Carlin Glynn, who won a Tony Award in 1979 for originating the role of madam Mona Stangley in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” died July 13 at age 83. Her daughter, “Fried Green Tomatoes” actress Mary Stuart Masterson, announced the news on Instagram.
“On Thursday, July 13, my mother, Carlin Glynn Masterson, passed away. I was with her. I will always be grateful for those last moments, no matter how hard,” Masterson wrote on Sunday. She told the New York Times on Thursday that her mother had been battling lung cancer and dementia.
She remembered her mother as “strong, smart, silly, intuitive, kind, generous, passionate and a deep listener” who was devoted to her late husband, Peter Materson and “the enormous circle of students and collaborators who were considered her chosen family.”
Masterson shared a photo of Glynn from her 80th birthday party, “before the worst of dementia and cancer took their toll.”
She concluded her post, writing, “She never lost her sense of joy or wonder. Rest in peace, mommy.”
Peter Masterson, who passed away in 2018, wrote the book for “Whorehouse” and directed his wife in several films, including 1985’s “The Trip to Bountiful” and 1987’s “Gardens of Stone,” in which he and Mary Stuart Masterson both costarred.
“I initially worked on the play only to help out,” Glynn told The New York Times about “Whorehouse” in July 1978. “Peter was hesitant to force his wife on his collaborators. Finally, all four of the organizations who wanted to take the show to Broadway wanted me to stay in the part. So then I stopped worrying about nepotism.”
Winning the Tony, she told The Times in 1979, was life-changing. [“It”] means I’m not just the girl who does the Texas madam in a musical; I’m someone who’s considered an actress.”
She also appeared as Molly Ringwald’s mother in “Sixteen Candles,” as well as ’80s films “Resurrection,” “Continental Divide,” “The Escape Artist,” “Blood Red” and “Night Game.” Glynn was also part of the cast of the 1999 indie drama “Judy Berlin.”
A lifelong member of the Actors Studio, the actress and singer made her film debut in the 1975 thriller ‘Three Days of the Condor.” She took a long break from acting to raise children Mary Stuart, Alexandra and Peter Masterson, Jr.
