All About Glenn Close's Daughter Annie Starke

Mar. 15, 2025

Glenn Close and Annie Maude Starke attend the Giorgio Armani Prive Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 23, 2024.Photo:Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis/Getty

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis/Getty

It’s safe to say thatGlenn Closeand her daughter areclose.

TheFatal Attractionstar welcomed her only child, Annie Starke, with her ex-partner, movie producer John Starke, on April 26, 1988.

In 2007, Starke headed to Hamilton College, where she earned a degree inart history. Whenever Close ispreparing for an emotional scene, she said she thinks back to the time she sent her then-teenage daughter off for her studies.

“It was a big deal. I did cry when I left her. Meanwhile, she was thrilled! Annie was just so ready,” Close toldGood Housekeepingat the time. “I’ve always thought it was a really good sign to have an independent, strong child who wasn’t afraid to venture out from home.”

While Close has a long list of notable achievements, the three-time Emmy Award-winning actress is, first and foremost, extremely proud of her daughter.

“I’m proud that she’s a fantastic human being. I’m proud that she’s fiercer than I am,” she toldGlamourin May 2022. “She’s the person that I call probably the most to get her opinion about something, because she’ll have a perspective that I know I don’t have, and I need that perspective. So she’s who I’m most, or what I am most, proud of.”

But who exactly is Glenn Close’s daughter? From her backyard wedding to working with her mom, here’s everything to know about Annie Starke.

She’s grateful for her “normal childhood”

Glenn Close and daughter Annie Maude Starke attend the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 22, 2024.Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis/Getty

Starke was born and raised in suburban Bedford, New York. Despite having a famous mom, Starke says that shehad a regular childhoodandClose’s fame didn’t particularly affect anything.

She grew up on film sets

Glenn Close and Annie Starke attend the 9th annual “Revels & Revelations” on December 02, 2021 in New York City.Bennett Raglin/Getty

Bennett Raglin/Getty

As a child, Starke spent a considerable amount of time with her mom on film sets. Her first taste of Hollywood was at 7 weeks old, when she accompanied Close to the set ofDangerous Liaisonsin France. About seven years later, she would make a regular appearance on the set of Disney’s live-action101 Dalmations, in which Close played Cruella De Vil.

On the set, there were over 200 puppies. Although Starke was to complete school work in classes while on set, learning took a backseat due to the furry distractions. “She learned nothing,” Close toldThe New York Postin August 2018.

She got married in 2018

Noam Galai/Getty

Starke is married to Marc Albu, a vice president of strategy at an industrial AI company.

The couple met in college and got engaged on Starke’s grandfather’s boat on Aug. 16, 2016. Almost two years later, on June 30, 2018, they wed in an intimate backyard ceremony at Starke’s childhood home, “Beanfield,” in Bedford Hills.

“We knew right away that we’d love to get married at Beanfield,” she toldBridesat the time. “Beanfield has been incredibly special to both of us, my parents, and our many family friends throughout the years. It’s a communal home-base for our beloved masses, so to speak, and we couldn’t imagine our wedding taking place anywhere else.

They opted for an elegant “bohemian BBQ,” with country-chic-inspired decor.

She’s an actress

Glenn Close and Annie Starke attend the 2019 Time 100 Gala on April 23, 2019 in New York City.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

“I went to college fully hoping I would pursue something else because I know how tough [this industry] is. Not only professionally but also personally — I knew the good and the bad, the crazy and the ugly,” she toldGrumpy Magazineof her career path. “But I knew what I wanted to do my whole life. [Being an actress] was always something that I just knew.”

Starke has an impressive resume of acting work under her belt. In 2011, at age 22, she made her New York stage debut in off-Broadway’sLove, Loss and What I WorealongsideRumer Willis, daughter ofBruce Willis.

After working on 2017’sThe Wife,Starke’s performance caught the attention ofSarah Paulson, which led to her role as Lily Cartwright in Netflix’sRatched. “[Paulson] reached out to me very randomly after seeingThe Wifeand coincidently, I had auditioned for a part on the show,” Starke explained toGrumpy Magazine. “She’s entirely the reason [why I was cast]. Always read your DMs!”

She and Close have acted together

Glenn Close and Annie Starke.Clint Spaulding/WWD/Penske Media/Getty

Clint Spaulding/WWD/Penske Media/Getty

Starke and Close have had the opportunityto act togetheron screen. In 2017, the mother-daughter duo starred inThe Wife, where Starke played the younger version of her mom’s character.

The pair worked very closely together to develop the character of Joan, a devoted wife who is married to her husband for 40 years.

“I actually said [to Starke], ‘You’re the one who has to lay down the character. You play the young Joan,” Close explained to PEOPLE in 2018. “So whatever you do in the flashbacks has everything to do with how I am later.' "

“We really worked hard on this character and put a lot of our souls into,” Starke added. “I had to go super deep for this one.”

She hosts a cooking show

Glenn Close and Annie Maude Starke attend the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on February 24, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.David Crotty/Patrick McMullan/Getty

David Crotty/Patrick McMullan/Getty

Passionate about food, entertaining and the great outdoors for as long as she can remember, Starkehosts her own cooking show.

Filmed at Close’s ranch in Montana,The Mountain Kitchensees Starke cook a range of delicious dishes — from Mediterranean chickpea salad to rose shortbread cookies — while documenting ranch projects and showcasing the beautiful scenery.

“My life now is all about ranching, mountain living and creating delicious dishes, in and out of the kitchen, with a touch of wild and a little bit of fire,” she told PEOPLE in October 2023.

Starke also lives in Montana with her husband Marc to be closer to family, which allows her “to do all of those things, all the time.”

During an appearance onThe Kelly Clarkson Showon December 5, 2023, Starke explained that the show is a love letter to the state, saying, “I love it. It’s so great and, you know, it’s kind of a love letter to Montana.”

source: people.com