Biography
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).
Known For
Complete Filmography

The Out-Laws
2023
as Lilly McDermott
A straight-laced bank manager is about to marry the love of his life. When his bank is held up by infamous Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he b...

The Man from Toronto
2022
as The Handler
In a case of mistaken identity, the world’s deadliest assassin, known as the Man from Toronto, and a New York City screw-up are forced to team up afte...

Breaking News in Yuba County
2021
as Debbie
An overlooked pencil-pusher catches her husband in bed with another woman, the shock of which causes him to die of a heart attack. So she buries his b...

Active Adults
2017
as Lucy
Malcolm and Lily try to start their lives as they watch Malcolm's grandparents' fall apart.

Hands of Stone
2016
as Stephanie Arcel
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.

The Cobbler
2014
as Elaine Greenawalt
Max Simkin repairs shoes in the same New York shop that has been in his family for generations. Disenchanted with the grind of daily life, Max stumble...

Very Good Girls
2013
as Norma Berger
Two New York City girls make a pact to lose their virginity during their first summer out of high school. When they both fall for the same street arti...

Comedy Central Roast of Roseanne
2012
as Self
It's Roseanne Barr's turn to step in to the celebrity hot seat for the latest installment of The Comedy Central Roast.

Another Happy Day
2011
as Lynn
A wedding at her parents' Annapolis estate hurls high-strung Lynn into the center of touchy family dynamics.

Another Happy Day
2011
Producer
A wedding at her parents' Annapolis estate hurls high-strung Lynn into the center of touchy family dynamics.

His Way
2011
as Self
A look at the professional, political and personal life of legendary movie producer Jerry Weintraub featuring interviews with friends, family and coll...

Twelve
2010
as Jessica's Mother
A young drug dealer watches as his high-rolling life is dismantled in the wake of his cousin's murder, which sees his best friend arrested for the cri...

Operation: Endgame
2010
as Empress
A battle ensues among two government spy teams in an underground facility after their boss is assassinated.

The Chameleon
2010
as Kimberly Miller
The amazing true story of Frédéric Bourdin, who after having plundered all the centers for runaway minors and deliquents in Europe, even thought he ha...

Shit Year
2010
as Colleen West
Renowned actress Colleen West abandons her successful career for a secluded life in the hills. But the peace and quiet she longed for is disrupted by ...

Shit Year
2010
Executive Producer
Renowned actress Colleen West abandons her successful career for a secluded life in the hills. But the peace and quiet she longed for is disrupted by ...

Letters to Juliet
2010
Producer
An American girl on vacation in Italy finds an unanswered "letter to Juliet" -- one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona cour...

Brooklyn's Finest
2010
as Agent Smith
Enforcing the law within the notoriously rough Brownsville section of the city and especially within the Van Dyke housing projects is the NYPD's sixty...

Happy Tears
2009
as Shelly
Two sisters return home to care for their aging father.

Ocean's Thirteen
2007
as Abigail Sponder
Danny Ocean's team of criminals are back and composing a plan more personal than ever. When ruthless casino owner Willy Bank doublecrosses Reuben Tish...

Trust the Man
2005
as Norah
Overachieving actress Rebecca must come to grips with her failing marriage to stay-at-home dad Tom. While Rebecca's slacker brother Tobey can't seem t...

Palindromes
2005
as Joyce Victor
Aviva is thirteen, awkward and sensitive. Her mother Joyce is warm and loving, as is her father, Steve, a regular guy who does have a fierce temper fr...

She Hate Me
2004
as Margo Chadwick
Fired from his job, a former executive turns to impregnating wealthy lesbians for profit.

Buckaroo Banzai Declassified
2002
as Self
A documentary found on The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension Special Edition DVD.

Someone Like You...
2001
as Diane Roberts
Jane Goodale has everything going for her. She's a producer on a popular daytime talk show, and is in a hot romance with the show's dashing executive ...

Crime + Punishment in Suburbia
2000
as Maggie Skolnick
At school, Roseanne is the object of fellow student Vincent's infatuation. By night, she deals with a troubled family life: her mother, Maggie, cheats...

Mercy
2000
as Det. Catherine Palmer
Detective Catherine Palmer is on the trail of an elusive serial killer. During her investigation she meets Vickie Kittrie, who belongs to an exclusive...

Drop Dead Gorgeous
1999
as Annette Atkins
In a small Minnesota town, the annual beauty pageant is being covered by a TV crew. Former winner Gladys Leeman wants to make sure her daughter follow...

Diner: On The Flip Side
1999
as Self
Interviews with cast and crew about their memories on the making of the film

The White River Kid
1999
as Eva Nell La Fangroy
Two con men are traveling through the American South when they are held hostage by a serial killer who is running from the authorities.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
1998
as Waitress at North Star Cafe
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycl...

Before Women Had Wings
1997
as Glory Marie Jackson
An adaptation of Connie May Fowler's 1996 novel tracing the unlikely friendship between a young white girl, daughter of an alcoholic mother and a no-g...

Mad Dog Time
1996
as Rita Everly
With his boss in the madhouse, a mobster is temporary boss of the criminal empire just as vicious rivals threaten the control of the empire.

The Fan
1996
as Jewel Stern
When the San Francisco Giants pay center-fielder, Bobby Rayburn $40 million to lead their team to the World Series, no one is happier or more supporti...

Wild Bill
1995
as Calamity Jane
Biopic about famous gunslinger Wild Bill Hickock. The early career of legendary lawman is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and ...

Bad Company
1995
as Margaret Wells
CIA operative Nelson Crowe is tasked with a deadly assignment: infiltrate a highly secret industrial espionage firm. Once inside, he teams with Margar...

This Boy's Life
1993
as Caroline Wolff Hansen
When a son and mother move to Seattle in hopes for a better life, the mother meets a seemingly polite man. Things go south when the man turns out to b...

Into the West
1992
as Kathleen
Accused of a crime they didn't commit, two city kids and a magical horse are about to become the coolest outlaws ever to ride Into The West.

Mac
1992
as Oona Goldfarb
Niccolo "Mac" Vitelli is the eldest of three brothers in 1950s Queens. Mac is a construction builder, a trade he learned from his late father, and hel...

Man Trouble
1992
as Joan Spruance
A sleazy but affable guard dog trainer is blackmailed to steal a manuscript for a tell-all book from one of his clients.

Switch
1991
as Amanda Brooks
Steve Brooks, a sexist womanizer, is killed by a group of his angry former lovers. In heaven, he makes a bargain with God for redemption and agrees to...

Sea of Love
1989
as Helen Cruger
Seen-it-all New York detective Frank Keller is unsettled - he has done twenty years on the force and could retire, and he hasn't come to terms with hi...

Johnny Handsome
1989
as Sunny Boyd
A career criminal who has been deformed since birth is given a new face by a kindly doctor and paroled from prison. It appears that he has gone straig...

Clinton and Nadine
1988
as Nadine Powers
Eager to find his brother's murderer, Clinton enlists the aid of Nadine, an expensive call girl. Together they get sucked into a plot to smuggle guns ...

Siesta
1987
as Claire
American Claire wakes up blood-soaked and bruised at the end of a runway in Spain. As she tries to account for her state, she has flashbacks from the ...

Made in Heaven
1987
as Lucille (uncredited)
Deceased drifter Mike arrives in Heaven and quickly falls for newborn soul Annie, soon to start her assignment on Earth. When Annie leaves, Mike follo...

The Big Easy
1986
as Anne Osborne
Remy McSwain is a New Orleans police lieutenant who investigates the murder of a local mobster. His investigation leads him to suspect that fellow mem...

Down by Law
1986
as Laurette
A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.

Act of Vengeance
1986
as Annette Gilly
In 1969, an administrator runs against the corrupt president of the United Coal Miners Union, and becomes the target of a murder plot.

The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
1986
as Princess Henrietta
There was once a very serious kingdom. So serious, that the King demanded to be addressed as Your Seriousness...

Desert Bloom
1986
as Aunt Starr
The story involves Rose Chismore's youth. She flashes back and remembers her coming-of-age. Her recollections are sometimes less than sweet, particula...

Terminal Choice
1985
as Mary O'Connor
A patient in an hospital dies under mysterious circumstances. The attending doctor Frank Holt gets under suspect - he'd been fired already from his la...

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
1984
as Penny Priddy
Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.

Terrible Joe Moran
1984
as Ronnie
A wheelchair-bound, former boxer deals with his long estranged granddaughter whom is seeking financial help for her writing career and helping her los...

Harry & Son
1984
as Katie Wilowski
Widower Harry Keach is a construction worker who was raised to appreciate the importance of working for a living. He takes a dim view of his sensitive...

Eddie and the Cruisers
1983
as Maggie Foley
A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader — Eddie Wilson — may still be alive, while searching for the mis...

Daniel
1983
as Phyllis Isaacson
The fictionalized story of Daniel, the son of Paul and Rochelle Isaacson, who were executed as Soviet spies in the 1950s. As a graduate student in New...

Tender Mercies
1983
as Sue Anne
Alchoholic former country singer Mac Sledge makes friends with a young widow and her son. The friendship enables him to find inspiration to resume his...

Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
1983
as Virginia
This film is made up of three segments that share no plot but have a general thematic relationship. In the first segment, Virginia and her three child...

Parole
1982
as Donna
High school dropout Jimmy McCusick goes to prison for robbery. After suffering a gang-rape and then drawing the attention of a hardened life-term conv...

Diner
1982
as Beth Schreiber
Set in 1959, Diner shows how five young men resist their adulthood and seek refuge in their beloved Diner. The mundane, childish, and titillating deta...

We're Fighting Back
1981
as Chris Capoletti
Inspired by the exploits of New York's Guardian Angels, which began as a band of streetwise young people who formed an anti-crime subway patrol and we...

Kent State
1981
as Student (uncredited)
Dramatization of the four days of events leading up to the historic tragedy at Kent State University in May 1970, during the confrontation between Nat...

Up in Smoke
1978
as Woman Playing Guitar (uncredited)
An unemployed pot-smoking slacker and amateur drummer, Anthony Stoner ditches his strict parents and hits the road, eventually meeting kindred spirit ...

Michael Caton-Jones: This Broxburn Boy's Life
N/A
as Self (archive footage)
Explores Caton-Jones' rise from his humble roots in the working class mining village of Broxburn, West Lothian to the dizzy heights of Hollywood, wher...