Ellen Greene
Her uniquely fragile, breathy voice brought the doomed Audrey to life, creating one of musical theater's most heartbreakingly hopeful characters.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American actress and singer·Birthday: February 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ellen Greene originated the role of Audrey, the skid-row florist's assistant with dreams of a tract home, in the Off-Broadway production of 'Little Shop of Horrors.' She emerged from the New York cabaret scene, where intimate stages and smoky rooms suited her waifish presence and startlingly vulnerable vocal style. Her rendition of 'Somewhere That's Green' found profound pathos within parody. The film adaptation brought her to a wider audience. She moved between stage musicals, dramatic television roles such as the sharp-tongued Vivian Charles on 'Pushing Daisies,' and constant returns to cabaret, where her connection with an audience feels like a whispered secret.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ellen was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ellen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Ellen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Originated the role of Audrey in the 1982 Off-Broadway production of 'Little Shop of Horrors,' defining the character for generations.
- Reprised her stage role in the 1986 film adaptation of 'Little Shop of Horrors,' delivering a performance praised for its unique vulnerability.
- Received critical acclaim for her role as Vivian Charles on the television series 'Pushing Daisies,' earning a Saturn Award nomination.
- Maintained a parallel career as a celebrated cabaret performer in New York City venues like the Carlyle Hotel.
Did You Know?
She was considered for the role of Lina Lamont in the film adaptation of 'Singin' in the Rain,' but the project was never made.
She performed a one-woman show titled 'The Last of the Manhattan Cafe Singers.'
Her distinctive speaking and singing voice is naturally high and breathy, not an affected character choice.
She is a trained pianist and often accompanies herself during her cabaret acts.
“I'm not a belter. I'm a whisperer.”
