Aunjanue EllisFilmography

Occupation:: Actor
Biography:: San Francisco-born actress Aunjanue Ellis graduated with a B.A. in African-American studies from Brown University before studying acting at NYU. She began her career in the mid-'90s, appearing in films like Girls Town and A Map of the World. In 2002, she gave a memorable performance as secret...Read More

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Motherhood

Actors: Uma Thurman, Anthony Edwards, Minnie Driver, Matthew Shallipp, David Shallipp, Daisy Tahan, Alice Drummond

Synopsis: Uma Thurman, Minnie Driver, and Anthony Edwards star in writer/director Katherine Dieckmann's slice of life indie Motherhood, which follows a hapless mother of two as she attempts to prepare for her daughter's rapidly approaching sixth birthday party. Along the way, the harried mother is forced to Read More

10/23/09
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Actors: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli

Synopsis: A New York City subway dispatcher draws on his extensive knowledge of the subway system in order to outsmart a dangerous criminal mastermind who's hijacked a subway train in this remake of the 1974 thriller inspired by John Godey's best-selling book. Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is drifting Read More

6/12/09
Notorious

Actors: Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie, Antonique Smith

Synopsis: Fox Searchlight presents the tragic life story of rap star Notorious B.I.G. from director George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food) and executive producer Sean "Diddy" Combs. The script is provided by Cheo Hodari Coker and Biker Boyz writer/director Reggie Rock Blythewood. Jamal Woolard portrays the slain Read More

1/16/09
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

Actors: Cuba Gooding, Jr., Kimberly Elise, Aunjanue Ellis

Synopsis: Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as real-life neurosurgeon Ben Carson in this made-for-TV biographical drama from TNT. Directed by Thomas Carter (Coach Carter), the film reveals Carson's inspiring life story as a poor, inner-city youth who overcame great odds to become one of the world's best surgeons Read More

2009
Cover

Actors: Louis Gossett, Jr., Vivica A. Fox, Aunjanue Ellis, Razaaq Adoti

Synopsis: A woman accused could be either a killer or a victim in this psychological drama from director Bill Duke. Valerie Maas (Aunjanue Ellis) is a God-fearing housewife and artist who one day finds herself in a situation she never imaged possible -- being questioned on murder charges by no-nonsense Read More

2/22/08
Freedomland

Actors: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, Edie Falco, Ron Eldard, William Forsythe

Synopsis: Joe Roth directs his adaptation of Richard Price's novel Freedomland from a script by the author. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a police detective who must investigate a distraught woman (Julianne Moore) who claims that her child was kidnapped by a black man. The accusation stirs up much racial Read More

2/17/06
Perception

Actors: Piper Perabo, Seth Meyers, Mary Beth Hurt, Heather Burns, David Rasche, Kate Mulgrew, Aunjanue Ellis

Synopsis: Piper Perabo (Cheaper by the Dozen) plays Jen Marshall, a young girl in her mid-twenties who has more than a few skeletons in her closet, in Irving Schwartz's bittersweet drama release from Empire Pictures. Though she initially appears to be nothing short of a saint - leaving L.A. for Brooklyn to Read More

1/20/06
E-Ring [TV Series]

Actors: Benjamin Bratt, Dennis Hopper, Aunjanue Ellis

Synopsis: The titular "E-Ring" in this weekly, hour-long NBC drama series was the nickname for the outer offices of the Pentagon, where all major decisions pertaining to national security were made. Benjamin Bratt and Dennis Hopper respectively starred as Major Jim Tisnewski (aka JT) and Colonel McNulty, a Read More

2005
Brother to Brother

Actors: Earle Hyman, Anthony Mackie, Roger Robinson, Lawrence Gilliard, Jr., Aunjanue Ellis, Duane Boutté, Daniel Sunjata

Synopsis: The feature-film debut of filmmaker Rodney Evans, who wrote and produced in addition to taking on directing duties, Brother to Brother explores the life and struggles of black, gay artists in the present and past. Anthony Mackie stars as Perry Williams, a young man dealing with the strife involved Read More

11/5/04
Ray

Actors: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Aunjanue Ellis, Curtis Armstrong

Synopsis: Directed by Taylor Hackford, this biopic profiles the life of legendary musician Ray Charles. Despite humble beginnings and the loss of his eyesight due to glaucoma at the age of six, Charles, depicted by Jamie Foxx, would nonetheless become an icon in both the music industry and the civil rights Read More

10/29/04
Garden State

Actors: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm, Jean Smart

Synopsis: In the wake of his success on the hit NBC sitcom Scrubs, actor Zach Braff made his debut behind the camera writing, directing, and starring in this bittersweet romantic comedy. Braff plays Andrew Largeman, a young man who has just received word of his mother's passing. With this news, Andrew Read More

7/30/04
Lovely & Amazing

Actors: Catherine Keener, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Mortimer, Raven Goodwin, Jake Gyllenhaal

Synopsis: Nicole Holofcener, writer/director of the critically acclaimed Walking and Talking, shifts her focus from New York to Los Angeles for her second feature, Lovely & Amazing. Jane Marks (Brenda Blethyn of Secrets and Lies) is a middle-aged woman who's about to undergo liposuction. She has three Read More

6/28/02
Undercover Brother

Actors: Eddie Griffin, Chris Kattan, Aunjanue Ellis, Dave Chappelle

Synopsis: Undercover Brother began life as an animated series on the Internet. The satirical cartoon was created by novelist and screenwriter John Ridley (Three Kings) for the website urbanentertainment.com. Ridley wrote the screenplay with Michael McCullers, co-writer of the Austin Powers sequels, and it Read More

5/31/02
MDs [TV Series]

Actors: William Fichtner, John Hannah, Leslie Stefanson, Jacqueline McKenzie, Aunjanue Ellis, Jane Lynch

Synopsis: The ad copy for the ABC medical drama MDs promised "doctors who'll bend any rule and take on the system." The series looked and sounded a lot like M*A*S*H, the difference being that it took place in peacetime, and in contemporary San Francisco. William Fichter and John Hannah essayed the Hawkeye Read More

2002
The Caveman's Valentine

Actors: Samuel L. Jackson, Colm Feore, Ann Magnuson, Aunjanue Ellis, Rodney Eastman

Synopsis: A man struggles back from madness to avenge the death of someone he knew in an intelligent thriller based on the acclaimed novel by George Dawes Green. Romulus Ledbetter (Samuel L. Jackson) once had a career as an acclaimed concert pianist, a position at the Juilliard School of Music, and a loving Read More

3/2/01
John John in the Sky

Actors: Matt Letscher, Rusty Schwimmer, Randy Travis, Romy Rosemont

Synopsis: Christian Craft stars in this 2001 coming-of-age drama from writer/director Jefferson Davis. The son of an abusive father played by country crooner Randy Travis, young John John devises a plan to escape along with his battered mother. Along with his mentally challenged pal Zeola (Rusty Schwimmer) Read More

2001
Men of Honor

Actors: Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Charlize Theron, Aunjanue Ellis, Hal Holbrook

Synopsis: This military drama is based on the true story of Carl Brashear, who was the first African-American to serve as a diver in the United States Navy. Brashear (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) was born to a poor farming family in the deep South, and joined the Navy in hopes of bettering himself. When Read More

11/10/00
Disappearing Acts

Actors: Wesley Snipes, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Lisa Anderson

Synopsis: In this drama based on the novel by Terry McMillan, Zora (Sanaa Lathan) is a woman who dreams of becoming a singing star, meanwhile supporting herself as a schoolteacher. Franklin (Wesley Snipes), a father of two whose divorce is about to become final, has lost his job as a construction worker and Read More

2000
The Opponent

Actors: Erika Eleniak, James Colby, Aunjanue Ellis, John Doman, Harry O'Reilly

Synopsis: A woman finds a whole new world opens up to her when she learns to stand up to the man who beats her in this independent drama. Patty (Erika Eleniak) is a woman involved in an abusive relationship who decides to take boxing lessons to better protect herself when her boyfriend becomes violent. Read More

2000
Desert Blue

Actors: Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, John Heard, Lucinda Jenney, Casey Affleck

Synopsis: Morgan J. Freeman directed this comedy-drama that takes place in the desert town of Baxter Beach, California, where the locals, lookers, visitors and slackers include dreamer Blue (Brendan Sexton III), pipe-bomb babe Ely (Christina Ricci), all-terrain-vehicle champ Pete (Casey Affleck), nerdy Read More

6/4/99
Side Streets

Actors: Valeria Golino, Shashi Kapoor, Leon, Art Malik, Shabana Azmi

Synopsis: Tony Gerber made his directorial debut with this anthology film, a comedy-drama that opens with a 1950s black-and-white newsreel focusing on the ethnic diversity of New York City. This multicultural mix is dramatized in five interlinked tales set in each of NYC's five boroughs on a hot summer day Read More

1998
Girls Town

Actors: Lili Taylor, Anna Grace, Bruklin Harris, Aunjanue Ellis, Ramya Pratt

Synopsis: When one of their friends commits suicide, three young women learn to stand up for themselves and strike back against male-dominated society in this drama. Patti (Lili Taylor), Emma (Anna Grace), Angela (Bruklin Harris), and Nikki (Aunjanue Ellis) are four teenage girls who attend the same high Read More

1996