Ellen McElduff

Ellen McElduff
Born	(1964-03-07) March 7, 1964 (age 60)
Occupation	Actress
Spouse	Eric Overmyer

Ellen McElduff (born March 7, 1964) is a Canadian film, television, and stage actress, 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's anthology of six sketches titled Help Wanted "horrifyingly funny".^[1] They also said she was "especially good" in Akalaitis's Dead End Kids^[2] and "enticing" in Dressed Like an Egg.^[3]

She has appeared in several other stage productions including Samuel Beckett's Cascando,^[4] Cold Harbor (a play about Ulysses S. Grant),^[5] and Mark Rappaport's Chain Letters and Imposters,^[6][7] and more.^{[8][9][10][11]} She received an Obie Award citation for her work in Southern Exposure.^[12][13][14]

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 of The Village Voice saying she was "the only cast member who actually seemed to become everyone she represented".^[15] It debuted in the New York Shakespeare Festival and revolved around the afterlife of Elvis Presley.^[16]

Film and television roles

She is best known to film and television audiences for portraying Jean Hill 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.^[17][18]

She has featured in many movies, including Stephen King's directorial debut Maximum Overdrive (1986) (as Wanda June), Jodie Foster's directorial debut Little Man Tate (1991), Working Girls (1986), Desperate Hours (1990), Julian Po (1997), and Al Pacino's independent movie Chinese Coffee (2000).^{[19][20][21][22][23]}

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.^[24]

Personal life

She is married to writer and producer Eric Overmyer.^[24]

References

1. Rich, Frank (February 17, 1986). "STAGE: 'HELP WANTED,' AN ANTHOLOGY (Published 1986)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
2. Canby, Vincent (November 5, 1986). "AKALAITIS'S 'DEAD END KIDS' (Published 1986)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
3. Gussow, Mel (May 17, 1977). "'Dressed Like an Egg,' From Mabou Mines, Is Visual Counterpoint to Words of Colette (Published 1977)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
4. "IrishPlayography". www.irishplayography.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
5. Gussow, Mel (March 9, 1983). "THEATER: 'COLD HARBOR,' THE LIFE OF U.S. GRANT (Published 1983)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
6. "Man on a Shoestring: An On-Location Report on Mark Rappaport's IMPOSTORS | Jonathan Rosenbaum". www.jonathanrosenbaum.net.
7. Maslin, Janet (May 7, 1981). "MARK RAPPAPORT WRITES AND DIRECTS 'IMPOSTERS' (Published 1981)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
8. "Ellen McElduff theatre profile". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
9. Canby, Vincent (May 24, 1996). "THEATER REVIEW;Film-Noir Culprits, Pursuing the Loot (Published 1996)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
10. "STAGE REVIEW : 'Quixote' Jokes Are 'In' but Thin : Theater: The La Jolla Playhouse spoof is not as funny as it could be and not as passionate as it should be". Los Angeles Times. 1990-08-14. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
11. "The Man of La Jolla's Impossible Dream : Stage: A contemporary handling of Cervantes' "Don Quixote" is actually a play within a play. Assembling the pieces in this complicated, eclectic vision was no easy task". Los Angeles Times. 9 August 1990. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
12. "Michael McClure's 'Josephine' Wins Obie for U.S. Play (Published 1979)". The New York Times. May 22, 1979 – via NYTimes.com.
13. Shewey, Don (June 1, 1984). "The Many Voices of Mabou Mines". AMERICAN THEATRE.
14. Gussow, Mel (February 28, 1979). "Stage: Downtown Setting For Antarctic Adventure (Published 1979)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
15. "Review by Michael Feingold". Archived from the original on 2016-12-12. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
16. Wolcott, James (2 January 1995). "Walken On the Wild Side". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
17. "Homicide: Life on the Street". canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale. 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
18. "HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET: SHAGGY DOG, CITY GOAT (TV)". www.paleycenter.org. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
19. Ingram, Hunter. "WilmOnFilm Flashback: 'Maximum Overdrive'". Wilmington Star-News. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
20. "The Ten Best Scenes in 'JFK,' The Greatest Movie of All Time". Decider. 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
21. Salmons, Tim (2018-10-25). "Maximum Overdrive (Blu-ray Review)". The Digital Bits. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
22. Canby, Vincent (February 27, 1987). "FILM: 'WORKING GIRLS' (Published 1987)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
23. "MOVIE REVIEWS: MEANINGFUL METAPHORS FOR REALITY : 'Working Girls'". Los Angeles Times. 1987-03-13. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
24. "Ellen McElduff". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-01-26.

External links

• Ellen McElduff at IMDb