Ellen Greene

A brassy, Brooklyn-born musical comedy actress, Greene has also made a name for herself as a nightclub chanteuse. She began singing in such Manhattan clubs as Reno Sweeney's and The Brothers & Sisters while attending Rider College in NJ, and was discovered by a scout for The New York Shakespeare Festival. Greene performed in such shows as "In the Boom Boom Room" (1974) and "The Threepenny Opera" (for which she won a Tony nomination in 1977). She also appeared in "Funny Face" (1978-79), the ill-fated "The Little Prince and the Aviator" (1981) and scored a great hit as the lovelorn Audrey in the musical comedy "Little Shop of Horrors" (1982). Greene became romantically involved with Marty Robinson, who played the man-eating plant Audrey II in the show.

Green reprised her role of Audrey in the 1986 film version of "Little Shop of Horrors." She had already appeared in Paul Mazursky's "Next Stop, Greenwich Village" (1976) and "I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can" (1982). Greene never became a "movie star," but kept busy: among her other credits are "Me and Him" and Oliver Stone's "Talk Radio" (both 1988), "Pump Up the Volume" (1990), a voice-over in the animated "Rock-a-Doodle" and the Liza Minnelli musical "Stepping Out" (both 1991), "Naked Gun 33-1/3: The Final Insult" (1994) and John Candy's swan song "Wagons East!" (1994). TV has kept the actress busy since her debut in the 1977 miniseries "Seventh Avenue" (NBC). In addition to guest spots on such series as "Miami Vice," "Law & Order" and "Cybill," Greene scored a big hit as Sister Ruth, a rock singer turned TV evangelist, in the miniseries "Glory! Glory!" (HBO, 1989). Her next turn, as Kitty Packard in the ill-advised remake of "Dinner at Eight" (TNT, also 1989), was not a worthy follow-up.