Ellen Adair
Ellen Adair is an American actor and writer, best known for playing Bess McTeer on season 2 of the USA anthology series The Sinner, and Janet Bayne on season 7 of the Showtime series Homeland. They have starred in multiple horror films, including Trick, Cryptid, and Herd. For the later film, Awards Radar included Adair's portrayal of Jamie Miler among their "Best Horror Performances of 2023."
A veteran stage performer, Adair has appeared in the cult hit Sleep No More at The McKittrick Hotel, as well as numerous productions with Shakespeare Theatre Company, American Shakespeare Center, and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.
Early life and education
Ellen Adair was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Kathleen A. Foster, an Art Historian, and Henry Glassie, a Folklorist and Ethnomusicologist. Growing up, their parents' fieldwork resulted in the family living many different places.Adair earned a BA in English from Boston University, and spent an erasmus year at the University of Oxford. During their time in Boston they began to work professionally as an actor.
Career
Adair made their professional stage debut in 2005 as Thomasina in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia at The Publick Theatre in Boston, earning an IRNE Award nomination for Best Actress. Over the next four years, they would prove a fixture in Boston theatre, appearing in numerous productions with Huntington Theatre Company, Lyric Stage Boston, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Actors' Shakespeare Project, SpeakEasy Stage Company, and New Repertory Theatre.In 2006 Adair made their television debut as a guest star on the Showtime crime series Brotherhood. From 2009-2010 they appeared as Nurse Gretchen Taylor on the long-running CBS soap opera As the World Turns. Adair's breakthrough role came in 2015, when they were cast as ADA Bridget Saltire in the NBC miniseries The Slap. In 2017 Adair appeared in season 2 of the Showtime series Billions. Their character Graff was a portfolio manager at Axe Capital, and an employee of Damien Lewis's character Bobby Axelrod. The following year, Adair had a recurring arc as antagonist Janet Bayne on season 7 of the Showtime series Homeland. Later that same year Adair appeared as Bess McTeer on season 2 of the USA anthology series The Sinner.
Adair made their film debut as Jen in the 2013 horror film The Unwanted. In 2019 they starred opposite Omar Epps in the slasher film Trick. In 2022 Adair appeared the independent drama film Love and Communication, which explores parenting a young child on the autism spectrum. In 2023 they starred in the horror films Cryptid and Herd. For the later film, Awards Daily included Adair among their "Best Horror Performances of 2023."
In addition to acting, Adair is also a published poet and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Their debut poetry collection Curtain Speech was published by Pen & Anvil Press in 2015.
Personal life
In 2013 Adair married fellow actor Eric Gilde, with whom they co-founded Happy Few Theatre Company. They live together in Jackson Heights, Queens.Adair is vocal fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, and regularly appears as a sports analyst on the MLB Network’s Off Base. They've also appeared on Hot Stove, MLB Now, and MLB Central.
Adair is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.