Chicago Actress Molly Glynn Killed in Storm

Molly Glynn, a renowned, red-headed, and slightly subversive Chicago stage actress, died September 6th at NorthShore Evanston Hospital in Illinois after a bike ride turned fatal. The 46-year-old actress was cycling in a forest park with her husband Joe Foust, another Chicago actor, when a tree felled by a swift-moving powerful thunderstorm struck her as they tried to pedal to safety. She was taken to the Evanston hospital but did not recover.
Glynn was born the youngest of four in Hartford, CT and attended Tufts University in Massachusetts, but spent nearly all of her professional career in the Windy City, including roles on television shows that filmed in the city, including “Chicago Fire.” On stage, she was a champion of subtle acting and often brought new, feminist sophistication to her roles. Most memorable, perhaps, was 2003’s Steppenwolf Theatre’s “Orange Flower Water,” which focused on the breakdown of a marriage in the midst of explicit sexuality and nudity.
BJ Jones, artistic director of the Northlight Theater with whom Glynn frequently worked, mourned the loss of not only a groundbreaking actress, but a uniquely compassionate member of the Chicago theater scene. “Molly was a mother, an actress, a wife,” he told The Chicago Tribune. “She assumed the mantle of councilor and confidant for young actors. She made everyone feel like she was there for them.”