Melinda Dillion, the actress best remembered for her roles in the much-loved holiday film “A Christmas Story” and sci-fi classic “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” died Jan. 9, her family confirmed Friday. Dillion began her storied career as an improvisation comedian with Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe after stepping in as an understudy for a sick Barbara Harris. In her first major role, Dillion debuted on Broadway as Honey in Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” That role earned her a Tony nomination in 1963 for featured actress in a play, according to The Hollywood Reporter.