Ellen Greene (born February
22, 1951) is an American
singer and actress.
Greene has had a long and varied career as a
singer, particularly in
cabaret, as an
actor and
singer in numerous
stage
productions, particularly
musical
theatre, as well as having performed in many
films (notably in
Little Shop of Horrors)
and
television programs. She
starred as
Vivian
Charles on the ABC series
Pushing Daisies.
Personal life
Greene was
born in Brooklyn, New
York
. Her mother is a guidance counselor, and her
father is a
dentist. She attended W T Clarke
High School, in Westbury, New York.
She spent summers at Cejwin Camps in
Port Jervis, New
York
where she performed in musical theater productions,
including the role of Tzeitel in a 1966 production of Fiddler on the Roof. She was
first married to Tibor Hardik. She has been married to Christian
Klikovits since September 25, 2003. She has no children.
Career
Greene’s career began as a
nightclub
singer in clubs such as
The Brothers and Sisters,
Grand Finale and
Reno Sweeney. She received rave
reviews from critics such as
Rex Reed,
George Bell and John S. Wilson. Around this time she befriended the
late
Peter Allen. Her first starring
role was as the
lead in the notorious
Broadway bomb,
Rachael
Lily Rosenbloom in 1973, which co-starred
Anita Morris.
She then won the starring role of Chrissy in
Joseph Papp's production of
In the Boom Boom Room. Her
reviews brought her to the attention of
Paul Mazursky who was at that time casting for
Next Stop, Greenwich
Village; she got the role of Sarah, her first starring
role in a film.
Continuing
her work with Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival,
Greene next essayed the role of Jenny in The Three Penny Opera at the
Vivian Beaumont
Theatre
in Lincoln
Center
for which performance she was nominated for a
Tony Award.
In addition to a number other productions with the New York
Shakespeare Festival as well as numerous other companies, Greene
formed a close working relationship with the WPA Theatre, where she
met
Howard Ashman and
Alan Menken, which led to a close, long-lasting
friendship. This led, in turn, among other productions, to the role
for which she is perhaps most-widely known, that of the hapless
Audrey in
Little
Shop of Horrors, a role she reprised in the
film version opposite
Rick Moranis.
Greene has worked extensively in theater, such as the part of
Suzanne/The Little Rose in
The Little Prince and the
Aviator, as well as in films such as
I'm Dancing as Fast as I
Can,
Léon, and
Talk Radio. She has
appeared on television in
Miami
Vice,
Glory! Glory!,
The Adventures of Pete and
Pete,
Cybill,
Law & Order,
Suddenly Susan,
The X-Files,
Mystery Woman: Sing Me a
Murder,
Fielder’s Choice and
Heroes.
In 2004, Greene released an album entitled
In His Eyes, on
which she was accompanied by her husband and musical director,
Christian Klikovits.
Greene's latest work includes the recurring role of Vivian Charles
in the television series
Pushing
Daisies and the voice of Dolly Gopher in the animated
Out of Jimmy's Head.
Greene was also the voice of Goldie in the
Don
Bluth film
Rock-A-Doodle.
In the
summer of 2009, Greene starred as Miss Adelaide in a concert
version of the Broadway musical Guys and
Dolls, which had a 3-day engagement at the Hollywood Bowl
in Los Angeles, California. Her co-stars
included
Scott Bakula as Nathan
Detroit, theatre veteran and Tony Award winner
Brian Stokes Mitchell as Sky
Masterson, and
Jessica Biel as Sarah
Brown.
Awards
Greene was nominated for a
Tony Award for
her performance in
Threepenny
Opera as well as for a
Drama
Desk Award for her performance in
Little Shop of
Horrors.
References
- Internet Movie Database Listing
- Ellen Greene Biography (1950?-)
- Tony Awards, 1977
- Drama Desk Awards, 1982–1983
External links
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