Ashley Elizabeth Atkinson (born August 6, 1977), known professionally as Ashlie Atkinson, is an American

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

who works in movies and television (with over 90 credits) – as well as in theater. Atkinson is known for her work as Ace on '' Happy!'', Peaches in the Netflix film '' Juanita'', Connie in the

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

film ''

BlacKkKlansman ''BlacKkKlansman'' is a 2018 American biographical black comedy crime thriller film directed by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Lee, based on the 2014 memoir ''Black Klansman'' by Ron Stallworth. ...

'', Mamie Fish on the HBO show The Gilded Age, and Janice in the fourth season of ''

Mr. Robot ''Mr. Robot'' is an American drama thriller television series created by Sam Esmail for USA Network. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, clinical depression and dissociati ...

''.

Early life and education

Atkinson was born in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a nurse. Her family has lived in Arkansas for many generations. In 1995, Atkinson graduated from

Pulaski Academy Pulaski Academy (PA) is a private, independent college preparatory preschool, elementary, and junior/senior high school headed by Brock Dunn in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood of Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. PA was established in 197 ...

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. Atkinson attended

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York City for three semesters but in 1996, moved back to Arkansas and eventually transferred to

Hendrix College Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the college offers a secular curriculum and has a stude ...

, where she had previously attended a summer program through Arkansas Governor's School for drama. In 2001, Atkinson graduated from

with a degree in theater arts. In 2003, after moving back to New York City when she was 24, Atkinson graduated from the

Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre is a full-time professional conservatory for actors in New York City. First operational from 1915 to 1927, the school re-opened in 1928 and has been active ever since. It is the birthplace of th ...

. While at the Neighborhood Playhouse, she studied the

Meisner technique The Meisner technique is an approach to acting developed by American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner. The goal of the Meisner approach is for the actor to not focus on themselves and instead concentrate on the other actors in the immediate ...

Career

Film and television

While at the Neighborhood Playhouse School, director

Jace Alexander Jason "Jace" Alexander (born April 7, 1964) is an American former television director, actor, and convicted sex offender from New York City. In 2015, Alexander was arrested for the downloading and file sharing of child pornography, and later pled ...

saw Atkinson perform in a showcase there. This led to a 2004 guest starring appearance in the TV show ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' and a six-episode arc in the

Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. A native of Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song "Asshole (song), Assh ...

TV series, '' Rescue Me''. Atkinson then starred in a breakout role as Helen, the sweet-faced, plus-size librarian in

Neil LaBute Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, ''In the Company of Men'' (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Fi ...

's 2004 off-Broadway play '' Fat Pig''. The role garnered her a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway theatre, Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945� ...

for Outstanding Off-Broadway Debut, as well as nominations for both a

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

and an

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

. In 2007, Atkinson appeared in a Broadway revival of the

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," ...

play, '' The Ritz''. In 2011, Atkinson hit the three guest star appearance in the ''

'' franchise, following her 2005 debut on the original ''

'' with a 2007 appearance on ''

Law & Order: Criminal Intent ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...

'', and then in 2011 both ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. In 2012, Atkinson guest starred on the TV series ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...

'' as Gyp's wife, Gianconda Rosetti. She appeared on a 2012 episode of ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...

''. In 2013, Atkinson portrayed Rochelle Applebaum in the

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

film '' The Wolf of Wall Street''. In 2013 and 2014, Atkinson had a four episode arc in the TV show, ''F to 7th''. From 2013 to 2014, she was featured on the American remake of ''

Gavin and Stacey ''Gavin & Stacey'' is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, South Wales. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the titular characters Gavin and Stacey and the writers ...

'', called '' Us & Them'' in the role of Nessa. In 2018, Atkinson played the role of Connie Kendrickson in the Academy Award-winning film ''

'', directed by

. She had previously worked with Lee in the 2006 Denzel Washington film, ''

Inside Man ''Inside Man'' is a 2006 American heist thriller film directed by Spike Lee and written by Russell Gewirtz. It centers on an elaborate bank heist on Wall Street over a 24-hour period. The film stars Denzel Washington as Detective Keith Frazi ...

''. Atkinson also worked alongside Lee's sister

Joie Lee Joie Susannah Lee () is an American screenwriter, film producer and actress. Early years Lee was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Jacqueline ( ''née'' Shelton), a teacher of arts and black literature, and William James Edward Lee II ...

, contributing sound work on his 2008 WWII drama, ''

Miracle at St. Anna ''Miracle at St. Anna'' is a 2008 AmericanItalian epic war film directed by Spike Lee and written by James McBride, based on McBride's 2003 novel of the same name. The film stars Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Pierfra ...

''. Also in 2018, Atkinson had a recurring role on the TV series, '' One Dollar''. From 2018 to 2019, Atkinson was Ace, Internal Affairs Detective, in four episodes of the

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

TV show '' Happy!'', a live-action/adult animated black comedy/action-drama television series. In 2019, Atkinson portrayed Mrs. Fosse in the mini-series ''

Fosse/Verdon ''Fosse/Verdon'' is an American biographical miniseries starring Sam Rockwell as director–choreographer Bob Fosse and Michelle Williams as actress and dancer Gwen Verdon. The series, which tells the story of the couple's troubled personal a ...

''. She had a two episode arc in the 2019

Allison Tolman Allison Cara Tolman is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Molly Solverson in the first season of the FX television series '' Fargo'', earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Early life and education Tolman has two older ...

thriller ''

Emergence In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do not have on their own, properties or behaviors that emerge only when the parts interact in a wider whole. Emergence ...

'' and played a trucker in the ensemble opposite

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard (; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (tying the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer, along with Regina King), ...

in the Netflix movie, '' Juanita''. And also in 2019, Atkinson was on the fourth and final season of ''

'', playing the character Janice.

Other work

From 2003, Atkinson is a former skater and long-time member of the 5-time world champion

Gotham Girls ''Gotham Girls'' is an American Flash animated web series focusing on several of the female characters of Gotham City, produced jointly by Warner Bros. Animation and Noodle Soup Productions. The web series, which ran from 2000 to 2002, starred ...

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...

team under the name of "Margaret Thrasher (Prime Minister of Your Demise)", although she has since retired. In 2004, Atkinson appeared in the music video for the

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and gar ...

song, "

Four Kicks "Four Kicks" is the second single taken from ''Aha Shake Heartbreak'', the second album by American rock band Kings of Leon. The song peaked at number 24 in the UK Singles Chart and number 32 in the Irish Singles Chart. Music video The song's ...

" off their album ''

Aha Shake Heartbreak ''Aha Shake Heartbreak'' is the second studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon. It was first released in Europe on November 1, 2004, then in the United States on February 22, 2005, with alternate cover artwork. It is the only album by Kin ...

''. In 2006, Atkinson became the face of a fictional character called Chunky Pam. Her character, Chunky Pam, was featured in three videos: in a Christmas promotion for MTV called "Merry X.X.X.L.M.A.S. (Pam I Am)", in a Valentine's Day promotion called "Pampered", and a one-off music video titled "Dirrrty Jerzy", in which she raps about being from New Jersey. In 2016, Atkinson appeared in the

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', '' ...

video game ''

WATCH_DOGS 2 ''Watch Dogs 2'' (stylized as ''WATCH_DOGS 2'') is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the sequel to 2014's ''Watch Dogs'' and the second installment in the ''Watch Dogs'' series. It was ...

'' as Lenni. In 2017, Atkinson starred as Dakota "Dak" Prentiss in a 14-episode noir science fiction thriller audio drama podcast called ''Steal the Stars'', the story of two government employees guarding the biggest secret in the world: a crashed UFO.

Personal life

In 2015, Atkinson married gaffer, musician, and filmmaker Leon Chase. The couple were married at the Arkansas music venue the White Water Tavern and live in Brooklyn.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

* 2005:

, Outstanding Off-Broadway Debut for '' Fat Pig'' * 2005:

(nominee), Outstanding Lead Actress for ''Fat Pig'' * 2005:

, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (nominee), for ''Fat Pig'' * 2014:

, Outstanding Young Alumnus Award

Selected theater

* 2005: ''The 24 Hour Plays'' – as Winnie * 2005: '' Fat Pig'' by

– as Helen (

Lucille Lortel Theatre The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan's West Village. It was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse. The interior is largely unch ...

) * 2005: ''Making Marilyn'' – as

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

(Bridge Theatre Company at Theatre 54) * 2005: ''The Butcher of Baraboo'' by

Marisa Wegrzyn Marisa Wegrzyn (born 1981) is an American playwright based in Chicago, Illinois. She won the 2009 Wasserstein Prize for her play ''Hickorydickory''. Early life Wegrzyn grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. Born to an anesthesiologist and former flight ...

– as Midge (

Second Stage Theatre Second Stage Theater is a theater company founded in 1979 by Robyn Goodman and Carole Rothman and located in Manhattan, New York City. It produces both new plays and revivals of contemporary American plays by new playwrights and established wri ...

) * 2007: '' The Ritz'' by

– as Vivian Proclo (

Roundabout Theatre The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizab ...

) * 2010: ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

(The Bridge Project) * 2010: '' The Tempest'' by

(The Bridge Project) * 2010: ''Psychomachia'' by Jennifer Lane – as Lydia (Theatre 54 @ Shelter Studios) * 2011: ''The Book Club Play'' by Karen Zacarías (Arena Stage) * 2013: ''January Joiner: A Weight Loss Horror Comedy'' by Laura Jacqmin – as Terry (Long Wharf Theatre) * 2014: ''

Love, Loss, and What I Wore ''Love, Loss, and What I Wore'' is a play written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman. It is organized as a series of monologues and uses a rotating cast of five principal women. The subject matter ...

'' by

Nora Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (born 1931), French historian Places Australia * Norah Head, New South Wales, headlan ...

and

Delia Ephron Delia Ephron ( ; born July 12, 1944) is an American bestselling author, screenwriter, and playwright. Life and career Ephron was born in New York City, the second eldest of four daughters of screenwriters Phoebe and Henry Ephron. Her movies i ...

(Rubicon Theatre Company) * 2015: ''Steve'' by

Mark Gerrard Mark Gerrard (born 4 September 1982) is a former Australian professional rugby union footballer. He currently is the assistant coach for the Austin Gilgronis in Major League Rugby (MLR) competition in the United States. In 2011, he was one o ...

– as Carrie (Pershing Square Signature Center / The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre) * 2016: ''The Forgotten Woman'' by Jonathan Tolins (Bay Street Theater) * 2017: '' Imogen Says Nothing'' by Aditi Kapil (Yale Rep at Binger Center for New Theatre)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Ashlie 1977 births Living people American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Little Rock, Arkansas Barnard College alumni Roller derby skaters American roller skaters Hendrix College alumni 21st-century American actresses Theatre World Award winners Sportspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas