'District' Actress Thigpen Dies
Thu, Mar 13, 2003 11:50 AM PDT
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Lynne Thigpen, a Tony Award
winner who co-starred in CBS' drama "The District,"
died suddenly Wednesday night at her Los Angeles home.
She was 54.
A cause of death hasn't been determined yet.
"As a person, Lynne possessed an incredible dignity,
intelligence and wisdom that informed all of her
performances," says Denise Di Novi, an executive
producer of "The District." "She elevated anything she
was involved with, and we were blessed to have her as
a part of our family."
Thigpen played Ella Farmer, a statistics clerk who
helps Washington, D.C., Police Chief Jack Mannion
(Craig T. Nelson) track incidents and hold the
department accountable for the city's crime rate.
Nelson calls her "a wonderful actress and a friend."
Born in Joliet, Ill., Thigpen first appeared on screen
in the 1973 movie version of the musical "Godspell."
Her long list of TV and movie credits includes "L.A.
Law," "thirtysomething," "Bob Roberts," "The Paper"
and the PBS kids' series "Where in the World Is Carmen
Sandiego?"
She was also an accomplished theater actress, winning
a Tony in 1997 for her role in Wendy Wasserstein's
play "An American Daughter." Thigpen won two Obie
Awards for her off-Broadway work and an L.A. Drama
Critics Award.
Production on "The District" has been suspended.
