In 1959 she acted in "The Cry of Jazz", an influential short film dealing with jazz music and Black culture. Dillon's first feature film was "The April Fools" in 1969. She also worked in television, notably in a guest-starring role in 1969 on an episode of the hit TV series "Bonanza" titled "A Lawman's Lot Is Not a Happy One" (Season 11). She co-starred with David Carradine in the 1976 Woody Guthrie biopic "Bound for Glory" and was nominated in the Best Female Acting Debut category of the Golden Globe for her role as Memphis Sue.