Ellen Barkin | |
|---|---|
 Barkin at theOcean's Thirteen premiere in 2007 | |
| Born | Ellen Rona Barkin (1954-04-16)April 16, 1954 (age 71) The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Hunter College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Ellen Rona Barkin (born April 16, 1954) is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 filmDiner, and in the following years, she had starring roles in films such asTender Mercies (1983),Eddie and the Cruisers (1983),The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984),The Big Easy (1986),Johnny Handsome, andSea of Love (both 1989).
In 1991, for her leading role in the filmSwitch, Barkin received aGolden Globe nomination forBest Actress. Her subsequent film credits include:Man Trouble,Into the West (both 1992),This Boy's Life (1993),Bad Company,Wild Bill (both 1995),The Fan (1996),Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998),Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999),Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000),Palindromes (2004),Trust the Man (2005),Ocean's Thirteen (2007),Brooklyn's Finest (2009), andThe Cobbler (2014).
In 1998, Barkin received aPrimetime Emmy Award for her performance in the television filmBefore Women Had Wings. In 2011, she received theTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for herBroadway theatre debut inThe Normal Heart. From 2016 until 2019, she played the leading role of Janine "Smurf" Cody on theTNT drama seriesAnimal Kingdom. From 2012 until 2013, she played the leading role of Jane Forrest on theNBC sitcomThe New Normal.
Her producing credits include the filmsLetters to Juliet,Shit Year (both 2010), andAnother Happy Day (2011).
Barkin was born on April 16, 1954, inthe Bronx, New York,[1] the daughter of Evelyn (née Rozin), a hospital administrator who worked at Jamaica Hospital, and Sol Barkin, a chemical salesman.[2][3][4] Her family isJewish;[5][6] they emigrated from Siberia and the Ukrainian–Polish border.[7]
Barkin lived inFlushing, New York, and attended Parsons Junior High School. She received her high school diploma atManhattan'sHigh School of Performing Arts.[1] She then attendedHunter 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 City'sActors Studio. According toTime, she studied acting for 10 years before landing her first audition.[8]
Her break-out role was in thecomedy-drama filmDiner (1982), written and directed byBarry Levinson,[1] for which she received favorable reviews. Barkin was cast in thedrama filmTender Mercies (1983) after impressing its directorBruce Beresford during an audition in New York City, despite her inexperience and his lack of familiarity with her work.Robert Duvall, who played the lead role inTender Mercies, said of Barkin, "She brings a real credibility to that part, plus she was young and attractive and had a certain sense of edge, a danger to her that was good for that part." She also appeared in the 1983 rock and roll drama filmEddie and the Cruisers.
Barkin later appeared in several successful films, including the thrillersThe Big Easy (1987), oppositeDennis Quaid andSea of Love (1989), oppositeAl Pacino. Barkin also appeared inoff-Broadway plays, including a role as one of the roommates inExtremities, about an intended rape victim played bySusan Sarandon who turns the tables on her attacker. About her performance in the playEden Court,The New York Times criticFrank 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. InEden 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 anElvis Presley record plays on stage".[9]
Barkin has also done work inmade-for-television films such asBefore Women Had Wings (1997), for which she won anEmmy asOutstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie andThe White River Kid (1999). She voiced the start of eachTheme Time Radio Hourwith hostBob Dylan onXM'sDeep Tracks. In 2005, Barkin set up a film production company with her brother, George, along with her husband at the time and billionaire investor,Ronald Perelman.
Barkin appeared in her Broadway debut as Dr. Brookner inThe Normal Heart, for which she won the 2011Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.[10] Barkin has received acclaim for her performance inAnother Happy Day.IndieWire cited her turn as one of the best female performances of the year.[11] In 2015, she starred as Dani Kirschenbloom, in theShowtime comedy-drama seriesHappyish.
From 2016 through 2019, Barkin starred as Janine "Smurf" Cody, the crime family's matriarch, in the TNT drama seriesAnimal Kingdom.[12] The series is based on the2010 Australian film where Smurf was played byJacki Weaver.[13][14]
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Barkin is the mother of two children, Jack Daniel (born October 28, 1989) and Romy Marion (born November 18, 1992), from her marriage to actorGabriel Byrne.[1] She and Byrne separated in 1993 and divorced in 1999, but remain close.[1] Byrne attended Barkin's 2000 wedding to multibillionaire and businessman Ronald Perelman. Her second marriage ended in divorce in 2006.[15]
In 1998, Barkin had a relationship with actorJohnny Depp with whom she worked onFear and Loathing in Las Vegas.[16]
In October 2006, "Magnificent Jewels from the Collection of Ellen Barkin" were sold for $20,369,200 atChristie's, New York, following her divorce from billionaire Ronald Perelman.[17]
Barkin, who turned 57 on April 16 ...
