Actress Glenn Close and her husband, biotech entrepreneur David Shaw, have divorced after nine years of marriage, her publicist confirmed Thursday.

Catherine Olim said the divorce was “mutual and amicable,” but would offer no other information.

Court papers confirm that the agreement to divorce was mutual.

Close, 68, and Shaw wed in February 2006. The wedding was a quiet, private affair at Shaw’s home on Prouts Neck in Scarborough. Shaw, 64, is the founder and former chief executive of Idexx Laboratories, based in Westbrook.

Divorce filings by both parties in Cumberland County court cite “irreconcilable marital difference” as the reason for the divorce, which became official Aug. 18. Shaw initially moved for the divorce in May and said at the time that Close was living in New York while he resided at his home at 542 Black Point Road in Scarborough.

Court filings say each will keep the property and assets in their individual names and have reached agreement on the distribution of household equipment and furnishings. The financial arrangements are in keeping with a Feb. 2, 2006, prenuptial agreement filed when they were initially married, though that document is not part of the file.

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Financial disclosures are part of the file but are confidential, a court clerk said.

Shaw’s attorney is a former chief justice of the Maine Supreme Court, Daniel Wathen of Pierce Atwood, and Close was represented by Margaret Lavoie of Givertz, Scheffee & Lavoie.

In an email response to a request for comment, Shaw deferred questions about the divorce to Wathen, but did say, “I am grateful to be living amidst wonderful family, friends and community in Maine!”

Over the years, the couple spent much time at the Prouts Neck home and Close was seen at various fundraisers and events in Maine over the past decade. In a 2012 interview with the Press Herald to promote her film “Albert Nobbs,” Close called the Prouts Neck house “a retreat, a place to gird your loins.” She said she spent as much time at the house as possible when not filming a movie or TV show, or performing in a play.

Close had been a major Hollywood star for more than 20 years when she met Shaw and began spending time in Maine. She has won three Emmy Awards, three Tony Awards and received six Academy Award nominations. She might be best known for her terrifying portrayal in “Fatal Attraction” in 1987. Other notable films starring Close include “The World According to Garp,” “The Big Chill,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Reversal of Fortune,” and “Paradise Road.”

The Connecticut native also starred in the cable TV show “Damages” and had recurring roles in the TV dramas “The Shield” and “The West Wing.”

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While married, Shaw and Close started a Maine-based dog accessories business called FetchDog, for which Close wrote a blog about dogs. The couple sold the business in 2012.

Shaw, a New Hampshire native, founded Idexx Laboratories, an animal health care diagnostic products company, in Portland in 1983. He remained as CEO until 2001. Shaw serves as chairman of the board of Vets First Choice, a Maine-based medical company run by his son, Ben Shaw.

David Shaw is managing partner of Black Point Group, and has recently focused on philanthropic and environmental work. According to the group’s website, Shaw has served on the faculty of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, is treasurer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, founding chair of the Sargasso Sea Alliance and is a director of the National Parks Foundation.

The Sargasso Sea Alliance, an ocean conservation partnership among the government of Bermuda, scientists, conservation groups and private donors, was named International Seakeepers of the Year in 2013 for its work protecting the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Shaw and Close received the Cheek Medal from the College of William and Mary, Close’s alma mater, for their contribution to the arts.

Before Close and Shaw were married, Close made news in Maine in 2005 at the Beach to Beacon road race, when the race ended and the winner of the women’s 55-to-59-year-old division was announced as Glenn Close. Except Close did not run. She intended to run, her publicist said at the time, but came down with a cold and gave the shoe implant device used to scan runners to an unidentified friend.

Fans and racers were excited to hear Close’s name, but many wondered how they didn’t notice a Hollywood star running among them. Close’s publicist, Olim, said at the time that Close didn’t realize giving her scanning device away would be an issue, and she was “a little embarrassed” by the episode.

 


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