early days when Jennifer was just a young girl. Nancy couldn't afford her dresses, Jennifer wore dresses donated by Nancy's friends.

Quotes

• This has been extremely painful for me, You spend all this time raising a child, with a lot of good intentions, and you feel you have failed. It makes you feel very ashamed.
• I do not accept this blame-the-parents theory. But I do see that a mother and a daughter have to learn to have a different relationship, a relationship between mature women.
• If Jen needed to regain her power, why was she being pointed in the direction of me? Was being close to one's mother regarded as pathology? Had mom-bashing found its home in the current psychoanalytic rhetoric?
• Yes, I shouted a lot, But I had to get my husband out of bed to get him to do anything. Then he left me, and I was a single parent, responsible for my child. Imagine what my nerves were like. Yes, I did scold Jennifer.
• So I lost my temper. I'm sorry. I don't do it anymore, I've overcome that- I have. And I've forgiven other people. I've forgiven myself, too
• There is life after children. Parenting takes so much of your time and concentration that, when it's over, it takes a big effort to redefine yourself.
• But you must! And you rediscover your own self! And it is wonderful, and it is very exciting!

Sources

1. Nancy Dow on wikipedia
2.