Children: son, Mark Swope, and daughter, Topo Swope.
Died just 11 days after Troy Donahue, who played her son in A Summer Place (1959).
In April of 2002, Dorothy's family was hurt and disappointed after Dorothy's name was unwittingly omitted by the Motion Picture Academy from the "In Memoriam" tribute of the March 2002 telecast. The demure, classy Dorothy, who had died within the calendar year and was nominated once for an Oscar for Gentleman's Agreement (1947), was one of those talented stars who avoided the sensationalism of stardom. The Academy explained that it was NOT an oversight or a slight, but that they have room only for 15-20 names in a single tribute. However, left unexplained was why they managed to include lesser film personalities such as Aaliyah.
In Italy, most of her films were dubbed by Lidia Simoneschi, including Friendly Persuasion (1956). She was occasionally dubbed by Dhia Cristiani, most notably in the Oscar-winning Gentleman's Agreement (1947); Rosetta Calavetta, Rina Morelli and Andreina Pagnani.
Married to John Swope, an airline founder and photographer for Life magazine, until his death in 1979.
Starred with 2 members of the Mills family in 2 different Disney films. She played John Mills' wife in Swiss Family Robinson in 1960 and Hayley Mills' mother in Summer Magic in 1963.