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Ellen Rona Barkin (born April 16, 1954) is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 film Diner, and in the following years, she had starring roles in films such as Tender Mercies (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), The Big Easy (1986), Johnny Handsome, and Sea of Love (both 1989).
In 1991, for her leading role in the film Switch, Barkin received a Golden Globe nomination for Best 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), and The Cobbler (2014).
In 1998, Barkin received a Primetime Emmy Award for her performance in the television film Before Women Had Wings. In 2011, she received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her Broadway theatre debut in The Normal Heart. From 2016 until 2019, she played the leading role of Janine "Smurf" Cody on the TNT drama series Animal Kingdom. From 2012 until 2013, she played the leading role of Jane Forrest on the NBC sitcom The New Normal.
Her producing credits include the films Letters to Juliet, Shit Year (both 2010), and Another Happy Day (2011).
Barkin lived in Flushing, New York, and attended Parsons Junior High School. She 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 City's Actors Studio. According to Time, she studied acting for 10 years before landing her first audition.Corliss, Richard. "Show Business: Barkin Up the Right Tree". Time, October 23, 1989
Barkin later appeared 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 Extremities, about an intended rape victim played by Susan Sarandon who turns the tables on her attacker. About her performance in the play Eden Court, The 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".Frank Rich (May 15, 1985). Stage: Ellen Barkin In 'Eden Court' . The New York Times.
Barkin has also done work in made-for-television films such as Before Women Had Wings (1997), for which she won an Primetime Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie and The White River Kid (1999). She voiced 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 husband at the time and billionaire investor, Ronald Perelman.
Barkin appeared in her Broadway debut as Dr. Brookner in The Normal Heart, for which she won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.Gans, Andrew. "The Normal Heart Begins Beating on Broadway April 19" playbill.com, April 19, 2011 Barkin has received acclaim for her performance in Another Happy Day. IndieWire cited her turn as one of the best female performances of the year. Review: 'Another Happy Day' Features One Of The Year's Best Female Performances By Ellen Barkin IndieWire. November 15, 2011 In 2015, she starred as Dani Kirschenbloom, in the Showtime comedy-drama series Happyish.
From 2016 through 2019, Barkin starred as Janine "Smurf" Cody, the crime family's matriarch, in the TNT drama series Animal Kingdom. The series is based on the 2010 Australian film where Smurf was played by Jacki Weaver.
In 1998, Barkin had a relationship with actor Johnny Depp with whom she worked on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
In October 2006, "Magnificent Jewels from the Collection of Ellen Barkin" were sold for $20,369,200 at Christie's, New York.
| 1978 | Up in Smoke | Woman Playing Guitar | Uncredited |
| 1982 | Diner | Beth Schreiber | |
| 1983 | Tender Mercies | Sue Ann | |
| Daniel | Phyllis Isaacson | ||
| Enormous Changes at the Last Minute | Virginia | ||
| Eddie and the Cruisers | Maggie Foley | ||
| 1984 | Harry & Son | Kate Wilowski | |
| The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | Penny Priddy | ||
| 1985 | Terminal Choice | Mary O'Connor | |
| 1986 | Desert Bloom | Aunt Starr | Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actress |
| Down by Law | Laurette | ||
| 1987 | The Big Easy | Anne Osborne | Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actress |
| Made in Heaven | Lucille | Uncredited | |
| Siesta | Claire | ||
| 1989 | Johnny Handsome | "Sunny" Boyd | Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| Sea of Love | Helen Cruger | Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress | |
| 1991 | Switch | Amanda Brooks | Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1992 | Mac | Oona Goldfarb | |
| Man Trouble | Joan Pruance | ||
| Into the West | Kathleen | ||
| 1993 | This Boy's Life | Caroline Wolff Hansen | |
| 1995 | Bad Company | Margaret Wells | |
| Wild Bill | Calamity Jane | ||
| 1996 | The Fan | Jewel Stern | Blockbuster LLC |
| Mad Dog Time | Rita Everly | ||
| 1998 | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Waitress At North Star Cafe | |
| 1999 | Drop Dead Gorgeous | Annette Atkins | |
| The White River Kid | Eva Nell La Fangory | ||
| 2000 | Crime and Punishment in Suburbia | Maggie Skolnick | |
| Mercy | Detective Cathy Palmer | ||
| 2001 | Someone Like You | Diane Roberts | |
| 2004 | She Hate Me | Margo Chadwick | |
| Palindromes | Joyce Victor | ||
| Ocean's Twelve | Abigail Sponder | Deleted sceneVisible on Blu-ray release under the section, "Meet the Team, Again" | |
| 2005 | Trust the Man | Norah | |
| 2007 | Ocean's Thirteen | Abigail Sponder | |
| 2009 | Brooklyn's Finest | FBI Agent Smith | |
| Happy Tears | Shelly | ||
| 2010 | Twelve | Mrs. Brayson | |
| The Chameleon | Kimberly Miller | ||
| Shit Year | Colleen West | Also executive producer | |
| Empress | |||
| 2011 | Another Happy Day | Lynn Hellman | Also producer Nominated — Women's Image Network Awards for Best Actress in a Feature Film |
| 2013 | Very Good Girls | Norma Berger | |
| 2014 | The Cobbler | Elaine Greenawalt | |
| 2016 | Hands of Stone | Stephanie Arcel | |
| 2017 | Active Adults | Lucy | |
| 2021 | Breaking News in Yuba County | Debbie | |
| 2022 | The Man from Toronto | The Handler | |
| 2023 | The Out-Laws | Lily McDermott | |
| 1981 | Kent State | Student | Television movie |
| We're Fighting Back | Chris Capoletti | ||
| 1982 | Parole | Donna | |
| 1984 | Terrible Joe Moran | Ronnie | |
| 1986 | Act of Vengeance | Annette Gilly | |
| The Princess Who Had Never Laughed | Princess Henrietta | ||
| 1988 | Clinton and Nadine | Nadine Powers | Television movie Nominated—CableACE Awards |
| 1997 | Before Women Had Wings | Glory Marie Jackson | Television movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film |
| 2001 | King of the Hill | Lenore (voice) | Episode: "Hank and the Great Glass Elevator" |
| 2012 | Modern Family | Mitzi Roth | Episode: "Send Out the Clowns" |
| 2012–2013 | The New Normal | Jane Forrest | Lead role; 22 episodes |
| 2015 | Happyish | Dani Kirschenbloom | Lead role; 9 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | Animal Kingdom | Janine "Smurf" Cody | Lead role; 46 episodes |
| 2017 | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Sasha Walz | Television movie |
| 2023 | Poker Face | Kathleen Townsend | Episode: "Exit Stage Death" |
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