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{{short description|American actress (1948–2003)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox person
|image         = File:LynneThigpen.jpg
|caption       = Thigpen as Miss Barrett in the 1989 film ''[[Lean on Me (film)|Lean on Me]]''
|birth_date    = {{birth date|1948|12|22}}
|birth_place   = [[Joliet, Illinois]], U.S.
|death_date    = {{death date and age|2003|3|12|1948|12|22}}
|death_place   = [[Marina del Rey, California]], U.S.
|birth_name    = Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen
|resting_place = Elmhurst Cemetery, Joliet, Illinois
|other_names   = Lynne Richmond
|website       =
|alma_mater = [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign]]
|occupation    = {{hlist|Actress}}
|television = The Chief in ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|(Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?)]]''
|years_active  = 1971–2003
|awards = 1992 [[Obie Award]] – (''[[Boesman and Lena]]'') <br>1997 [[Tony Award]] for Best Featured Actress in a Play – (''[[An American Daughter]]'')<br> 1999 Obie Award – (Jar the Floor)
}}

'''Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen''' (December 22, 1948 – March 12, 2003) was an American actress of stage and screen. She was known for her role as the Chief of ACME Crimenet in the game show ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' and various spinoffs, and for her role as "Luna" (The Moon) in the [[Playhouse Disney]] children's series ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]''. For her varied television work, Thigpen was nominated for six [[Daytime Emmy Awards]]. She won a [[Tony Award]] in 1997 for portraying Dr. Judith Kaufman in ''[[An American Daughter]]'', and also played Ella Farmer on ''[[The District]]'' (2000–2003). Thigpen first gained attention for her role in the 1971 [[off-Broadway]] musical ''[[Godspell]]''. Thigpen's character is named Lynne, and she sang "O Bless the Lord, My Soul" in the musical. Thigpen reprised her role as Lynne in the [[Godspell (film)|1973 film adaptation]], which she starred in alongside [[David Haskell]] and [[Victor Garber]].

==Early life and education==
Thigpen was born in the [[Chicago]] suburb of [[Joliet, Illinois]] to George and Celia (Martin) Thigpen. She obtained a degree in teaching.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9XAnAQAAIAAJ&q=lynne+thigpen+joliet ''Drum'']</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Scott |date=March 20, 2003 |title=Lynne Thigpen (1948–2003). (News Wire ...) |url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A99818358/ITOF?sid=ITOF&xid=a27e38d2 |work=Back Stage West |access-date=January 6, 2019 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> She taught high school English briefly while studying theatre at the [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign|University of Illinois]] on an acting fellowship.<ref>{{cite news |last=Osborne |first=Gwendolyn E. |date=July–August 2003 |title=A golden voice goes silent: Lynne Thigpen, the award-winning actress who died this past spring, was the hardest working narrator in audiobooks. (tribute). |url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A104970499/ITOF?sid=ITOF&xid=c2aa8d36 |page=71 |work=Black Issues Book Review |access-date=January 6, 2019 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Career==
===Stage===
Thigpen moved to New York City in 1971 to begin her career as a stage actress.  She had a long and prolific theater career and appeared in numerous [[musical theater|musicals]] including ''[[Godspell]]'', ''[[The Night That Made America Famous]]'', ''[[The Magic Show]]'', ''[[Working (musical)|Working]]'', ''[[Tintypes]]'', and ''[[An American Daughter]]'' (for which she won her [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play|Tony Award]] for her portrayal of Dr. Judith Kaufman in 1997).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-03-14-0303140145-story.html |title= LYNNE THIGPEN, 54 |last=Kapos |first=Shia |date=March 14, 2003 |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=January 6, 2019}}</ref>

In 1994, Thigpen originated a role in an [[Adrienne Kennedy]] short play ''Motherhood 2000'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/09/nyregion/theater-a-wish-list-becomes-a-play-festival.html | title=THEATER; A Wish List Becomes a Play Festival | work=The New York Times | date=January 9, 1994 | last1=Klein | first1=Alvin }}</ref> while in 1995, she served as associate artistic director of the acclaimed off-Broadway theater, [[Circle Repertory Company]], while [[Austin Pendleton]] served as artistic director.

===Film===
Her first feature film role was as Lynne in ''[[Godspell (film)|Godspell]]'' (1973), co-starring opposite [[Victor Garber]] and [[David Haskell]]. Thigpen also portrayed a radio DJ (shown only from the nose down) in [[Walter Hill]]'s ''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]'' (1979), and Leonna Barrett, the mother of an expelled student, in ''[[Lean on Me (film)|Lean on Me]]'' (1989), the story of American high school principal [[Joe Louis Clark]]. She had a role in the remake of ''[[Shaft (2000 film)|Shaft]]'' (2000) as the mother of a murder victim, and played the Second President of the World Congress in ''[[Bicentennial Man (film)|Bicentennial Man]]'' (1999). Her last film, ''[[Anger Management (film)|Anger Management]]'' (2003), starring [[Adam Sandler]] and [[Jack Nicholson]], was released a month after her death and paid tribute to her in the end credits.

===Television===
Thigpen was most known to television audiences for playing the Chief in the [[PBS]] children's geography game show ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]'', which involved education, humor, and an occasional musical performance. She also reprised her role as The Chief in the successor show ''[[Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' She also played Luna in the television show ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]'' and also appeared in many other television series during her career, most notably in a recurring role as [[List of All My Children characters#Grace Keefer|Grace Keefer]] on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] daytime drama ''[[All My Children]]'' and a supporting role as [[The District#Cast|Ella Mae Farmer]], a crime analyst for the Washington, D.C., police department, on the [[CBS]] crime drama ''[[The District]]''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=k7UDAAAAMBAJ&dq=thigpen+%22university+of+illinois%22&pg=PA53 "Actress Lynne Thigpen, 54, Dies In Los Angeles"], ''[[Jet magazine|Jet]]'', March 31, 2005, p. 53.</ref> She guest-starred in episodes of ''[[Gimme A Break!]]'', ''[[Roseanne]]'', ''[[Thirtysomething]]'', ''[[The Cosby Show]]'', ''[[L.A. Law]]'', ''[[Law & Order]]'', ''[[The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd]]'', ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street]]'', and ''[[Sesame Street]]'', and was a regular cast member on the short-lived [[NBC]] sketch comedy series ''[[The News Is the News]]''. ''[[Where in the Universe Is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' is the last show to feature Lynne Thigpen as The Chief before she died.

===Audio productions===
She appeared in radio skits of the [[Garrison Keillor]] program ''[[The American Radio Company of the Air]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/features/hodgepodge/25anniversary/timeline.htm |title=A Prairie Home Companion Timeline |website=Prairiehome.publicradio.org |date=July 6, 1974 |access-date=January 29, 2013}}</ref> Her voice was also heard on over 20 audio books, primarily works with socially relevant themes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/tributes/lynne_thigpen.shtml |title=Muppet Central Articles – Tributes: Lynne Thigpen |website=Muppetcentral.com |date=March 13, 2003|access-date=January 29, 2013}}</ref>

=== Computer games ===
In her association with the ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' television show, Thigpen reprised her role as The Chief in three related computer games.  Two were released in 1996: ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1996 video game)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' (a reboot of the original 1985–1992 game) and ''[[Where in the U.S.A. Is Carmen Sandiego? (1996 video game)|Where in the U.S.A. Is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' The following year, a video game counterpart to the TV series' successor show, ''Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego,'' was released, titled ''[[Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time]]''. Thigpen recorded hundreds of [[QuickTime]] videos for cut-scenes in the games, and generally received praise for her performances in them; in reviewing the 1997 game, David Colker of the ''Los Angeles Times'' enjoyed the "on-screen presence of actress Lynne Thigpen", noting that she "brings a winning presence to her role,"<ref>{{cite news|title=A World Traveler Broadens Her Horizons: [Home Edition]|author=Colker, David|date=December 7, 1997|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|421200855}}}}</ref> while Debbie Maria Leon of the ''New Straits Times'' wrote that "the urgency of the [confident Chief's] voice [gives] enough oomph to make [the player] go scurrying to restore history".<ref name="google56">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WfxOAAAAIBAJ&pg=5802,5017303&dq=where-in-time-is-carmen-sandiego&hl=en|title=In hot pursuit of Carmen through time|author=Leon, Debbie Maria|date=April 26, 1999|newspaper=New Straits Times|page=56|access-date=October 30, 2012}}</ref>

==Death==
Thigpen died of a [[Intracerebral hemorrhage|cerebral hemorrhage]] on March 12, 2003,<ref>{{cite news|agency=The Associated Press |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/14/obituaries/14THIG.html |title=Lynne Thigpen, Actress in CBS's 'District,' Dies at 54 |work=New York Times |date=March 14, 2003 |access-date=February 4, 2014}}</ref> in her [[Marina del Rey, California]], home, outside of [[Los Angeles]], after complaining of headaches for several days. She was 54 years old. The coroner's autopsy found "acute cardiac dysfunction, non-traumatic systemic and spontaneous intraventricular hemorrhage, and hemorrhage in the brain."{{Citation needed |date=September 2021}} Thigpen was entombed at Elmhurst Cemetery in her hometown of [[Joliet, Illinois]].

===Response and legacy===
Following Thigpen's death, the remaining three episodes of the third season of ''The District'' killed off her character, Ella Mae Farmer.

Thigpen's family and friends established a non-profit foundation, The Lynne Thigpen–Bobo Lewis Foundation, to help young actors and actresses learn to survive and succeed in New York theater and to mentor the next generation of [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] stars.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Lynne-ThigpenBobo-Lewis-Foundation-Created-for-Actors-Writers-and-Directors-20050426 |title=Lynne Thigpen/Bobo Lewis Foundation Created for Actors, Writers, and Directors |author=<!--only says "BBW News Desk"--> |date=April 26, 2005|website=Broadway World|access-date=January 6, 2019}}</ref>

Thigpen was posthumously nominated for a [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming]] for voicing Luna the moon in ''Bear in the Big Blue House'', but lost to [[Jeff Corwin]] for his eponymous wildlife reality series ''[[The Jeff Corwin Experience]]''.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} Her final film, ''[[Anger Management (film)|Anger Management]]'', was dedicated to her memory. An elementary school in Thigpen's hometown of Joliet, Illinois, was named after her.<ref name=joliet86>{{cite web|url=http://www.joliet86.org/our-schools/thigpen/ |title=Lynne Thigpen School |website=Joliet86.org |access-date=January 29, 2013}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1973
| ''[[Godspell (film)|Godspell]]''
| Lynne
|
|-
| 1979
| ''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]''
| DJ
|
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Tootsie]]''
| Jo
|
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Streets of Fire]]''
| Subway Motorwoman
|
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Walls of Glass (film)|Walls of Glass]]''
| Woman Cop
|
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Sweet Liberty]]''
| Claire
|
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Hello Again (1987 film)|Hello Again]]''
| Reporter #2
|
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Running on Empty (1988 film)|Running on Empty]]''
| Contact at Eldridge St.
|
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Lean on Me (film)|Lean on Me]]''
| Leonna Barrett
|
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Impulse (1990 film)|Impulse]]''
| Dr. Gardner
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1992
| ''[[Article 99]]''
| Nurse White
|
|-
| ''[[Bob Roberts]]''
| Kelly Noble
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Naked in New York]]''
| Helen
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1994
| ''[[The Paper (film)|The Paper]]''
| Janet
|
|-
| ''[[Blankman]]''
| Grandma Walker
|
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Just Cause (film)|Just Cause]]''
| Ida Conklin
|
|-
|rowspan=3| 1999
| ''[[Random Hearts]]''
| Phyllis Bonaparte
|
|-
| ''[[The Insider (film)|The Insider]]''
| Mrs. Williams
|
|-
| ''[[Bicentennial Man (film)|Bicentennial Man]]''
| President Marjorie Bota
|
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Shaft (2000 film)|Shaft]]''
| Carla Howard
|
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Novocaine (2001 film)|Novocaine]]''
| Pat
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Anger Management (film)|Anger Management]]''
| Judge Brenda Daniels
| Posthumous release; dedicated in memory
|}

===Television===
<!-- Rowspans allowed only for "Year" column per WP:FILMOGRAPHY -->
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Fol-de-Rol]]''
|Witch / Ensemble
|Television film
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Lou Grant (TV series)|Lou Grant]]''
| Mrs. Dupree
| 1 episode
|-
| 1983
| ''[[Love, Sidney]]''
| Nancy
| 1 episode
|-
| 1985–1986
| ''[[Gimme a Break!]]''
| Loretta Harper
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1986
| ''[[Rockabye (1986 film)|Rockabye]]''
|Rica Towne
|Television film
|-
| ''[[Spenser: For Hire]]''
| Mrs. Jarvis
| 1 episode
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| ''[[The Ellen Burstyn Show]]''
| Pam James
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series)|The Equalizer]]''
| Cleaning Lady
| Episode: "[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series) season 3#ep45|Blood and Wine]]"
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Frank's Place]]''
| Madame Torchet
| 1 episode
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1989
| ''[[Roseanne]]''
| Dr. Bryce
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[Thirtysomething]]''
| Rosie
| Recurring role, 6 episodes
|-
| ''[[Fear Stalk]]''
|Barbara
|Television film
|-
| 1989–1990
| ''[[FM (American TV series)|FM]]''
| Naomi Sayers
| Main role, 13 episodes
|-
| 1989–1993
| ''[[ABC Afterschool Specials]]''
|Mrs. Meeks / Jo Delancey
|2 episodes
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Hunter (1984 American TV series)|Hunter]]''
| Lt. Marilyn Fowler
| 1 episode
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1991
| ''[[The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd]]''
| Nate's Cousin
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[Dear John (American TV series)|Dear John]]''
| Sarah Donnelly
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[Separate but Equal (film)|Separate but Equal]]''
|Ruth Alice Stovall
|2 episodes
|-
| ''[[The Cosby Show]]''
| Mrs. Hudson
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1991–1995
| ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
| The Chief
| Main role, 296 episodes
|-
| 1991–1992
| ''[[L.A. Law]]''
| D.A. Ruby Thomas
| Recurring role, 10 episodes
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Loving (TV series)|Loving]]''
| Judge Hale
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1993–2000
| ''[[All My Children]]''
| Grace Keefer
| Recurring role
|-
| 1995–1999
| ''[[Law & Order]]''
| Trial Judge Ida Boucher
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1995
| ''[[Cagney & Lacey|Cagney & Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling]]''
|Capt. Gigi Cardenas
|Television film
|-
| ''[[The Puzzle Place]]''
| The Chief
| Episode: "The Mystery of the Fabulous Hat"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| ''[[The Boys Next Door (1996 film)|The Boys Next Door]]''
|Mrs. Tracy
|Television film
|-
| ''[[A Mother's Instinct]]''
|"Mike" Wheelwright
|Television film
|-
| 1996–1997
| ''[[Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
| The Chief
| 115 episodes
|-
| 1997–2003
| ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]''
| Luna
| Voice role, 103 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1997
| ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street]]''
| Regina Wilson
| 3 episodes
|-
| ''[[Promised Land (1996 TV series)|Promised Land]]''
| Dr. Bea Goldman
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[King of the Hill]]''
| Judge
| Voice role, episode: "Hank's Dirty Laundry"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998
| ''[[Sesame Street]]''
| WASA Training Officer
| 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Cosby (TV series)|Cosby]]''
| Linda / Dr. Holmes
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1998–2003
| ''[[Where in the Universe Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
| The Chief
| Unknown episodes
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Night Ride Home (film)|Night Ride Home]]''
|Fran
|Television film
|-
| 2000
| ''[[An American Daughter]]''
|Dr. Judith B. Kaufman
|Television film
|-
| 2000–2003
| ''[[The District]]''
| Ella Farmer
| Main role, 66 episodes
|}

==Awards and honors==
;Awards 
*1992 [[Obie Award]] – ''[[Boesman and Lena]]''
*1997 [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play]] – ''[[An American Daughter]]''
*2000 [[Obie Award]] – ''Jar the Floor''

;Nominations
*1981 [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical]] – ''[[Tintypes]]''
*1987 Los Angeles Drama Critics Award – ''[[Fences (play)|Fences]]''
*1994, 1995, 1996 [[Daytime Emmy Awards]] for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
*1996 [[NAACP Image Awards]] for Informational Youth or Children's Series/Special – ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
*1997 [[NAACP Image Awards]] for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – ''[[All My Children]]''
*1997, 1998 [[Daytime Emmy Awards]] for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – ''[[Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
*2000 AudioFile Awards Golden Voices for the Year
*2004 [[Daytime Emmy Awards]] for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series – ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]'' (Posthumously nominated)

;Honors
*Lynne Thigpen Elementary School, Joliet, Illinois<ref name=joliet86/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IOBDB name|2540}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* [http://www.musicalschwartz.com/godspell-tributes.htm Lynne Thigpen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911145610/http://www.musicalschwartz.com/godspell-tributes.htm |date=September 11, 2017 }} Godspell Tributes Page
* {{Find a Grave}}

{{TonyAward PlayFeaturedActress 1976-2000}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thigpen, Lynne}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American schoolteachers]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American soap opera actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:Obie Award recipients]]
[[Category:Actresses from Joliet, Illinois]]
[[Category:University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Marina del Rey, California]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from Los Angeles County, California]]