Photo of Carline Glynn and her husband
Carlin Glynn (NC ’61)
Tony Award-winning actress Carlin Glynn graduated from Newcomb College in 1961. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Glynn and her family relocated to Houston, Texas when she was nine. In Houston, Glynn attended Lamar High School, where she met Tommy Tune, choreographer and co-director of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Glynn married Peter Masterson, an actor and co-director of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, in 1960. They resided in New York, both pursuing acting as members of the Actors Studio. In the earlier days of their marriage, Masterson strengthened his career while Glynn cared for the couple’s three children. During this time, Glynn held more minor roles in television commercials and co-hosted a program known as “Today’s Health.”
She made her theatre debut at age 38, playing the titular ingenue in the Lerner and Loewe musical Gigi at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. Glynn’s breakthrough came with her 1979 Broadway performance in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Glynn’s first Broadway appearance lasted nearly two years and landed her a Tony award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
After The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Glynn continued her career in theatre, appearing in many off-Broadway productions throughout the United States. She was also a successful performer in various television shows and films, such as “Three Days of the Condor” (1975) and “Sixteen Candles” (1984). Glynn reminisced on her Tony Award as a “game changer for her,” saying, “I’m someone who’s considered an actress.”