Editing Glenn Close (section)

===1970s: Early work===
Close started her professional career on the stage in 1974 at age 27.<ref name=tca/> In her senior year of college, she called her school's theater department to be nominated for a series of auditions through the University Resident Theatre Association and [[Theatre Communications Group|TCG]].<ref name="tca">Stated on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'', 1995</ref> Eventually, she was given a callback and hired for one season to do three plays at the [[Helen Hayes Theatre]], one of those plays being ''[[Love for Love]]'' directed by [[Harold Prince|Hal Prince]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/legit/features/glenn-close-first-theater-role-1201744445/|title=Glenn Close Looks Back on Her First Theater Role|last=Gray|first=Tim|date=April 5, 2016|language=en-US|access-date=August 29, 2016|archive-date=September 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911080812/http://variety.com/2016/legit/features/glenn-close-first-theater-role-1201744445/|url-status=live}}</ref> She made her television debut in 1975 with a small role in the anthology series ''[[Great Performances]]''. In 1976, she played [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] in the short-lived Broadway musical ''[[Rex (musical)|Rex]]'', with a score by [[Richard Rodgers]] and [[Sheldon Harnick]].<ref>{{cite web|website=IBDB|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/rex-3987#OpeningNightCast|title=Rex|accessdate=May 1, 2024|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206234420/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/rex-3987#OpeningNightCast|url-status=live}}</ref>

From September 1978 to April 1979, Glenn appeared on Broadway in ''[[The Crucifer of Blood]]'' playing the part of Irene St. Claire, with [[Paxton Whitehead]] and [[Dwight Schultz]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/production/the-crucifer-of-blood-helen-hayes-theatre-vault-0000004470|title=The Crucifer of Blood (Broadway, Helen Hayes Theatre, 1978) &#124; Playbill|access-date=April 21, 2023|archive-date=April 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421180139/https://www.playbill.com/production/the-crucifer-of-blood-helen-hayes-theatre-vault-0000004470|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1979, she filmed the television movies ''[[Orphan Train (film)|Orphan Train]]'' and ''[[Too Far to Go]]''. The latter film included [[Blythe Danner]] and [[Michael Moriarty]] in the cast, and Close played Moriarty's lover. Her last major stage role before beginning her motion picture career was playing Chairy, the female lead in the Broadway musical ''[[Barnum (musical)|Barnum]]'', from April 1980 to March 1981.<ref>{{cite web|website=IBDB|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/barnum-3949#OpeningNightCast|title=Barnum|accessdate=May 1, 2024|archive-date=May 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501043054/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/barnum-3949#OpeningNightCast|url-status=live}}</ref>