Glynn Turman Wiki
Besides being known as the second husband of the famous pianist and singer, Aretha Franklin, Glynn Turman is a renowned actor, with over 170 acting credits to his name. Today, aged 75, he’s still active, and the younger audience might know him as Mose Wright in the 2022 series “Women of the Movement”.
One of Glynn’s recognizable roles was his portrayal of Lew Miles in the 1960’s epic soap opera “Peyton Place”, and he’s perhaps also well-known as Bradford Taylor in the series “A Different World”.
Early life and education
Born Glynn Russell Turman on 31 January 1947, in New York City USA, he holds American nationality although he comes from a family of Nigerian (Edo people) descent. He hasn’t shared his parents’ names, and also there is no information about any siblings, so many assume that he is an only child.
Speaking of his educational background, Glynn attended the High School of Performing Arts, and upon matriculating in 1965, he didn’t enroll in college but pursued his acting career.
Acting career
Glynn began acting in theater aged 12, and his first prominent role was in the Broadway production of “A Raisin in the Sun” a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, in which Glynn c-starred opposite Sidney Poitier, Ivan Dixon and Ruby Dee.
After his high school graduation, he began playing in Repertory Theatre, acting in “Good Boys”, “The House of Atreus”, “The Visit”, and “Harper’s Ferry”, among others.
Roles in series
Glynn made his first television appearance in an episode of the series “Play of the Week” in 1961, aged 14, so education got in the way so that his next role only came seven years later, in an episode of the series “Daktari”.
Soon after, he was cast to play Lew Miles in the romantic drama “Peyton Place”, playing in 37 episodes in 1968 and ‘69.
In the following years, Glynn guest-starred in numerous series during the early ’70s and his next notable role came in 1978, when he was seen as Nate Person in the TV mini-series “Centennial”, an action-adventure drama about the cultural growth of Colorado, which was nominated for two Primetime Emmys.
The early ‘80s saw Glynn guest starring in various series, including “The Love Boat” (1984), “American Playhouse” (1985), and “Matlock” (1987), then significantly, from 1988 until 1993, Glynn was seen in 122 episodes of “A Different World”, a comedy-drama about a group of students who struggle to make it through an historically Black University, also starring Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy and Lisa Bonet.
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The early 2000s saw Glynn as Bobby Davis in “Resurrection Blvd.” (2000-2002), concurrently playing Ted Olsen in “Big Apple” (2001). From 2004 until 2008, he played Mayor Clarence V. Royce in “The Wire”, a thriller crime-drama that had 54 award nominations, including for two Primetime Emmys, and won 16.
Glynn followed with his role as Alex Prince Senior in the drama series “In Treatment”, also starring Uzo Aduba, Gabriel Byrne, and Dianne Wiest; his performance brought him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He was also nominated for the Gold Derby Award for Drama Guest Actor, and Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Next, he was seen as Judge Bob Owens in “The Defenders” (2010-2011), then from 2012 until 2016, Glynn portrayed Jeremiah Kaan in 51 episodes of the comedy-drama “House of Lies”, which followed the story of a charming man, Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle), and his team of managers who used every dirty trick in the book to close huge deals. The lead female role was played by Kristen Bell, and the series won a Primetime Emmy award, while Glynn was nominated for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Glynn was cast next to play Nate Lahey Senior in “How to Get Away with Murder” (2018-2019) which brought him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
His most recent television roles have been in “Mr. Mercedes” (2019) and “Fargo” (2020) which brought him a nomination for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie Made for Television.
For his role as Mose Wright in the biographic historic drama “Women of the Movement”, Glynn won the 2022 Black Reel Award for Television- Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie/Limited Series.
Roles in movies
Glynn’s first movie role was his portrayal of George Brightman in the 1970 TV movie “Carter’s Army”. His big-screen debut was his supporting role as a Sailor at a bus station in “Honky”, a romantic drama that was presented as a ‘love story of hate’ starring Brenda Sykes, in 1971.
Glynn followed with his roles in “A. W. O. L.”(1972), “Five on the Black Hand Side” (1973), and “Cooley High” (1975), among many others. The list of his roles is too long, so we will mention some of his most recognizable, such as his lead role as James Thornwell in the 1981 biographic drama “Thornwell”, a true story about a soldier who was wrongly accused after some military documents were discovered to be missing. After brutal interrogation and drugging, he confessed, and the case was soon covered up. However, after 16 years, he obtained all documents about the incident, the truth emerged, and he sued the army.
Glynn was seen as Roy Hanson in the 1984 fantasy horror comedy “Gremlins”, followed by his roles in “Out of Bounds” (1986), “Deep Cover” (1992), “The Inkwell” (1994), and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” (1998).
In the early 2000s, he appeared in “Men of Honor”, a biographic drama about the first African-American US Navy Diver, starring Cuba Gooding Junior, Robert De Niro, and Charlize Theron. He followed with roles in “The Seat Filler” (2004), “City Teacher” (2007), and “Burlesque” (2010), among many others.
In the following years, Glynn co-starred in “John Dies at the End” (2012), “Dakota’s Summer” (2014), “Race” (2016), and “Bumblebee” (2018).
His most recent role was in the 2022 movie “The Devil You Know”, starring opposite Omar Epps and William Catlett. The movie was released in April 2022, and movie lovers commented about it saying that it was a pleasant surprise, and an emotional and realistic story.
Glynn is busy filming his upcoming projects, so in the following year, he will be seen in the TV mini-series “The Big Cigar”, and movies “Rustin” and “The Outlaw Johnny Black”. He is also currently working on two series, entitled “Black Cake” and “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”.
Glynn Turman as Toledo pic.twitter.com/6LgA2vJvWK
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) October 15, 2020
Love life and marriage with Aretha Franklin
Glynn seems to have an interesting love life, and what we know is that he was married three times. Before he met Aretha Franklin, he was in a marriage with Ula M. Walker, with whom he had three children; the two married in 1965 and divorced in 1971.
In the following years, Glynn met his future second wife, Aretha Louise Franklin. It’s not revealed exactly how and when they met, however, it’s known that they married on 11 April 1978. She was previously married to her first husband Ted White, a music manager, with whom she has a son.
When Aretha married Glynn, she became stepmother to his three sons, and she had children from her previous marriage and relationships, having given birth to her first son when she was just 12 years old, and her second son when she was 15; their father was Edward Jordan. Her youngest is from her relationship with Ken Cunnigham, her road manager.
Aretha and Glynn didn’t have children together, and although they seemed like a happy couple, sometime in 1982 they separated, she moved back to her home in Detroit, Michigan, and in 1984, their divorce was finalized.
In 1992, Glynn married Jo-Ann Allen with whom he has daughter, and the couple is still in a marriage as of October 2022.
Net Worth
Throughout his more than 60-year career, Glynn has had numerous film and television roles, and you’d think he’d made a ton of money. However, his net worth is estimated at just $1.5 million, which many people find surprising.
