Biography
Carlin Glynn (February 19, 1940 – July 13, 2023) was an American singer and Tony Award-winning actress. She was married to writer, director, and actor Peter Masterson from 1960 until his passing in 2018. Together, they had three children: actress Mary Stuart Masterson, cinematographer Peter Masterson Jr., and former actress Alexandra "Lexie" Masterson.
Glynn was best known for her roles as Mae Barber in Three Days of the Condor (1975), Brenda Baker—the mother of Molly Ringwald's character—in Sixteen Candles (1984), Jessie Mae in The Trip to Bountiful (1985), directed by her husband, First Lady Meg Tresch alongside George C. Scott’s President Samuel Tresch in FOX’s TV series Mr. President, and Lady Bird Johnson in the miniseries A Woman Named Jackie.
Her other film appearances include Resurrection (1980), Continental Divide (1981), The Escape Artist (1982), Gardens of Stone (1987), which also featured her husband and daughter, Blood Red (1989), Night Game (1989), Convicts (1991), Judy Berlin (1999), and Whiskey School (2005).
A life member of The Actors Studio, Glynn made her Broadway debut later in life, winning the 1979 Tony Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Mona Stangley in the original production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The musical comedy was adapted by her husband Peter Masterson and fellow Studio member from a Playboy non-fiction article, in collaboration with the article’s author Larry L. King and songwriter Carol Hall, with development including extensive workshop performances at The Actors Studio.
