Dorothy Dean

Dorothy Dean (December 22, 1932 – February 13, 1987) was an American writer, actress, and editor. She was associated with Pop artist Andy Warhol's Factory and the New York City's 1960s underground art scene. Although never a prolific published author during her lifetime, Dean became known for her wit and close friendships with artists, writers, and filmmakers. She appeared in several of Warhol's films, worked in magazine publishing, and was a bouncer at Max's Kansas City. She later became the subject of Who Are You Dorothy Dean?, the first collection devoted to her writings and correspondence.

Early life and education Dorothy Dean was born on December 22, 1932, in White Plains, New York, into a middle-class family. Her father Reverend Elmer Wendell Dean was originally from Statesville, North Carolina, and eventually led congregations in New York and New Jersey. She had a sister named Carol. In 1954, she graduated from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a degree in philosophy before studying art history on a Fulbright scholarship in Amsterdam. In 1956, she began her Master of Fine Arts degree at Harvard University. While at Harvard, she became closely associated with a circle of white gay intellectuals she dubbed the "Lavender Brotherhood."

Dean became a familiar figure in New York's artistic and literary circles. She began visiting Pop artist Andy Warhol's Factory, appearing in several of his experimental films including Batman Dracula (1964), Afternoon (1965), My Hustler (1965), Restaurant (1965), Chelsea Girls (1966), and Superartist (1967). Rosen recalled, "I tell my incredibly chic gay pals Michael Maslansky and Frank Macfie that I need an assistant. They tell somebody and somebody else tells somebody else and next thing I know, Mickey is groveling at my feet thanking me for Dorothy Dean. I had never met the woman."

Personal life Dean was a close friend of Arthur Loeb, the son of investment banker John Loeb, a founding partner of the firm Loeb, Rhoades & Co., and Frances Lehman Loeb, a member of the Lehman banking family. Dean met Arthur while they were undergraduates at Harvard, and because he had limited use of his left arm and leg, she worked for him as a typist. The two remained close friends for many years, and although their relationship was platonic, Arthur proposed marriage to her. According to a friend of Dean's, John Loeb offered her money not to marry his son, which she refused, responding, "I won't marry Arthur because I don't want to. But I won't not marry him because you say don't marry him."

In early 1956, Dean gave birth to a son, whom she placed for adoption shortly after his birth. According to poet Gerard Malanga, both Dean and Creeley had been drinking when an exchange between them escalated, and Dean struck Creeley in the face. They also hold additional correspondence between Dean and her mother, as well as between Dean and her friends such as Edie Sedgewick, Harvey Milk, Paul Schmidt, and Jean-Claude van Itallie.

Dean is one of the subjects of Hilton Als' 1996 book The Women. The essay had appeared previously in the April 24, 1995 issue of The New Yorker.

Filmography

Batman Dracula (1964) Space (1965) My Hustler (1965) Afternoon (1965) Prison (1965) Chelsea Girls (1966), Superartist (1967) American Cream (1971)