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Glenne Headly was awarded the 1980 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play for "Say Goodnight, Gracie" at the Travel Light Productions Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
A visit to a cinema is a little outing in itself. It breaks the monotony of an afternoon or evening; it gives a change from the surroundings of home, however pleasant.
Ivor Novello
Glenne Headly
Glenne Headly
13 March 1955, New London, Connecticut
Glenne Headly was born in New London, Connecticut and her first years were spent living under the care of her mother in San Francisco and her maternal grandmother in Pennsylvania. Early in her elementary school years, she joined her mother who was then living in Greenwich Village, New York City and grew up having a rich cultural life. She studied ballet at the Robert Joffrey school of ballet and modern dance at the Martha Graham Studios. In New York, she attended public schools, including P.S. 41, where she was placed in an IGC class ( for intellectually gifted children ). It was here that a fifth grade teacher introduced her to the work of Jacques Cousteau in an oceanography class, spawning a lifelong interest for her in preserving the natural world. She later went on to the High School of Performing Arts, majoring in drama and graduated with honors.
Rather than continuing to study the dramatic arts in college, she opted to spend her freshman year at a small American College in Switzerland. This proved to be an inspirational place and she stayed on, holding several small scholarships in order to do so. She was able to graduate in the winter of her senior year, majoring in English and American Literature as well as Art History. Her "working" scholarships were delivering student mail and partnering with one of her professors, to put on one play per quarter for which students would receive credit. She also received a small stipend for academic excellence.
Following graduation, she went to live and work in San Francisco, New York and finally Chicago, taking day jobs as a waitress or restaurant hostess, all so that she could work nights in the theatre for little or no salary. While in Chicago, she joined the" New Works Ensemble" at the St. Nicholas Theatre and was later cast in the Goodman theatre production of "Curse of the Starving Class" directed by Robert Falls and co-starring John Malkovich.
Appearing on the Chicago stage in a production of Curse of the Starving Class for the Goodman Theatre, directed by Robert Falls, Headly was asked to join the Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble, who were looking to expand their group. She appeared in several productions with them, including, Waiting for Lefty, Absent Friends, Savages, Loose Ends, Balm in Gilead, The Coarse Acting Shows, Born Yesterday and House. She also appeared in Robert Falls production of Mother Courage and Her Children at the Wisdom Bridge Theatre.
In Chicago, she was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson awards and won three for best supporting actress. She received her Actors' Equity card when cast by Vivian Matalon in a summer theatre production of Charley's Aunt and joined SAG, when Arthur Penn wrote a role for her in the film, Four Friends.
In 1982 she married fellow ensemble member John Malkovich and moved with him to New York City. Soon after, she was cast to replace Ellen Barkin in Extremities with Susan Sarandon off broadway. She then was cast in The Philanthropist, also off broadway, and won a Theatre World Award for best newcomer. In New York, she appeared in Balm in Gilead with her fellow Steppenwolf theatre ensemble members and Arms and the Man on Broadway with Kevin Kline and Raul Julia.
She got several supporting roles in films like Making Mr. Right, "Paperhouse", Seize the Day and Nadine but it was her role in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opposite Steve Martin and Michael Caine that launched her future career. She was then cast by Warren Beatty to appear opposite him as Tess Trueheart in Dick Tracy . Her next appearance in a film was to star opposite Demi Moore and Bruce Willis in Mortal Thoughts directed by Alan Rudolph. It was a time of many changes for her and in 1990 she also divorced Malkovich. In 1992, she went to Canada to work on a small Canadian film called Ganesh with Ryan Reynolds and on the first day of filming, met her future husband, whom she married in 1993.
She went on to appear in Mr. Holland's Opus, Sgt. Bilko , What's the Worst That Could Happen?, Breakfast of Champions, Around the Bend , Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, 2 Days in the Valley, Comeback Season and others.
She appeared in the television movies Winchell, "And The Band Played On", Pronto, My Own Country and Women Vs. Men and was nominated for two Emmy Awards, for best supporting actress in a television movie for both Lonesome Dove (1989) and Bastard Out of Carolina (1996). She appeared as Julie Andrews' and Christopher Plummers' daughter in the live telecast of the play On Golden Pond for CBS. She was cast in the series Encore! Encore! , starring Nathan Lane and Joan Plowright, from 1998–1999. and had a recurring roles as Dr. Abby Keaton on ER from 1996–1997. and on Monk from 2003–2004.
Headly was an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company from 1979 – 2005; although she never returned to Chicago to do a play after the late 1980s, believing that such a move would uproot and be disruptive to her family. She took a break from the stage altogether for ten years until 1999 when she starred on the London stage opposite Miranda Richardson in Aunt Dan & Lemon. Two years later, she starred in Detachments in Los Angeles and in 2003, starred opposite David Hyde Pierce in The Guys as part of a revolving cast at The Actors' Gang in Los Angeles. She appeared in a one-woman play called My Brilliant Divorce in Galway, Ireland in 2003.
She is a member of Mensa and speaks French.
She has been an avid environmentalist since she was a teenager and has been a member of many environmental groups for over 20 years. She bought a fully electric vehicle, the Toyota RAV4 EV in 2003 and rebuilt her house in "green" in 2004.
She and her family sponsor children through both World Vision and Plan.
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Starred opposite David Hyde Pierce in the play, "The Guys". David Hyde Pierce played a fire chief attempting to write the obituaries for his men lost in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centre and Headly played his editor. Originally performed in New York in December 2001, the West Coast version premiered in July 2002 with Helen Hunt and Tim Robbins and has had a revolving cast ever since. The Actor's Gang, the theatre of the play, is located in a very small studio on Santa Monica Bouelevard.
She studied ASL (American Sign Language) for her role in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus (1995).
She is a member of MENSA.
Speaks French.
Was an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company from 1979 - 2005.
Has a B.A. from the American College of Switzerland.
Gave birth to a son in 1997, father is husband Byron McCulloch.
She was awarded the 1981 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play for "Balm in Gilead" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.
She was nominated for a 1981 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Principal Role in a Play for "Absent Friends" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.
She was nominated for a 1981 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in the play, "Mother Courage and Her Children," at the Wisdom Bridge Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
She was nominated for a 1981 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play for "Mother Courage and Her Children" at the Wisdom Bridge Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
She was nominated for a 1982 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Principal Role in a Play for "The House" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.
She was awarded the 1983 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play for "The Miss Firecracker Contest" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.
She was awarded the 1985 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play for "Coyote Ugly" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.
She was nominated for a 1988 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Principal Role in a Play for "Born Yesterday" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.
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