Lynne Thigpen
197118
225265050
2008-07-12T19:49:24Z
67.71.124.111
/* Death */
{{Infobox actor
| image = Replace this image female.svg
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birthdate = {{birth date|1948|12|22|mf=y}}
| birthplace = [[Joliet, Illinois]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| deathdate ={{death date and age|2003|3|12|1948|12|22|mf=y}}
| deathplace =[[Marina del Rey, California]]
| birthname = Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen
| othername = Lynne Richmond
| homepage =
| yearsactive = 1971-2003
| academyawards =
| tonyawards = '''[[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play|Best Featured Actress in a Play]]''' <br> 1997 ''An American Daughter''
}}
'''Cherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen''' ([[December 22]] [[1948]] – [[March 12]] [[2003]]) was an [[United States|American]] stage and television [[actor|actress]].
==Early life==
Thigpen was born and raised in [[Joliet, Illinois]], and obtained a degree in teaching. She taught [[English language|English]] in high school briefly in her hometown, while studying theatre and dance at the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign|University of Illinois]], then in [[1971]], she moved to [[New York City]] to begin her career as a [[stage actor]].
==Career==
===Theatre===
She had a long and prolific [[theater]] career, appearing initially in [[musical theater|musicals]] such as ''[[Godspell]]'', ''The Night that Made America Famous'', ''[[The Magic Show]]'', ''[[Working (musical)|Working]]'', ''[[Tintypes]]'' and ''An American Daughter'' (for which she won her [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play|Tony Award]] for her portrayal of Dr. Judith Kaufman in 1997).
===Film===
Her first [[film|feature film]] role was ''[[Godspell (film)|Godspell]]'' ([[1973 in film|1973]]) co-starring opposite [[Victor Garber]] and [[David Haskell]]. She has appeared in few films throughout her career, notably as the omniscient Radio DJ in ''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]''; her last film was ''[[Anger Management]]'' ([[2003 in film|2003]]) starring [[Adam Sandler]] and [[Jack Nicholson]] (which was released a month following her death, and was paid tribute to her in the end credits).
===Television===
Thigpen was perhaps best known for playing "[[Characters and sketches on Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?#The Chief (Lynne Thigpen)|The Chief]]" of the [[ACME and V.I.L.E.|ACME]] Detective Agency in the long-running [[PBS Kids|PBS children's]] [[geography]] [[game show]] ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?]]'', which involves both education and comedy, and, on occasion, musical performance. She was the only ''World'' cast member to star in ''[[Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Time]]''. She also appeared on another children's show, ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]'', voicing character of Luna, the moon.
She appeared in many prime-time series during her career, most notably her recurring role as "Grace Keefer" in a storyline on the daytime drama ''[[All My Children]]'' and a supporting role as "Ella Farmer", a statistics clerk for the [[Washington, D.C.]] police department, on ''[[The District]]''. She has guest starred in episodes of ''[[Gimme A Break!]]'', ''[[L.A. Law]]'', ''[[Law & Order]]'', ''[[The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd]]'', and ''[[Thirtysomething (TV series)|Thirtysomething]]''.
===Radio===
She appeared in radio skits of the [[Garrison Keillor]] program ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]''. Her dusky voice was also heard on over 20 books on tape. The books were often works with socially relevant themes.<ref>[http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/tributes/lynne_thigpen.shtml Muppet Central Articles - Tributes: Lynne Thigpen<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Death==
On [[March 12]] [[2003]], Thigpen was found dead at her home in [[Marina del Rey, California]], by a friend; she had died of a [[cerebral hemorrhage]]. She had been complaining of headaches for several days. Drugs and foul play were ruled out by the coroner's autopsy, which found "acute cardiac dysfunction, non-traumatic systemic and spontaneous intraventricular [[hemorrhage]] and hemorrhage in the [[brain]]". She was buried in Elmhurst Cemetery in her hometown.
===Aftermath===
When Thigpen died, ''[[The District]]'' had a funeral for her character in the third season finale as well. Her untimely death has also led to the four-year [[hiatus]] of ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]''.
A planned film version was also put on hold. According to journalist Tara Mooney (''Shadow''), who was interviewed by [[Ray D'Arcy]] on [[Ireland]]'s [[Today FM]] in [[2005]], says "the crew's hearts just weren't in it anymore" two years after Thigpen's death. Friends established a non-profit foundation, '''The Lynne Thigpen - Bobo Lewis Foundation''', to help young actresses and actors learn how to survive and succeed in New York theater, to mentor the next generation of [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] stars.
She was posthumously nominated for an [[Daytime Emmy Award]] for voicing Luna the moon in ''Bear in the Big Blue House'', but lost to [[Jeff Corwin]]. Her last film ''[[Anger Management]]'' (2003) starring [[Adam Sandler]] and [[Jack Nicholson]] was dedicated to her memory. An elementary school in [[Joliet, Illinois|her hometown]] is named in her honor.<ref>http://www.kitoko.com/school.html</ref>
==Work==
===Stage===
*''Godspell'': 1973
*''The Night That Made America Famous'': 1975
*''The Magic Show'': 1976
*''Working''
*''But Never Jam Today''
*''[[Tintypes]]'': 1980-81
*[[August Wilson]]'s ''Fences'': 1988
*[[Athol Fugard]]'s ''Boesman and Lena'': Obie award, 1992
*''A Month of Sundays''
*[[Wendy Wasserstein]]'s ''An American Daughter'':1996-7 (Tony Award 1997)
*''Jar the Floor''
===Radio===
*''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]''
===Film===
*''[[Godspell (film)|Godspell]]'' (1973)
*''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]'' (1979) (She appears as the radio announcer, only her lips are seen.)
*''[[Tootsie]]'' (1982)
*''[[Streets of Fire]]'' (1984) (She appears as a subway train engineer, reading in her train; brief dialogue with the main character.)
*''[[Lean on Me (film)|Lean on Me]]'' (1989)
*''[[Article 99]]'' (1992)
*''[[Bob Roberts]]'' (1992)
*''[[The Paper]]'' (1994)
*''[[Blankman]]'' (1994)
*''[[Random Hearts]]'' (1999)
*''[[The Insider (film)|The Insider]]'' (1999)
*''[[Bicentennial Man (film)|Bicentennial Man]]'' (1999)
*''[[Shaft (2000 film)|Shaft]]'' (2000)
*''[[Novocaine (film)|Novocaine]]'' (2001)
*''[[Anger Management]]'' (2003) – Posthumously Released
===Television===
*''[[Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (game show)|Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' as The Chief
*''[[Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego (game show)|Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' as The Chief
*''[[The District]]'' (as Chief Jack Mannion's Director of Administration, Ella Farmer)
*''[[All My Children]]'': as nurse Grace Keefer, aunt of Noah (played by ''[[Keith Hamilton Cobb]]'')
*''[[Thirtysomething (TV series)|thirtysomething]]''
*''[[L.A. Law]]''
*''[[Law & Order]]'' (occasional as Judge Ida Boucher)
*''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]'' (Luna)
*''[[Frank's Place]]'' (as the "good" voodoo woman who helps Frank evict a "bad" voodoo female tenant, played by ''[[Rosalind Cash]]'')
*''[[King of the Hill]]'' (as a judge who hears the case when Hank disputes a credit card charge over nonexistent movies he never ordered)
*''[[Roseanne (TV series)]]'' two times as a doctor
===Software===
*''[[Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?#Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (1996)|Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' as The Chief
*''[[Where in the U.S.A. is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' as The Chief
*''[[Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' as The Chief
===Voice===
* America's War on Poverty, PBS
* All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, by [[Maya Angelou]]
* [[Bear in the Big Blue House]] as Luna
* The Bluest Eye, by [[Toni Morrison]]
* House of Dies Drear by [[Virginia Hamilton]]
* Jazz, by [[Toni Morrison]]
* One Better, by [[Rosalyn McMillan]]
* Parable of the Sower, by [[Octavia E. Butler]]
* Paradise, by [[Toni Morrison]]
* People of the Century, by [[Time magazine]] editors
* Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by [[Mildred D. Taylor]]
* Song of Solomon, by [[Toni Morrison]]
* Sula, by [[Toni Morrison]]
* Tar Baby, by [[Toni Morrison]]
* Their Eyes Were Watching God, by [[Zora Neale Hurston]]
* The Trials of Nikki Hill, by [[Christopher Darden]] and [[Dick Lochte]]
* Zeely, by [[Virginia Hamilton]]
* The Women of Brewster Place, by [[Gloria Naylor]]
* 2000X: Tales of the Next Millennia, science fiction collection
== Awards and nominations ==
;Awards
*1997 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play – ''An American Daughter''
;Nominations
*1987 Los Angeles Drama Critics Award – ''Fences''
*1992 [[Obie Award]] – ''Boesman and Lena''
*1994, 1995, 1996 [[Daytime Emmy Awards]] for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series - ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
*1996 [[NAACP Image Awards]] for Informational Youth or Children's Series/Special – ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
*1997 [[NAACP Image Awards]] for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – ''[[All My Children]]''
*2000 [[Obie Award]] – ''Jar the Floor''
*2000 AudioFile Awards Golden Voices for the Year
*2004 [[Daytime Emmy Awards]] for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]'' ('''Note''': This nomination was posthumous)
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* {{findagrave|7259210}}
* {{ibdb|68881}}
* {{imdb|0858106}}
* {{tcmdb name|190874}}
* {{voice actor|1668}}
*[http://www.ltblf.org/index.shtml The Lynne Thigpen - Bobo Lewis Foundation]
*[http://itsthejoint.net/Lynne_Thigpen Lynne Thigpen] at Harpo's Juke Joint Wiki
*[http://www.musicalschwartz.com/godspell-tributes.htm Lynne Thigpen]
{{TonyAward PlayFeaturedActress 1976-2000}}
{{Lifetime|1948|2003|Thigpen, Lynne}}
[[Category:African American actors]]
[[Category:American film actors]]
[[Category:American soap opera actors]]
[[Category:American stage actors]]
[[Category:American television actors]]
[[Category:Deaths by cerebral hemorrhage]]
[[Category:Obie Award recipients|Thigpen]]
[[Category:People from Joliet, Illinois]]
[[Category:Schoolteachers|Thigpen, Lynn]]
[[Category:University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alumni]]
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