{{short description|Canadian actress}} {{Infobox person | name = Ellen McElduff | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|3|07}} | 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".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rich|first=Frank|date=February 17, 1986|title=STAGE: 'HELP WANTED,' AN ANTHOLOGY (Published 1986)|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/17/theater/stage-help-wanted-an-anthology.html|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> They also said she was "especially good" in Akalaitis's ''Dead End Kids''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Canby|first=Vincent|date=November 5, 1986|title=AKALAITIS'S 'DEAD END KIDS' (Published 1986)|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/05/movies/akalaitis-s-dead-end-kids.html|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> and "enticing" in ''Dressed Like an Egg''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gussow|first=Mel|date=May 17, 1977|title='Dressed Like an Egg,' From Mabou Mines, Is Visual Counterpoint to Words of Colette (Published 1977)|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/17/archives/dressed-like-an-egg-from-mabou-mines-is-visual-counterpoint-to.html|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

She has appeared in several other stage productions including Samuel Beckett's ''Cascando'',<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=IrishPlayography|url=http://www.irishplayography.com/person.aspx?personid=30002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922170222/http://www.irishplayography.com/person.aspx?personid=30002 |archive-date=2020-09-22 |access-date=2021-01-24|website=www.irishplayography.com}}</ref> ''Cold Harbor'' (a play about Ulysses S. Grant),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/09/theater/theater-cold-harbor-the-life-of-us-grant.html|title=THEATER: 'COLD HARBOR,' THE LIFE OF U.S. GRANT (Published 1983)|first=Mel|last=Gussow|work=The New York Times |date=March 9, 1983|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> and Mark Rappaport's ''Chain Letters'' and ''Imposters'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/2020/07/man-on-a-shoestring-an-on-location-report/|title=Man on a Shoestring: An On-Location Report on Mark Rappaport's IMPOSTORS &#124; Jonathan Rosenbaum|website=www.jonathanrosenbaum.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/07/movies/mark-rappaport-writes-and-directs-imposters.html|title=MARK RAPPAPORT WRITES AND DIRECTS 'IMPOSTERS' (Published 1981)|first=Janet|last=Maslin|work=The New York Times |date=May 7, 1981|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> and more.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Ellen McElduff theatre profile|url=https://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/283768-ellen-mcelduff|access-date=2021-01-24|website=www.abouttheartists.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/24/theater/theater-review-film-noir-culprits-pursuing-the-loot.html|title=THEATER REVIEW;Film-Noir Culprits, Pursuing the Loot (Published 1996)|first=Vincent|last=Canby|work=The New York Times |date=May 24, 1996|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=1990-08-14|title=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.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-14-ca-680-story.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-26|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=|title=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.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-09-ca-128-story.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-26|website=Los Angeles Times|date=9 August 1990 |language=en-US}}</ref> She received an Obie Award citation for her work in ''Southern Exposure''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 22, 1979|title=Michael McClure's 'Josephine' Wins Obie for U.S. Play (Published 1979)|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/22/archives/michael-mcclures-josephine-wins-obie-for-us-play.html|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Shewey|first=Don|date=June 1, 1984|title=The Many Voices of Mabou Mines|url=https://www.americantheatre.org/1984/06/01/the-many-voices-of-mabou-mines/|website=AMERICAN THEATRE}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Gussow|first=Mel|date=February 28, 1979|title=Stage: Downtown Setting For Antarctic Adventure (Published 1979)|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/28/archives/stage-downtown-setting-for-antarctic-adventure-a-penguin-beginning.html|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

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".<ref name="review">{{cite web|title=Review by Michael Feingold|url=http://www.celebratingchristopherwalken.com/him_review.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212034712/http://www.celebratingchristopherwalken.com/him_review.htm|archive-date=2016-12-12|access-date=2007-03-25}}</ref> It debuted in the New York Shakespeare Festival and revolved around the afterlife of Elvis Presley.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Wolcott|first=James|title=Walken On the Wild Side|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/01/09/walken-on-the-wild-side|access-date=2021-01-25|magazine=The New Yorker|date=2 January 1995 |language=en-us}}</ref>

=== 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''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-10-08|title=Homicide: Life on the Street|url=https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/homicide-life-on-the-street/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET: SHAGGY DOG, CITY GOAT (TV)|url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=once&p=80&item=T:52106|access-date=2021-01-24|website=www.paleycenter.org}}</ref>

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).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ingram|first=Hunter|title=WilmOnFilm Flashback: 'Maximum Overdrive'|url=https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/lifestyle/2020/09/25/blast-1986-wilmington-made-film-maximum-overdrive/3526104001/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Wilmington Star-News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-04-20|title=The Ten Best Scenes in 'JFK,' The Greatest Movie of All Time|url=https://decider.com/2016/04/20/jfk-ten-best-scenes/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Decider|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Salmons|first=Tim|date=2018-10-25|title=Maximum Overdrive (Blu-ray Review)|url=https://thedigitalbits.com/item/maximum-overdrive-brd|access-date=2021-01-24|website=The Digital Bits|language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/27/movies/film-working-girls.html|title=FILM: 'WORKING GIRLS' (Published 1987)|first=Vincent|last=Canby|work=The New York Times |date=February 27, 1987|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last= |first=|date=1987-03-13|title=MOVIE REVIEWS: MEANINGFUL METAPHORS FOR REALITY : 'Working Girls'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-13-ca-5538-story.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-26|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

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''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Ellen McElduff|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ellen-mcelduff/credits/3000064086/|access-date=2021-01-26|website=TVGuide.com|language=en}}</ref>

== Personal life == She was married to writer and producer Eric Overmyer.<ref name=":1" />

== References == <!--- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags, these references will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{sisterlinks|d=Q105079099}}

* {{IMDb name|nm0568375}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McElduff, Ellen}}

Category:Canadian film actresses Category:Canadian television actresses Category:20th-century Canadian actresses Category:21st-century Canadian actresses Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Place of birth missing (living people)