Though one of the most respected actors in film, theatre, and TV, Glenn Close has yet to add an Oscar to her three Tony awards, the last of which she won for her definitive portrayal of Norma Desmond in the stage musical "Sunset Boulevard".
Yet it's not for want of trying. The 53-year-old New Englander has been nominated no less than five times, most notably for her deliciously venal performances in "Fatal Attraction" and "Dangerous Liaisons".
She's since hit it big in another villainous role, playing Cruella De Vil in "101 Dalmatians" and its sequel. But such pantomimic excesses are only one part of what makes this leading lady tick.
Nominated in the best supporting actress category for three years straight between 1983 and 1985, Close brought a rare integrity to her roles in such quirky ensemble pieces as "The World According to Garp" and "The Big Chill", before landing her first lead in the thriller, "Jagged Edge".
In recent years she's played both the Vice-President and the First Lady (in "Air Force One" and "Mars Attacks!" respectively), Mel Gibson's mother in "Hamlet" (despite being only nine years older) and, bizarrely, a male pirate in "Hook".
Though tempted at times to give theatrical turns in films that are plainly beneath her ("Cookie's Fortune", "Mary Reilly"), Close's versatility should ensure her many more shots at Oscar glory.
And she'll never go hungry as long as she keeps on performing the National Anthem for the New York Mets before their first game of the season.
