Glenn Close was born to Bettine (nee Moore) and Dr. William Taliaferro Close, who served as a personal physician to President Mobutu Sese Seko. Close's father also ran a clinic in the Belgian Congo (now Zaire). Glenn Close completed her school studies from Choate Rosemary Hall, a boarding school in Connecticut and later took her BA in drama and anthropology from College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. She was elected as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society which 'fosters and recognizes excellence in the undergraduate liberal arts and sciences.'

Close made her acting debut in 1975 with a direct-to-video film "The Rules of the Game." She has since appeared in a number of movies, television soaps and direct-to-video films. Glenn Close displayed her versatility in acting and literally lived in the roles. During the '80s, Close gave critically acclaimed performances earning five Oscar nominations for her roles in "The World According to Garp" (1982), in which she played a mother who conceives an illegitimate son, "The Big Chill" (1983) and "The Natural" (1984) alongside Robert Redford. She then gave a terrific chilling performance as a deranged stalker in "Fatal Attraction" (1987), and the foxy aristocrat, Marquise de Merteuil, in "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988).

During the '90s and 2000s, Close has appeared in several blockbuster hit movies including as Cruella Deville in "101 Dalmatians" (1996), "Air Force One" (1997), "Nine Lives" (2005) and others. She has also rendered critically acclaimed performances in television dramas, "Will & Grace" (1998), "The Shield" (2002), and "Damages" (2007). Close produced several television plays and has also appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway musicals.
Close was married to Cabot Wade from 1969 to 1971. Her second marriage was to James Constantine Marlas from 1984 to 1987. Glenn Close then dated John Starke. The couple's daughter, Annie Maude Starke, was born in 1988, and is now studying liberal arts at Hamilton College. In February of 2006, 59-year-old Glenn Close married her longtime boyfriend David E. (Evans) Shaw.