A true Hollywood legend. Glenn Close has been a queen of stage and screen since the early 1980s — regardless of whether she ever wins an Oscar.
The Fatal Attraction actress has been nominated for an Academy Award eight times over the course of her career, making her the record holder for most nominations in an acting category without a win. While the award is considered the most prestigious honor in Hollywood, Close has said she’s not really bothered by not having one on her shelf.
“It’s beyond me. I don’t know what to say about that,” the Damages alum said during a Variety interview in January 2021. “I just have to keep doing what’s good. You’re fulfilled by your work, and that’s the process to me. It’s what feeds my soul, but it really is nice when other people like it. It might be cool to never get one.”
The Big Chill star — who has won multiple Emmys, Tony Awards, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards — joked that she might prefer to win a Lifetime Achievement Award so she doesn’t have to give a speech. “I wouldn’t mind being wheeled out when I’m old and drooling, and I have a gray wig to cover my bald head,” she quipped.
Born in Connecticut in 1947, Close began acting while studying theater as an undergraduate at the College of William & Mary. She made her Broadway debut in 1974 in a trio of plays, scoring her first TV role one year later.
The 101 Dalmatians actress made her film debut in 1982 in the big-screen adaptation of The World According to Garp, based on the novel by John Irving. The role earned Close her first Oscar nomination (in the Best Supporting Actress category), but she lost to Jessica Lange for Tootsie.
The Dangerous Liaisons star went on to score three more Best Supporting Actress nods and four Best Actress nominations. She also expanded her work in TV, starring as Patty Hewes on Damages from 2007 to 2012. The role scored her two Primetime Emmys and five Screen Actors Guild nominations.
“I’ve always loved television,” Close told Glamour in May 2022 while discussing her Apple TV+ series Tehran. “The second thing I did after The World According to Garp, which was my first movie, was Something About Amelia, which was a movie for television. And I was told at the time that it would ruin my movie career. And I said then, I’ve said it now for how many years, ‘The English do it, why can’t we?'”
Keep scrolling for a look back at Close’s life and career:
