
Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on screen and stage, she has received numerous accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, three Tony Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for eight Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Grammy Awards. She was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.
Close received eight Academy Award nominations for playing a feminist mother in The World According to Garp (1982), a baby boomer in The Big Chill (1983), a love interest in The Natural (1984), a psychotic ex-lover in Fatal Attraction (1987), a cunning aristocrat in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), an English butler in Albert Nobbs (2011), a troubled wife in The Wife (2017), and an eccentric grandmother in Hillbilly Elegy (2020). Her other films include Reversal of Fortune (1990), The Paper (1994), and Mars Attacks! (1996), Air Force One (1997), and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Close also portrayed Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1996) and its 2000 sequel and voiced Kala in Tarzan (1999).
In television, Close received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in the film Something About Amelia (1984) and later won three—Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for portraying Margarethe Cammermeyer in the NBC film Serving in Silence (1995) and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series twice consecutively for playing Patty Hewes in Damages (2007–2012).
On stage, Close made her Broadway debut in the play Love for Love (1974). She later won three Tony Awards, two for Best Actress in a Play for her roles in the plays The Real Thing (1983) and Death and the Maiden (1992), and one for Best Actress in a Musical for the musical Sunset Boulevard (1995). She was Tony-nominated for Barnum (1980). She returned to the Broadway stage in a 2014 revival of A Delicate Balance. In 2016, she returned to Sunset Boulevard on the West End stage, earning a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical nomination.
Close is the president of Trillium Productions and co-founder of the website FetchDog. She has made political donations in support of Democratic politicians. She is vocal on issues such as women's rights, same-sex marriage, and mental health. Married three times, she has one daughter, Annie Starke, from her relationship with producer John Starke.
Frequent co-stars
18
Titles
54

Obudź się, Zmarły: Tajemnica Knives Out
Martha Delacroix • 2025
Film
★7/10

Znowu w akcji
Ginny • 2025
Film
★6/10

Wszystko dozwolone
Dina Standish • 2025
Serial
★5/10

Super/Man: Historia Christophera Reeve'a
Self • 2024
Film
★8/10

Wybawienie
Alberta Jackson • 2024
Film
★6/10

Bracia
Cath Munger • 2024
Film
★6/10

Misja Stone
King of Diamonds • 2023
Film
★7/10

Łabędzi śpiew
Dr. Eve Scott • 2021
Film
★7/10

Cztery dobre dni
Deb • 2021
Film
★7/10

Elegia dla Bidoków
Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance • 2020
Film
★7/10

3 nie z tej ziemi: Opowieści z Arkadii
Mother (voice) • 2018
Serial
★7/10

Żona
Joan Castleman • 2018
Film
★7/10

Siedem sióstr
Nicolette Cayman • 2017
Film
★7/10

Dom Zbrodni
Lady Edith de Haviland • 2017
Film
★6/10

Bękarty
Helen Baxter • 2017
Film
★6/10

Śmieszny ślub
Eve Wilde • 2017
Film
★5/10

Dziewczyna z wszystkimi prezentami
Dr. Caroline Caldwell • 2016
Film
★7/10

Anestezja
Marcia Zarrow • 2016
Film
★6/10

Wielka Gilly
Nonnie Hopkins • 2015
Film
★7/10

Strażnicy Galaktyki
Nova Prime • 2014
Film
★8/10

Romans na godziny
Arlene Bloom • 2014
Film
★7/10

Upadek legendy
Gram • 2014
Film
★6/10

Albert Nobbs
Albert Nobbs • 2011
Film
★6/10

Czerwony Kapturek 2 - Pogromca zła
Granny (voice) • 2011
Film
★5/10

Układy
Patty Hewes • 2007
Serial
★7/10

Wieczór
Mrs. Wittenborn • 2007
Film
★6/10

Miłego dnia?
Carrie Johnson • 2005
Film
★6/10

Co jest grane
Diana • 2005
Film
★6/10

Czerwony Kapturek - Prawdziwa historia
Granny (voice) • 2005
Film
★6/10

Tarzan 2: Początek legendy
Kala (voice) • 2005
Film
★6/10

Dziewięć kobiet
Maggie • 2005
Film
★6/10

Strip Search
Karen Moore • 2004
Film
★6/10

Żony ze Stepford
Claire Wellington • 2004
Film
★6/10

The Lion in Winter
Eleanor of Aquitaine • 2003
Film
★6/10

Rozwód po francusku
Olivia Pace • 2003
Film
★5/10

102 dalmatyńczyki
Cruella de Vil • 2000
Film
★6/10

Tarzan
Kala (voice) • 1999
Film
★7/10

Kto zabił ciotkę Cookie?
Camille Dixon • 1999
Film
★6/10

Air Force One
Kathryn Bennett • 1997
Film
★7/10

Rajska droga
Adrienne Pargiter • 1997
Film
★6/10

Mars atakuje!
Marsha Dale • 1996
Film
★6/10

101 dalmatyńczyków
Cruella de Vil • 1996
Film
★6/10

Mary Reilly
Mrs. Farraday • 1996
Film
★6/10

Zawód: dziennikarz
Alicia Clark • 1994
Film
★7/10

Dom dusz
Ferula Trueba • 1993
Film
★7/10

Schadzka z Wenus
Karin Anderson • 1991
Film
★6/10

Hamlet
Gertrude • 1990
Film
★7/10

Odmiana losu
Sunny von Bülow / Narrator • 1990
Film
★7/10
