Glenne Headley was an American actress who is best-known for her roles in movies such as Dick Tracy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Mr. Holland’s Opus. Besides those movies, she was also known for her numerous roles in a wide range of movies, TV movies, and TV shows, which continued into the present. Unfortunately, Headley passed away on June 8 of a pulmonary embolism, which is why it is time to honor her memory as well as all of her artistic accomplishments.
Here are five of Glenne Headley’s best movie roles:
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen was centered around Elizabeth “Lola” Steppe, a teenager with the ambition of becoming a famous actress on Broadway, which is one reason for the name of the movie. Regardless, the lead role was played by Lindsay Lohan, while the role of Lola’s mother was played by Glenne Headley. It is interesting to note that while Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen was not received particularly well by the critics, it was nonetheless a box office success, as shown by the fact that it earned $33 million on its $13 million budget.
Dick Tracy
Warren Beatty played the titular character on Dick Tracy while also serving as both its director and its producer. As a result, he was able to choose Headley to play the role of Tess Trueheart, having been impressed by her performance in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Overall, Dick Tracy was a commercial success, but the planned sequel never materialized because of a legal dispute over who had the film rights, which was not settled until more than a decade later.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was Headley’s break-through role when it came to the world of movies. In it, she played the naive heiress Janet Colgate, which became the target of two competing conmen played by Michael Caine and Steve Martin. Unfortunately for the competing con men, Headley’s character turned out to be much more than what either of them would have expected, thus leading the movie into a most unexpected but not unsatisfactory conclusion.
Mortal Thoughts
In 1991, Headley co-starred in Mortal Thoughts along with both Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. Headley and Moore played a pair of best friends by the names of Joyce and Cynthia, who head out to a festival in the company of Joyce’s abusive husband Jimmy, who was played by Willis. The night ended with Jimmy dead in his van, with much of the movie focused on figuring out exactly what happened to produce the results as well as all of the things that motivated each of the characters to do what they did.
Mr. Holland’s Opus
In Mr. Holland’s Opus, the titular character retires from being a musical performer to become a high school teacher so that he can spend more time with his wife, who is played by Headley, as well as write his magnum opus. Over the course of his career, he strives to defend the value of an education in the arts while also making sure to instill his love of music in his students. Unfortunately, he is forced into an early retirement in the end when his opponents win out, but not before he is vindicated as his family watches his former students perform his orchestral piece in a massive show of gratitude.
Follow Us
