Cherlynne Theresa

Lynne Thigpen “Cherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen (December 22, 1948 – March 12, 2003) was an American stage and television actress, best known for her role as “The Chief” in the various Carmen Sandiego television series. Lynne Thigpen was born in Joliet, Illinois. Thigpen moved to New York City in 1971 to begin her career as a stage actress. After graduating from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a degree in teaching, Thigpen taught high-school English for a short time, while pursuing her interest in theatre by participating in community productions. Determined to have a career as an actress, she moved in 1971 to New York City, where she soon joined the ensemble of Stephen Schwartz’s long-running off-Broadway hit Godspell, lending her compelling voice to “O Bless the Lord, My Soul.” Two years later, with several other members of the stage cast, she made her film debut in the screen version of the show. Lynne had a long and prolific theater career, and appeared in numerous musicals including Godspell, The Night That Made America Famous, The Magic Show, Working, Tintypes and An American Daughter (for which she won her Tony Award for her portrayal of Dr. Judith Kaufman in 1997) .