Offbeat, unconventionally pretty, and utterly mesmerizing, Ellen Barkin was born in 1954 of Jewish parentage, the daughter of a chemical salesman and hospital administrator. Raised in the South Bronx and Queens, New York area, she wanted to be an actress as early as her teens and was eventually accepted into Manhattan's High School of the Performing Arts.Barkin then attended Hunter College and received her degree after double majoring in history and drama. At one point she wanted to teach ancient history, b - www.imdb.com

Ellen Barkin was the delicious femme fatale figure in the '80s that we loved to watch. From there, her breakout roles in The Big Easy (1987) and Sea of Love (1989) vaulted her into the spotlight. Following her lauded performance in 2004's Palindromes, Barkin was cast in 2005's Trust the Man. Today, the attention that her name arouses is a testament to the acclaim and respect she has earned over time. - www.askmen.com

Ellen Barkin's days as a sultry leading lady of the silver screen peaked in the late 1980s, with features such as The Big Easy (1987, opposite Randy Quaid) and Sea of Love (1989, opposite Al Pacino). A native New Yorker, she broke through in movies as the lonely wife in the guy-oriented drama Diner (1982, with Kevin Bacon), then went on to become the 1980s version of Angie Dickinson -- a sexpot with a snarl. She proved herself a versatile actress in the 1990s, playing in the comedies Switch (1991) and Man T - www.answers.com