Where Are They Now: The “Teen” Actors From “Lean On Me”

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Lynne Thigpen as Ms. Barrett

Though this post was originally dedicated to the “teens,” I couldn’t leave out Ms. Barrett, one of Mr. Clark’s foils and antagonists.  After her son was thrown out at the beginning of the movie, she decided to ban together with the mayor and the fire marshal to get Mr. Clark thrown out.

Lynne Thigpen was an amazingly talented actress who appeared in a number of productions before Lean on Me.  After, she continued to act. She had a recurring role in “Thirtysomething,” “FM” and many kids’ favorite show:  “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?” and had pieces in big named movies Anger Management and Bicentennial Man.  While she gained acclaim in her role as Ella Farmer in “The District,” she sadly passed away due to cerebral hemmoraging in 2003.  After her death she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for the voice acting she did in “Bear in the Big Blue House.”