It is the perfect time to bow down to one of the most formidable talents in Hollywood history. For over four decades, Close has refused to be put in a box. She has transitioned seamlessly from terrifying psychological thriller villains to campy Disney icons and ruthless television anti-heroes, bringing a terrifying level of precision and fierce intelligence to every single role she tackles.
While she currently holds the somewhat frustrating title of the most-nominated living actor without an Oscar win (eight nominations and counting!), her legacy is bulletproof. To celebrate her milestone day, we are bypassing the standard resume rundown to highlight the five most interesting, complex, and daring roles of her spectacular career.
Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction (1987)
IMDb
It is impossible to talk about Glenn Close without mentioning the film that permanently etched her into the pop-culture consciousness. As the deeply disturbed book editor who refuses to be ignored after a weekend affair with a married man (Michael Douglas), Close delivered a performance that was utterly terrifying. However, what makes this role truly interesting is how Close fought to ground Alex in genuine psychological pain rather than just playing her as a two-dimensional monster. She turned a cinematic stalker into a tragic, unforgettable portrait of obsession.
Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
If Fatal Attraction was about unhinged emotion, her turn as the Marquise was a masterclass in ice-cold restraint. Playing a wealthy, bored French aristocrat who treats seduction and ruin as a competitive sport, Close was absolutely mesmerizing. She commands the screen with a single raised eyebrow or the slight twitch of a fan, delivering razor-sharp dialogue with lethal precision. It remains one of the greatest cinematic depictions of female rage wrapped in a silk corset.
Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1996)
Sometimes, an actor is born to play a specific character, and Glenn Close as the puppy-stealing fashionista Cruella de Vil is pure, unadulterated perfection. In a role that could have easily become an overly cartoonish mess, Close leaned into the absolute maximum level of camp, treating the children’s movie with the theatrical gravity of a Shakespearean tragedy. With her soaring cackle, chaotic two-toned hair, and unapologetic vanity, she delivered a live-action Disney villain that has arguably never been topped.
Patty Hewes in Damages (2007–2012)
Long before the current “Peak TV” era where every movie star flocked to the small screen, Close anchored this incredibly dark FX legal thriller. As Patty Hewes, a brilliant but ruthlessly manipulative high-stakes litigator, she essentially gave television its own female Tony Soprano or Walter White. Patty was vicious, power-hungry, and entirely unpredictable. Watching Close mentally dismantle her opponents (and her own protégés) over five seasons earned her two well-deserved Emmy Awards.
Albert Nobbs in Albert Nobbs (2011)
This was a massive, decades-long passion project for Close, who co-wrote the screenplay and fought tirelessly to get it made. She played the titular character, a woman living as a male butler in a 19th-century Dublin hotel in order to survive in a fiercely patriarchal society. It is a heartbreaking, deeply internal performance. Close relies almost entirely on subtle physical shifts, tight posture, and repressed emotion to tell the story of a person who has spent a lifetime erasing their own identity just to get by.
