Ellen Gerstein is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director.[1][2] She is known for her roles in television series such as The Whole Truth, Shameless,[3] and Seinfeld,[4] and films such as Venom[5][6] and James Dean.[1] She is also known for directing the award-winning short film Come Away with Me.[7][8]

Ellen Gerstein
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)actress, comedian, writer, producer, director
Years active1977 - present

Education

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Gerstein has a graduate degree in Psychology,[9] from Antioch University.[10]

Career

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Gerstein spent six years working as a social worker in Manhattan.[9]

One of Gerstein’s first roles was in the comedy film Coast to Coast, which was released in 1980.[11]

Gerstein appeared in an episode of Seinfeld, titled “The Stake Out,” which first aired in 1990.[4] Her other credits in the 1990s include Friends,[1] the HBO television film Witch Hunt,[12] Phyllis Nagy’s Girl Bar (play) in 1994,[13] and the musical television film Annie in 1999.[11]

Gerstein made her directorial debut with the short film Waiting for Ronald, which was released in 2003.[14][1] The film went on to win the Award of Merit at the 2015 Best Shorts Competition[15] and the Audience Choice Best Short Film award at the Method Fest Film Festival.[2]

Gerstein starred in the play “A Tragedy on West Utica,” which was performed at the LA LUPA Fest One-Act Festival in 2011.[16]

Gerstein’s credits in the 2010s include Liza on Demand, Shameless, Fresh Off the Boat, and The Morning Show.[3]

Gerstein was set to star as one of the leads in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play ‘night, Mother in 2014, but was forced to drop out for medical reasons.[17] She remained on the project as a producer.[18]

At the 2015 Spotlight Short Film Awards, Gerstein received the Platinum Award for her short film Come Away with Me.[7] She produced, directed, starred in, and wrote an original song for the project.[8] She produced, directed, starred in, and wrote an original song for the project.[8] She won the Best Director award at the 2015 Atlanta Shortsfest,[19] the Platinum Remi award at Worldfest Houston,[20] and the Best Short Film award at the 2016 Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival for her work on the film.[21] The film was also nominated for Best Drama at the 2015 LAIFF Awards.[22] It was also one of the short films shown at the 2016 Sonoma International Film Festival.[23]

At the 2016 Cape May Film Festival, Gerstein received the Robert Prosky Character Actor Award.[24]

Gerstein starred in the short film Passage, which was released in 2018. For her role in the film, she won the Best Supporting Actress award in the Featurette category at the 2018 Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema.[25][26]

Gerstein appeared as Mrs. Manfredi in the 2018 film Venom, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.[27][6] She also starred in the independent film Turnover, which was released in 2019.[28]

Personal life

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In her spare time, Gerstein enjoys fostering and taking care of dogs.[29] She is a member of the Alliance of Women Directors.[8][30]

Filmography

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Film

Year Title Director Writer Producer Actress Notes Ref.
1977 The Billion Dollar Hobo No No No Yes As Waitress
1978 Jokes My Folks Never Told Me No No No Yes
1978 Carla No No No Yes As Waitress; short film
1980 Coast to Coast No No No Yes Nurse #1 [11]
1981 Going Ape! No No No Yes As Sister [11]
1983 I’m Going to Be Famous No No No Yes
1984 Joy of Sex No No No Yes As Nurse #2 [11]
1984 Body Rock No No No Yes As Secretary [11]
1986 The Education of Allison Tate No No No Yes As Secretary
1987 My Demon Lover No No No Yes As Policewoman
1987 Emanon No No No Yes As Lynn [11]
1988 Daddy’s Boys No No No Yes As Madame Wang/Henrietta [11][31]
1996 Inside Out No No No Yes As Lawyer; short film
1998 Murder of Crows No No No Yes As Landlady
2000 Boys Life 3 No No No Yes As Lawyer
2003 Waiting for Ronald Yes Yes No No [14]
2004 You Are So Going to Hell! No No No Yes As Thelma
2005 Break a Leg No No No Yes As “Secret Scruples” Casting Director
2010 Treasure of the Black Jaguar No No No Yes As Ms. Shaneberg
2011 Autumn and George No No No Yes As Waitress Ellen; short film
2013 Sylvia Rents a Kid Yes Yes No Yes As Sylvia: short film
2014 Swelter No No No Yes As Harriet
2015 Come Away with Me Yes Yes Yes Yes As Ann Chambers; short film [8]
2016 Come Away with Me: The Documentary Short Yes Yes Yes Yes As self
2016 Interior Night No No No Yes As Mavis
2016 Auto-Cowrecked No No No Yes As Rita
2017 The Golden Age No No No Yes As Kathryn O’ Malley
2017 Firm with Purpose No No No Yes As Kathy; short film
2017 After the Hutch No No No Yes As Bunny Mother; short film
2018 The Interview No No No Yes As Margaret; short film
2018 Passage No No No Yes As June; short film [11]
2018 Venom No No No Yes As Hospital Lady with Dog/Mrs. Manfredi [5]
2019 Turnover No No No Yes As Cherub [32]
2019 Speed of Life No No No Yes As Older Woman/Jean
2019 The Planters No No No Yes As Judy Fine/Lady with a Lisp; voice role [11]
2021 The Dead of Night No No No Yes As Nana
2022 God Save the Queens No No No Yes As Eloise [11][33]
TBH Proof Sheet No No No Yes As Waitress

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1983 Likely Stories, Vol. 4 Turtle Head Story Lady In “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening” segment
1984 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear Nurse TV movie
1985 Cheers Mo McSweeney
1986 L.A. Law Bailiff Woman
1989 Duet Instructor
1990 Seinfeld Carol
1990 I’m Dangerous Tonight Server TV movie
1991 Vidiots Bertha TV movie
1992 Quantum Leap Woman
1993 There Was a Little Boy Tina TV movie
1994 Witch Hunt Sydney’s wife TV movie
1995 California Dreams Esther
1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fortune Teller
1999 It’s Like, You Know… Woman #1/Daughter
1999 Annie Sophie TV movie; part of The Wonderful World of Disney
2001 James Dean Jane Deacy TV movie
2002 Friends Aunt Lisa
2010–2011 The Whole Truth Tina
2011 Baby Boomer Bunnies Bunny Mother TV movie
2012 Southland Crazy Carol
2012–2013 Shameless Aunt Rande
2016 Twin Turbo Nonna
2016–2017 Broke A$$ Rich Kid Katia
2017 Fresh Off the Boat Lillian [3]
2017 Law & Order True Crime Judge Judith Stein
2018 Liza on Demand Seymour’s Wife [3]
2018 Hotel Du Loone Mrs. Moorehouse [3]
2019 The Morning Show Woman [3]
2020 Better Things Manager
2020 Smartphone Theater Lorraine/Janice/Woman Also produced segment “A Conversation with Mark Rydell”
2020 Boned Barbara Silvers [34]
2022 Smothered Goldie [35]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Hand, Charles (2013-09-11). "Waiting for Ronald" (PDF). The Californian. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  2. ^ a b Frame, Laurelle LeVine (August 2013). "Waiting for Ronald" (PDF). Ability Magazine.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Theatre, Smartphone. ""TOILET SONATA" by Shirl Hendryx". Smartphone Theatre. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  4. ^ a b Seinfeld Official Guide to All 180 episodes. Praetorian Publishing. 2021-04-11. ISBN 978-1-4944-0595-3.
  5. ^ a b "RECENZE: Lepkavý Venom je i v kategorii komiksových omalovánek chudoba". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  6. ^ a b "Crítica a Venom (2018), de Ruben Fleischer - Martin Cid Magazine". martincid.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  7. ^ a b "Spotlight Short Film Awards". Spotlight Film Awards. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Independent Filmmakers in the Spotlight". Spotlight Film Awards. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  9. ^ a b Hoverstein, Bill (2003-05-08). "New Film "Waiting for Ronald" Reveals a Different World" (PDF). Park Labrea News / Beverly Press.
  10. ^ "Ellen Gerstein: Actor, Director, Hollywood Acting Coach, Lulu Pr". Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ellen Gerstein | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  12. ^ Mitchell, Charles P. (2001). The Complete H.P. Lovecraft Filmography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-31641-8.
  13. ^ Witt, Lynn; Thomas, Sherry; Marcus, Eric (2009-09-26). Out in All Directions: A Treasury of Gay and Lesbian America. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-0-446-56721-3.
  14. ^ a b Mitchell, David T.; Snyder, Sharon L. (2015-06-02). The Biopolitics of Disability: Neoliberalism, Ablenationalism, and Peripheral Embodiment. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-05271-4.
  15. ^ "Award of Merit June 2015 |". bestshorts.net. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  16. ^ "LA LUPA :: ITALIAN CULTURAL ARTS FESTIVAL ::LOS ANGELES, CA". www.lalupafest.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  17. ^ Riefe, Jordan (2014-10-31). "Aliah Whitmore Keeps Family Tradition Alive with 'Night, Mother' at Whitmore Eclectic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  18. ^ "Review: A wrenching ' 'night, Mother' at Lost Studio". Los Angeles Times. 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  19. ^ "Atlanta Shortsfest Awards". Atlanta Shortsfest. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  20. ^ "The Hollywood 360 Spotlight: Ellen Gerstein, Director and Star–"Come Away with Me"". thehollywood360.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  21. ^ "2016 ITWIFF WINNERS |Imagine This Women's International Film Festival". Imagine This Prods. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  22. ^ "June 2015". A home for your amazing films. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  23. ^ "SONOMA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2016 PROGRAM". www.sonomavalley.com. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  24. ^ "Cape May 2016 Film Festival - Saturday Night". Exit Zero. 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  25. ^ "The Independent Critic - "Passage" Continues Having Success on the Festival Circuit". theindependentcritic.com. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  26. ^ "Grandma Knows Best: A Lovely Passage". www.reeltalkreviews.com. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  27. ^ "RECENZE: Lepkavý Venom je i v kategorii komiksových omalovánek chudoba". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  28. ^ Crier, Idyllwild Town. "'Turnover' stirs up Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema: Nominated for 14 IIFC awards • Idyllwild Town Crier". Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  29. ^ Kelegian, Sylva (2014-05-31). God Spelled Backwards: (The Journey of an Actress into the World of Dog Rescue). Xlibris Corporation. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-4931-4381-8.
  30. ^ "Member List". Alliance of Women Directors. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  31. ^ James, Caryn (1988-06-10). "Reviews/Film; Whining Daddy And His 3 Sons Rob and Kidnap". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  32. ^ "'Turnover' stirs up Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema: Nominated for 14 IIFC awards • Idyllwild Town Crier". 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  33. ^ "God Save The Queens | Film Threat". 2022-06-12. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  34. ^ "Recurring Characters". BonedTheSeries. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  35. ^ Jr, Ruben Perez (2022-01-17). "'SMOTHERED' starring Jason Stuart & Mitch Hara Returning for Season Two on Prime Video". Entertainment Rocks. Retrieved 2023-01-14.