[1] She developed an interest in theater while she was a student at Goucher College[2] where she was a member of Alpha Phi sorority[3] and the Agora dramatic society.

[2] After roles in Broadway productions of Life Begins (1932) and The Hill Between (1938),[4] Dunnock won praise for her performance as a Welsh school teacher in The Corn is Green[according to whom?]

Several of her films include The Trouble with Harry (1955), Love Me Tender (1956), Baby Doll (1956), Peyton Place (1957), The Nun's Story (1959), Butterfield 8 (1960), Something Wild (1961) and Sweet Bird of Youth (1962).

She also appeared in guest roles on numerous TV series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Ponds Theater, and, later in her career, several television movies.

[7] In 1966, she played Linda Loman for the third time in the television film adaptation of Death of a Salesman,[8] alongside her original Broadway co-star, Lee J.

[9] This earned Dunnock a nomination for an Emmy Award in 1967, in the category of Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama.