Glenn Close

Lore & Background

Glenn Close was born on March 19, 1947, in Greenwich, Connecticut, to socialite Elizabeth Mary Hester 'Bettine' (née Moore) and Dr. William Taliaferro Close, who operated a clinic in the Belgian Congo and served as personal physician to Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. She has two sisters and two brothers, including an adopted brother from the Congo. During her childhood, her family joined the Moral Re-Armament movement, which she later described as a 'cult' that dictated every aspect of her life. She broke away from the group at age 22, crediting her desire to become an actress for helping her leave. She attended The College of William & Mary, double majoring in theater and anthropology, and was inspired to pursue acting after watching an interview of Katharine Hepburn on The Dick Cavett Show.

Close gained early recognition on stage, making her Broadway debut in Love for Love (1974). She won three Tony Awards: two for Best Actress in a Play for The Real Thing (1983) and Death and the Maiden (1992), and one for Best Actress in a Musical for Sunset Boulevard (1995). Her film debut came in The World According to Garp (1982), earning her first Academy Award nomination. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she appeared in acclaimed films such as The Big Chill (1983), The Natural (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Reversal of Fortune (1990), The Paper (1994), Mars Attacks! (1996), and Air Force One (1997). She also portrayed Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1996) and its sequel, and voiced Kala in Tarzan (1999).

Reader's Guide

Glenn Close's significance lies in her sustained excellence across film, television, and theater over five decades. She is one of the few performers to have won three Tony Awards and three Primetime Emmy Awards, and she received an Academy Honorary Award. Her eight Academy Award nominations place her among the most nominated actresses in history. Close's work in the 1980s and 1990s produced several iconic film roles, including the obsessive Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction and the manipulative Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons. On television, she won Emmys for her portrayal of Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer in Serving in Silence and for playing Patty Hewes in Damages. Her legacy also includes advocacy for women's rights, same-sex marriage, and mental health, as well as political donations supporting Democratic politicians. She is president of Trillium Productions and co-founder of the website FetchDog.

Did You Know?

• Glenn Close was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.
• She is related to Diana, Princess of Wales through her seven times great-grandparents, and distantly related to actor Clint Eastwood.
• Close's birth name is Glenn Close, despite claims it is 'Glenda Veronica Close'.
• She co-founded the website FetchDog and is president of Trillium Productions.