Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly | |
|---|---|
| File:Adrienneshelly.jpg | |
| Born | Adrienne Levine June 24, 1966 |
| Died | November 1, 2006 (aged 40) |
| Years active | 1989-2006 |
| Spouse | Andrew Ostroy |
Adrienne Shelly (June 24, 1966 – November 1, 2006), sometimes credited as Adrienne Shelley, was an American actress, director and screenwriter. Making her name in independent films such as 1989's The Unbelievable Truth and 1990's Trust, Shelly transitioned to a writing and directing career in subsequent years. She wrote, co-starred in, and directed the 2007 film Waitress, which won five awards, including the Jury Prize at the Sarasota Film Festival for narrative feature, and the Audience and Feature Film awards at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
Early life
Of Russian Jewish descent,[1] Shelly was born Adrienne Levine in Queens, New York, to Sheldon M. Levine and Elaine Langbaum. She had two brothers, Jeff and Mark, and was raised on Long Island. She began performing when she was about 10[2] at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center. She made her professional debut in a summer stock production of the musical Annie[1] while a student at Jericho High School[3] in Jericho, New York. She went on to Boston University, majoring in film production, but dropped out after her junior year and moved to Manhattan.[4]
Career
Shelly's career breakthrough came when she was cast by independent filmmaker Hal Hartley as the lead in his films The Unbelievable Truth (1989) and Trust (1990).[5][6] Trust was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, where Hartley's script tied for the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.[7]
She appeared in a number of films during the 1990s, and as she segued toward a behind-the-camera career she wrote and directed others, including 1999's I'll Take You There, in which she appeared along with Ally Sheedy. She won a U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Film Discovery Jury Award in 2000 for direction of the film, and Prize of the City of Setúbal: Special Mention, at the Festróia (Tróia International Film Festival) held in Setúbal, Portugal for best director.[6][8]
She also guest-starred in a number of television series including Law & Order, Oz, and Homicide: Life on the Street. She played major roles in over two dozen off-Broadway plays, often at Manhattan's Workhouse Theater.[4] In 2005 she appeared in the film Factotum starring Matt Dillon. Her last known work was writing, directing and playing a supporting role in the film Waitress, starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion,[9] which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.[10]
Personal life
Shelly, who took her professional surname after her late father's given name,[1] was married to Andrew Ostroy, the chairman and CEO of the marketing firm Belardi/Ostroy.[11] They had a daughter, Sophie (born 2003), who was two years old at the time of her mother's death.[12]
Murder
The 40-year old Shelly was found dead at approximately 5:45 p.m on November 1, 2006. Her husband, Andrew Ostroy, found her hanging by a bed sheet[13] from a shower rod in the bathtub[11] of the Abingdon Square apartment in Manhattan's West Village that Shelly used as an office.[11] It initially appeared to be a suicide.[13] Ostroy had dropped her off at 9:30 a.m. that day, and as the building's doorman told journalists that he had accompanied Ostroy at his behest after Ostroy had not heard from Shelley that day. Upon reaching the apartment, they found that the front door had been left unlocked.[11]
An autopsy was performed the following day. The New York City Police Department was suspicious of sneaker prints in the bathtub that did not match Shelly's shoes (she was found wearing only socks). Shelly's husband also indicated that there was money missing from Shelly's wallet. He denied allegations that she would have committed suicide.[14]
Press reports on November 6, 2006 stated that police had arrested construction worker Diego Pillco, a 19-year-old Ecuadorian illegal immigrant[15] who confessed to killing Shelly after she complained about the noise he was making in the apartment below hers. Pillco said that he "was having a bad day".[15] Police said Pillco had made a taped confession implicating himself in the murder.[16][17]
Diego Pillco entered his guilty plea on February 14, 2008. He said that, contrary to his original story, Shelly had not complained about noise, but had in fact caught him stealing money from her purse after he slipped unnoticed into the apartment. When she tried to call the police, he grabbed the phone and covered her mouth as she began to scream. After Shelly fell, Pillco tied a bed sheet around her neck and decided to strangle her. Originally, Pillco claimed he didn't know Shelly was still alive when he hanged her, but in court he admitted to choking her with a sheet, tying it around her neck, and stringing her up to make it look like she committed suicide.[18] The medical examiner determined that Shelly was still alive when hanged.[19] Pillco was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole on March 6, 2008.[20]
At Pillco's sentencing on March 13, 2008, Shelly's husband, along with family members said that they would never forgive him.[21] Andy Ostroy had said of Pillco "...you are nothing more than a coldblooded killer" and that he hoped he would "rot in jail".[21]
In remembering Shelly, Ostroy said that "Adrienne was the kindest, warmest, most loving, generous person I knew. She was incredibly smart, funny and talented, a bright light with an infectious laugh and huge smile that radiated inner and outer beauty... she was my best friend, and the person with whom I was supposed to grow old".[21]
Suing construction company
Shelly's husband is now suing the contractor, Bradford General Contractors, who had hired Pillco.[22] He argued that Shelly would still be alive if the contracting firm had not hired Pillco.[22] He also seeks to hold the owners and management of the building liable for her murder.[22] The suit reads: "Pillco was an undocumented immigrant..." [22] The newspaper article further added: "as were his co-workers".[22] The story then went on to relate that "it was in Bradford General Contractors' interest not to have "police and immigration officials [called] to the job site" because that would have ground their work to a halt".[22]
Legacy
Following his wife's death, Ostroy established the Adrienne Shelly Foundation,[23] a non-profit organization that awards scholarships, production grants, finishing funds and living stipends through its partnerships with academic and filmmaking institutions NYU, Columbia University, Women in Film, IFP, AFI, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute and the Nantucket Film Festival. One of its grant recipients, Cynthia Wade, won an Academy Award in 2008 for Freeheld, a short subject documentary which the Foundation helped fund. As part of its annual awards, the Women Film Critics' Circle gives the Adrienne Shelly Award to the film that "most passionately opposes violence against women".[24]
On February 16, 2007, the NBC crime drama series Law & Order broadcast an episode, "Melting Pot", that was a thinly-veiled dramatization of Shelly's murder.[25][26] Shelly herself had guest-starred on the show in the 2000 episode "High & Low."[27]
Shelly's film, Waitress, had been accepted into the 2007 Sundance Film Festival[28] before her murder. The film, starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith and Shelly herself, was bought during the festival by Fox Searchlight Pictures for an amount between $4 million and $5 million (news accounts on the actual amount vary), and the film realized a final box-office draw of over $19 million.[29] Waitress maintains an 89% "fresh" rating and a 97% "Top Critics" rating on Rotten Tomatoes[30]
Waitress and its cast have together won five film awards and received other nominations in various categories, including a Chlotrudis Award for best performance by an ensemble cast; Audience award for a feature film at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where cast member Nathan Fillion also received a Feature Film award for his role in the film; the Jury Prize at the Sarasota Film Festival for narrative feature; the Wyatt Award by the Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards; and nominations for a Humanitas Prize and an Independent Spirit Award for best screenplay.[31]
Ostroy produced Serious Moonlight, a film written by Shelly and directed by Hines. The film stars Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell and Justin Long. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2009 and was released later that year in December. In one scene of the film, a married couple are robbed and tied up with duct tape by a gardener.
Also, Ostroy spearheaded a move to establish a memorial to his wife. On August 3, 2009, the Adrienne Shelly Garden was dedicated on the Southeast side of Abingdon Square Park in NYC at 8th and 12th. It faces 15 Abingdon Square, the building where Shelly died.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Unbelievable Truth | Audry | |
| 1990 | Trust | Maria Coughlin | |
| 1990 | Lonely in America | Woman in Laundromat | |
| 1992 | Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even | Stephanie | |
| 1992 | Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me | Dannie | |
| 1993 | Hexed | Gloria O'Connor | |
| 1994 | Opera No. 1 | Fairy #2 | |
| 1994 | Sleeping with Strangers | Jenny | |
| 1994 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Tanya Quinn | Episode: "A Many Splendored Thing" |
| 1994 | Teresa's Tattoo | Teresa / Gloria | |
| 1994 | The Road Killers | Red | |
| 1994 | Sleep with Me | Pamela | |
| 1995 | Kalamazoo | ||
| 1997 | The Regulars | ||
| 1997 | Sudden Manhattan | Donna | |
| 1997 | Grind | Janey | |
| 1997 | Early Edition | Emma Shaw | Episode: "Phantom at the Opera" |
| 1998 | Oz | Sarah | Episode: "Ancient Tribes" |
| 1998 | Wrestling with Alligators | Mary | |
| 1999 | I'll Take You There | Lucy | |
| 2000 | Dead Dog | Mrs. Marquet | |
| 2000 | Law & Order | Wendy Alston | Episode: "High & Low" |
| 2000 | The Shadows of Bob and Zelda | Zelda | |
| 2001 | The Atlantis Conspiracy | Samantha | TV movie |
| 2001 | Revolution #9 | Kim Kelly | |
| 2004 | Tiger: His Fall & Rise | Terry | |
| 2005 | Factotum | Jerry | |
| 2007 | Waitress | Dawn |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Urban Legend | Writer & Director | 26-minute short film[32] |
| 1997 | Lois Lives a Little | Writer & Director | |
| 1997 | Sudden Manhattan | Writer & Director | |
| 1999 | I'll Take You There | Writer & Director | |
| 2000 | The Shadows of Bob and Zelda | Writer & Director | |
| 2007 | Waitress | Writer & Director | |
| 2009 | Serious Moonlight | Writer |
References
- ^ a b c AOL LLC (2006). AOL Moviefone biography. Retrieved November 6, 2006.
- ^ MovieMaker Magazine (2006). Moviemaker interview with Shelly: "Suddenly Adrienne Shelly" by Tim Rhys, August 1996. Retrieved November 6, 2006.
- ^ Newsday Inc. (2006)."Remembering Talents of a Local Star". By Steven Snyder, with contribution from Rocco Parascandol. Retrieved November 5, 2006.
- ^ a b Hevesi, Dennis (November 4, 2006). "Adrienne Shelly, 40, an Actress, Film Director and Screenwriter, is Dead". NYTimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ^ Baker, Al (November 3, 2006). "Manhattan: Actress Found Dead in Her Office". NYTimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ^ a b Internet Movie Database (1990–2006). Adrienne Shelly. Retrieved November 3, 2006.
- ^ Internet Movie Database (1990–2006). Awards for Trust. Retrieved November 5, 2006.
- ^ Awards for I'll Take You There at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 3, 2006.
- ^ "Actress Adrienne Shelly found dead". CBC. 2006-11-03. Retrieved November 3, 2006.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|locatio=ignored (help) - ^ Sundance Film Festival 07 (2006). Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in the Premiers, Spectrum, New Frontier, Park City at Midnight and From the Sundance Collection Series (pdf). Retrieved December 18, 2006.
- ^ a b c d Philip Messing (November 3, 2006). "Indie-Film Star 'Suicide' Stunner". New York Post.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Alison Gendar (November 7, 2006). "Killer Staged Her 'Suicide'". New York: Daily News.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Alison Gendar (November 3, 2006). "Actress Found Hanged in Village Apartment". New York Daily News.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ ABC Inc., WABC-TV New York (2006). "Husband: Actress-wife's death suspicious". Retrieved November 5, 2006.
- ^ a b Larry Celona (November 7, 2006). "Star's Suicide was Killer Cover-up". New York Post. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Newsday (date n.a.): "NYPD questions a person in death of actress Adrienne Shelly"
- ^ CBS Broadcasting Inc. (2006). WCBS-TV/Associated Press. "Brooklyn Man Charged With Murder Of Actress". Retrieved November 7, 2006.
- ^ Anemona Hartocollis (February 15 2008). "In Guilty Plea, Actress's Killer Changes Story to Robbery". The New York Times.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS (December 14, 2006). "Murder Suspect Admitted Hanging Actress, Police Say". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ Entertainment Weekly; February 29, 2008; Page 18.
- ^ a b c Italiano, Laura (March 14, 2008). "'ROT,' BASTARD! Hubby damns Shelly Slayer in court". New York Post. p. Page 19. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Gregorian, Dareh (November 4, 2008). "KIN SUES FIRM IN ACTRESS MURDER". New York Post. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
- ^ "Adrienne Shelly Foundation". Retrieved March 14, 2008.
- ^ "WFCC: 'Changeling' best movie about women". upi.com. United Press International. December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
- ^ Gill, John Freeman (February 11, 2007). "Murder, They Wrote". NYTimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2007.
- ^ TV Guide Online, Inc. (2007). Episode Detail: Melting Pot. Retrieved February 17, 2007.
- ^ CNET Networks, Inc. (2007). tv.com summary for Adrienne Shelly. Retrieved February 17, 2007.
- ^ David Carr (January 19, 2007). "Sundance Dream Most Notable for an Absence". The New York Times.
- ^ "Waitress (2007)". IMDB. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Waitress (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
- ^ "Awards for Waitress". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- ^ "Adrienne Shelly biography". movies.Yahoo.com. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2010-07-29.