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Ellen Barkin

 
Who2 Biography: Ellen Barkin, Actor
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  • Born: 16 April 1954
  • Birthplace: The Bronx, New York
  • Best Known As: Slinky-eyed star of The Big Easy and Sea of Love

Ellen Barkin's days as a sultry leading lady of the silver screen peaked in the late 1980s, with features such as The Big Easy (1987, opposite Randy Quaid) and Sea of Love (1989, opposite Al Pacino). A native New Yorker, she broke through in movies as the lonely wife in the guy-oriented drama Diner (1982, with Kevin Bacon), then went on to become the 1980s version of Angie Dickinson -- a sexpot with a snarl. She proved herself a versatile actress in the 1990s, playing in the comedies Switch (1991) and Man Trouble (1992) as well as darker dramas such as This Boy's Life (1993 -- she was Leonardo DiCaprio's mom) and Bad Company (1995, starring Laurence Fishburne). Her turn as an abused alcoholic in the 1997 Oprah Winfrey TV movie Before Women Had Wings won Barkin an Emmy, and in recent years she has appeared in the features She Hate Me (2004, directed by Spike Lee), Trust the Man (2005, starring David Duchovny) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007, opposite Matt Damon).

Barkin was married to actor Gabriel Byrne from 1988-93, and to billionaire businessman Ronald Perelman from 2000-06.

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Quotes By: Ellen Barkin
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Quotes:

"Acting is a matter of giving away secrets."

"People tend to remember my performances, not me."

Actor: Ellen Barkin
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Apr 16, 1954 in Bronx, New York City, New York
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '80s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: Diner, Sea of Love, The Big Easy
  • First Major Screen Credit: Diner (1982)

Biography

Ellen Barkin is one of the most respected, versatile actresses on the screen; she is equally at home playing supporting roles, character roles, and leads -- even as true stardom eluded her. Prior to becoming an actress, Barkin attended the renowned High School for the Performing Arts in New York, studied history and Drama at Hunter College, and attended workshops at The Actors Studio. Barkin debuted on-stage in 1980's Irish Coffee and continued her theater work while appearing the following year in the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. She had roles in various TV movies before making her critically acclaimed film debut as the neglected wife of an obsessive record collector in Barry Levinson's Diner (1982), and subsequently went on to play supporting roles ranging from unhappy wives to white-hot sexpots to a small but vital part as Robert Duvall's troubled daughter in Tender Mercies (1983). Following her appearance in the romantic thriller The Big Easy in 1987, Barkin gained a small but devoted following. While filming the experimental supernatural thriller Siesta (1987), she met her husband, Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, with whom she had two children. (The couple divorced in 1993.) Remaining involved with The Actors Studio when not working, Barkin worked steadily during the late '80s and throughout the '90s -- most notably in Sea of Love (1989) -- and appeared (with Oprah Winfrey) in 1997's Before Women Had Wings, her first TV movie in 13 years. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Ellen Barkin
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Ellen Barkin

Barkin at the Ocean's Thirteen premiere, 2007
Born Ellen Rona Barkin
April 16, 1954 (1954-04-16) (age 55)
Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1982–present
Spouse(s) Gabriel Byrne (1988–1999)
Ronald O. Perelman (2000–2006)

Ellen Rona Barkin (born April 16, 1954) is an American actress.

Contents

Early life

Barkin was born in the Bronx, New York, to a chemical-salesman father and a hospital-administrator mother who worked at Jamaica Hospital.[1] Barkin was raised in a lower-middle-class Jewish family,[2] a descendant of immigrants from Siberia and the Russia-Poland border.[3] Barkin received her high school diploma at Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts. She then attended Hunter College and double majored in history and drama. At one point, Barkin wanted to teach ancient history. She continued her acting education at New York's Actor's Studio. According to Time, she studied acting for seven years before landing her first audition.[4]

Career

Barkin became a notable actress in the 1980s. Her break-out role was in Barry Levinson's Diner (1982), for which she received favorable reviews. Barkin was cast in the 1983 film Tender Mercies after impressing director Bruce Beresford during an audition in New York City, despite her inexperience and his lack of familiarity with her work. Actor Robert Duvall, who played the lead role in Mercies, said of Barkin, "She brings a real credibility for that part, plus she was young and attractive and had a certain sense of edge, a danger for her that was good for that part."[5]

Barkin would later appear in several successful films, including the thrillers The Big Easy (1987), opposite Dennis Quaid and Sea of Love (1989), opposite Al Pacino. Barkin also appeared in off-Broadway plays, including a role as one of the roommates in the memorable Extremities, about a would-be rape victim played by Susan Sarandon who turns the tables on her attacker. About her performance in the play Eden Court, New York Times critic Frank Rich summarized: "If it were really possible to give the kiss of life to a corpse, the actress Ellen Barkin would be the one to do it. In Eden Court, the moribund play that has brought her to the Promenade Theater, Miss Barkin is tantalizingly alive from her bouncing blond ponytail to the long legs that gyrate wildly and involuntarily every time an Elvis Presley record plays on stage".[6]

Barkin has also done work in made-for-television films like Before Women Had Wings (1997) and The White River Kid (1999). Currently, she voices the start of each Theme Time Radio Hour with host Bob Dylan on XM's "Deep Tracks". In 2005, Barkin set up a film production company with her brother, George, along with her ex-husband and billionaire investor, Ronald Perelman.

Personal life

Barkin has a brother, George, who was formerly the editor in chief of National Lampoon and High Times. Barkin is the mother of two children, Jack Daniel (born 1989) and Romy Marion (born 1992), from her first marriage to actor Gabriel Byrne. The two separated in 1993 and divorced in 1999, but are still close; Byrne even attended Barkin's 2000 wedding to businessman Ronald Perelman.[7] According to New York Magazine, that marriage ended in a messy divorce in 2006 with Barkin receiving $40 million.[8] Barkin is currently suing Perelman for $3.4 million in investment funds he reportedly promised to invest in their film production company, but has yet to deliver.[9]

Awards

Emmy Award Wins

  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie: Before Women Had Wings (1997).

Other Wins

  • Golden Satellite Awards - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Before Women Had Wings (1997).
  • Sant Jordi Awards (Barcelona, Spain): Best Foreign Actress: The Big Easy (1987).

Golden Globes Nominations

  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical: Switch (1991).
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV: Before Women Had Wings (1997).

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Hoffman, Jan. The New York Times, film article, "Ellen Barkin: Is She Difficult Or Just Straight Outta Queens?," April 4, 1993. Last accessed: March 29, 2008.
  2. ^ Kempley, Rita (1987-08-28). "The Big Time of Ellen Barkin; Acclaimed as an Actress, She's Now Shooting Toward Stardom". The Washington Post. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1340209.html. Retrieved 2008-03-18. 
  3. ^ Reiner, Car. Interview by Carl Reiner, June 1, 2007. Last accessed: March 29, 2008.
  4. ^ Corliss, Richard. Time, October 23, 1989
  5. ^ Bruce Beresford (actor), Robert Duvall (actor), Gary Hertz (director). (2002-04-16). Miracles & Mercies. [Documentary]. West Hollywood, California: Blue Underground. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383509/. Retrieved 2008-02-01. 
  6. ^ Rich, Frank. New York Time, theatre review, May 15, 1985.
  7. ^ Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - WENN - 3 July 2000
  8. ^ New York Magazine. Metro section.
  9. ^ New York Post Ellen sues ex husband for more money, August 3, 2007

External links

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Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie

Susan Clark / Rosemary Harris (1976) · Sally Field / Patty Duke (1977) · Joanne Woodward / Meryl Streep (1978) · Bette Davis (1979) · Patty Duke (1980) · Vanessa Redgrave (1981) · Ingrid Bergman (1982) · Barbara Stanwyck (1983) · Jane Fonda (1984) · Joanne Woodward (1985) · Marlo Thomas (1986) · Gena Rowlands (1987) · Jessica Tandy (1988) · Holly Hunter (1989) · Barbara Hershey (1990) · Lynn Whitfield (1991) · Gena Rowlands (1992) · Holly Hunter (1993) · Kirstie Alley (1994) · Glenn Close (1995) · Helen Mirren (1996) · Alfre Woodard (1997) · Ellen Barkin (1998) · Helen Mirren (1999) · Halle Berry (2000)

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