Glenn Close made her first mainstream appearance in 1975 in the "The Rules of the Game" episode of the television anthology series ‘Great Performances.’ She was next seen in television films like ‘Too Far to Go’ (1979), ‘Orphan Train’ (1979), and ‘The Elephant Man’ (1982). She made her big-screen debut in the 1982 American comedy-drama film ‘The World According to Garp,’ directed by George Roy Hill. Close played the role of ‘Jenny Fields’ in the film which earned her an ‘Academy Award’ nomination. She bagged 4 more ‘Academy Award’ nominations for her performance in ‘The Big Chill’ (1983), ‘The Natural’ (1984), and ‘Fatal Attraction’ (1987), and ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (1988). In 1990, she portrayed ‘Sunny von BĂ¼low’ in the American drama film ‘Reversal of Fortune,’ directed by Barbet Schroeder. The film opened to wide critical acclaim with critics praising the writing and performance of the cast.Â
The year 1993 saw the release of the period drama film ‘The House of the Spirits’ where Close portrayed ‘Ferula Trueba.’ Even though the film received several awards, it was panned by critics. ‘The House of the Spirits’ was a moderate success at the box office. In 1996, she starred as ‘Cruella de Vil’ in the adventure comedy film ‘101 Dalmatians,’ directed by Stephen Herek. While the film saw mixed reviews upon release, it was a phenomenal box office success, grossing over $320.7 million against a budget of $67 million. That same year, she also appeared in the comic science fiction film ‘Mars Attacks!’ which was a box office disappointment. Close played the role of ‘Vice President Kathryn Bennett’ in the 1997 political action thriller film ‘Air Force One,’ directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The film was a massive critical and box office success.
She next appeared in ‘Cookie's Fortune’ (1999), ‘102 Dalmatians’ (2000) where she reprised her role as ‘Cruella de Vil,’ ‘The Safety of Objects’ (2001), ‘Le Divorce’ (2003), ‘Heights’ (2004), and ‘The Stepford Wives’ (2004). In 2007, she joined the main cast of the legal thriller television series ‘Damages.’ She played the role of Patricia "Patty" Hewes which earned her a ‘Golden Globe Award’ and 2 ‘Primetime Emmy Awards.’ The show aired its final episode in 2012. In 2011, she starred as ‘Albert Nobbs’ in the drama film ‘Albert Nobbs’ for which she won an ‘Academy Award’ nomination. She went on to star in films like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014), ‘The Great Gilly Hopkins’ (2015), ‘The Girl with All the Gifts’ (2016), ‘The Wife’ (2017), and ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ (2020).
In 2021, Close acted in the science fiction drama film ‘Swan Song,’ which was directed by Benjamin Cleary. The film opened to a positive response from critics. She is all set to appear in the upcoming American comedy film ‘Brothers’ directed by Max Barbakow.