Lynne Thigpen

From Harpo's Juke Joint

Lynne Thigpen

Born:	Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen December 22, 1948 Joliet, IL
Died:	March 12, 2003 Los Angeles, CA
Website:	The Lynne Thigpen/Bobo Lewis Foundation
Fanlisting:	n/a
Discuss Lynne Thigpen

Lynne Thigpen was an American actress, singer and narrator. Best known as a character actress, Thigpen had an active career on both stage and screen for over three decades, ending with her sudden death in March of 2003.

1 Career
2 Legacy
3 Awards & Nominations
4 Trivia
5 Links
6 Notes

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Career

Thigpen's trademark was her rich, dusky speaking voice and soaring alto singing voice, which was showcased in her debut film Godspell. One of her memorable early roles was in the 1979 film The Warriors, where Thigpen played a radio deejay who was never shown, except for her lips. Thigpen also read for many African-American audiobooks, including the classic children's novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and Gather Together in my Name, by Maya Angelou. Black Issues Book Review called Lynne "...the hardest working narrator in audiobooks."

Thigpen's career in the 1970s was mainly stage work. She reprised her Godspell role on Broadway. In 1981, Thigpen earned a Tony nomination for performing multiple roles in Tintypes. Thigpen again played several roles (including an ex-slave and pioneer comedian Moms Mabley) in And I Ain't Finished Yet, which was performed Off-Broadway.

The 80s brought Lynne to the screen, both large and small. In 1982, Lynne would have a small role in the Dustin Hoffman film Tootsie, where she played a camera operator. After Tootsie, Thigpen had other bit roles in films including Sweet Liberty (1986), Hello Again (1987) and Running on Empty (1988). One of her most memorable movie roles was that of Leonna Barrett, the thorn in Joe Clark's (Morgan Freeman) side in the 1989 film Lean on Me. On television, Lynne spent years on All My Children, including one season in 1983 as Flora Baxter. She would return a decade later to play Grace Keefer (1993-2000), who kidnapped the child of the police officer (Mimi Bell) who shot and killed Keefer's son. She also played walk-on roles on shows such The Cosby Show, and Roseanne, and had a six-show stint on thirtysomething.

In 1991, Thigpen took the role that would make her a household name. The PBS educational program Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? premiered in September, with Thigpen playing The Chief, the head detective for a crime-solving agency. Less than a year later, Thigpen told Essence magazine, "Three-thirty is a dangerous time for me on the streets. The kids all recognize me and follow me, calling 'Chief! Chief!'" Thigpen would receive four Emmy nominations for the role.

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Legacy

At the time of her death, Lynne had over 60 film, stage and television roles to her credit. Baby boomers probably remember her best from Godspell, while Generation Xers are most familiar with her dual roles as The Chief and Edwina in the Carmen Sandiego series, as well as needle-nosed Leonna Barrett from Lean on Me. Today's younger generation knows her as Luna in Bear in the Big Blue House, with adults seeing her as cancer survivor Ella Farmer in The District with Craig T. Nelson. Thigpen played these roles simultaneously, often having to do the voice of Luna via telephone. Following her death, The District would only continue for one more season, while Bear took a three-year hiatus, and the film based on the show was cancelled.

As Luna in the PBS children's show Bear in the Big Blue House

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Awards & Nominations

1981 - Tony award nomination, Best Featured Actress (Musical) for Tintypes
1987 - Los Angeles Drama Critics award for August Wilson's Fences
1992 - Obie award for Athol Fugard's Boesman and Lena
1996 - NAACP award, Outstanding Performance in an Educational/Informational Youth or Children's Series/Special for Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
1997 - Tony award, Best Featured Actress (Play) for An American Daughter
1997 - NAACP award, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for All My Children
2000 - Obie award for Jar the Floor
2000 - AudioFile Awards, Golden Voices for the Year 2000
2004 - Emmy award, Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for Bear in the Big Blue House (posthumous)

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Trivia

Joliet has an elementary school named after Thigpen. There is also a star named Thigpen (Lynne), located at RA: 14h, 31m, 31s; D: 71°, 30'.

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was originally a computer game, and The Chief was a faceless male. Thigpen's Chief was so popular that she continued to voice the role in subsequent computer games and educational materials.