Elley-Ray Hennessy Explained

Elley-Ray Hennessy, also formerly known as Ellen-Ray Hennessy, is a Canadian actress,[1] best known for her starring role as prison warden Morgan Dungworth in the web series Pink Is In.[2]

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, she studied theatre at the University of Windsor.[3] She first became known as a stage actress in experimental and avant-garde theatre productions in the 1980s, including the role of Casca in an all-female production of Julius Caesar for Toronto Workshop Productions.[4]

Throughout her career, she has also had regular voice roles in animated films and television series, which she has credited with keeping her bills paid so that she can pursue more offbeat theatrical roles.[5]

Awards

She has been a four-time Dora Mavor Moore Award nominee for her stage work, receiving nods in 1995 for Strange Little Monsters,[6] in 1998 for The Destruction of Eve,[7] in 2000 for The Emotionalists,[8] and in 2008 for Age of Arousal.[9]

She received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program at the 11th Gemini Awards in 1997, for her performance of Glen Sorestad's theatrical monologue "One Last Look in the Mirror" for the anthology series Spoken Art.[10]

At the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, she was nominated for Best Lead Performance in a Web Program or Series for Pink Is In.

Notes and References

  1. David Roche, "An outrageous original". Xtra!, September 17, 2003.
  2. Victoria Ahearn, "Pink Is In! gets season three greenlight from Bell Fibe TV1". Playback, April 6, 2022.
  3. Henry Mietkiewicz, "Ellen-Ray is closing in on success . . . one off-beat step after another". Toronto Star, January 24, 1986.
  4. Ray Conlogue, "Caesar's director expects 'a lot of flak'". The Globe and Mail, January 24, 1986.
  5. Mira Friedlander, "Rebel Ellen-Ray unleashes her 'male energy'". Toronto Star, September 13, 1991.
  6. "And the Dora nominees are ...". The Globe and Mail, May 13, 1995.
  7. "Dora Award nominees". Toronto Star, May 27, 1998.
  8. Greg Quill, "Mirvish leads awards race ; 25 nominations most ever by single producer". Toronto Star, May 19, 2000.
  9. "Complete list of nominees for the 2008 Dora Mavor Moore Awards". Canadian Press, June 5, 2008.
  10. "CBC dominates Gemini nominations". Canadian Press, January 14, 1997.