Nancy Maryanne Dow (July 22, 1936 – May 25, 2016) was an American actress and model who appeared in a brief group of films and television shows.

Spouse(s)

• Jack Melick (m. 1956; div. 1961)
• John Aniston (m. 1965; div. 1980)

Children

• John T. Melick
• Jennifer Aniston

Relatives Justin Theroux (son-in-law)

She was married to Greek American actor John Aniston with whom she had a daughter, actress Jennifer Aniston (born February 11, 1969).

Personal life

Dow was born in New York City, one of six daughters of Louise (née Grieco) and Gordon McLean Dow. Her maternal grandfather, Louis Grieco, was an Italian immigrant; her other ancestry includes English, Scottish and Irish.

Dow was also married to John T. "Jack" Melick, Jr., a pianist-bandleader currently based in Dallas, Texas, from 1956 to 1961. They had a son, John T. Melick III, an assistant director and second-unit director.

Dow and her daughter were estranged for nine years, partially because Dow wrote a book about their relationship, entitled From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (1999). In 2005, after Aniston's divorce from Brad Pitt, she and her mother reportedly reconciled. Aniston described the gradual progress of her new relationship with her mother: "It's been really nice. It's crazy what, you know, your life kind of being turned upside down will lead you to. ... For us it's ... It was the time and it was going to happen when it was supposed to happen. So this is good. It's baby steps."

Health and death

In 2011, Dow suffered a series of strokes. These affected her ability to speak and walk. In the early hours of May 23, 2016, she was taken by ambulance from her home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles. She died three days later. She was 79.

Filmography

• The Beverly Hillbillies (1966) (TV series) – Athena
• The Wild Wild West (1967) (TV series) – Tersa
• The Ice House (1969) – Jan Wilson
• Pure (2004/I) – Lynne