Ellen McElduff (born March 7, 1964) is an American film, television, and stage

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, best known for roles in ''JFK'', ''Oz'', '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', and many acclaimed stage productions.

Career

Stage roles

She is an accomplished stage actress. ''The New York Times'' has praised her performances on many occasions. They called her performance in

JoAnne Akalaitis JoAnne Akalaitis (born June 29, 1937, in Cicero, Illinois) is an avant-garde Lithuanian-American theatre director and writer. She won five Obie Awards for direction (and sustained achievement) and was founder in 1970 of the critically acclaimed M ...

's anthology of six sketches titled ''Help Wanted'' "horrifyingly funny". They also said she was "especially good" in Akalaitis's ''Dead End Kids'' and "enticing" in ''Dressed Like an Egg''. She has appeared in several other stage productions including Samuel Beckett's ''

Cascando ''Cascando'' is a radio play by Samuel Beckett. It was written in French in December 1961, subtitled ''Invention radiophonique pour musique et voix'', with music by the Franco-Romanian composer Marcel Mihalovici. It was first broadcast on France ...

'', ''Cold Harbor'' (a play about

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

), and

Mark Rappaport Mark Rappaport (born January 15, 1942 in New York City, United States) is an American independent/ underground film director and film critic, who has been working sporadically since the early 1970s. Biography Born and raised in Brighton Beach, ...

's ''Chain Letters'' and ''Imposters'', and more. She received an Obie Award citation for her work in ''Southern Exposure''. She also featured in '' Him'', a 1995 play written by actor Christopher Walken, who also took the lead role. She played several of the female roles, with

Michael Feingold Michael E. Feingold (May 5, 1945 – November 21, 2022) was an American critic, translator, lyricist, playwright and dramaturg. He was the lead theater critic of ''The Village Voice'' from 1982 to 2013, for which he was twice named a Pulitzer Pri ...

of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' saying she was "the only cast member who actually seemed to become everyone she represented". It debuted in the

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...

and revolved around the afterlife of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Film and television roles

She is best known to film and television audiences for portraying

Jean Hill Norma Jean Lollis Hill (February 11, 1931 – November 7, 2000) was an American woman who was an eyewitness to the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Syndicated from the ''Dallas Mo ...

in Oliver Stone's ''JFK'' (1991), Eleanor O'Connor in ''Oz'', and Billie Lou Hatfield in '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', '' Homicide: The Movie'', and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. She has featured in many movies, including Stephen King's directorial debut ''

Maximum Overdrive ''Maximum Overdrive'' is a 1986 American comedy horror film written and directed by Stephen King. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, and Yeardley Smith. The screenplay was inspired by and loosely based on King's sh ...

'' (1986) (as Wanda June),

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...

's directorial debut ''

Little Man Tate ''Little Man Tate'' is a 1991 American drama film directed by Jodie Foster (in her directorial debut) from a screenplay written by Scott Frank. The film stars Adam Hann-Byrd as Fred Tate, a seven-year-old child prodigy who struggles to self-act ...

'' (1991), ''Working Girls'' (1986), ''

Desperate Hours ''Desperate Hours'' is a 1990 American neo-noir action thriller film, and a remake of the 1955 William Wyler crime drama of the same title. Both films are based on the 1954 novel by Joseph Hayes, who also co-wrote the script for this film wi ...

'' (1990), '' Julian Po'' (1997), and Al Pacino's independent movie ''

Chinese Coffee ''Chinese Coffee'' is a 2000 independent film drama, starring Al Pacino and Jerry Orbach. The film was directed by Pacino and written by Ira Lewis, adapted from his play of the same name. Two longtime friends in New York City struggle with their ...

'' (2000). Though better known for larger roles in ''Oz'' and ''Homicide: Life on the Street'', she also had small roles in shows like '' Knots Landing'' and '' Law & Order''.

Personal life

She is married to writer and producer

Eric Overmyer Eric Ellis Overmyer (born September 25, 1951) is an American writer and producer. He has written and/or produced numerous TV shows, including ''St. Elsewhere'', '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', ''Law & Order'', ''The Wire'', ''New Amsterdam'', ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McElduff, Ellen Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses 1964 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people)