Ellen Gerstein Actress/Writer/Producer/DirectorEllen has been an actress for many years presently she is recurring on Shameless as Aunt Rande and was Crazy Carol on Southland. She is Mrs. Shaneberg in Treasure of The Black Jaguar, the indie film that just premiered. A lead part in the feature film The Golden Age. . Ellen just completed a feature film, Swelter with Alfred Molina and Jean Claude Van Damme. The last film she completed was an indie film America is still the place. Her acting work ranges from the part of Jane Deacy, James Dean's agent in the TNT movie, James Dean. Cuba Gooding's landlord in the film Murder of Crows, as well as Sofie, the homeless woman in Annie (the Mow, with Kathy Bates). She has played Aunt Lisa in Friends.Ellen has acted in, as well as produced and directed theater in LA. She co-wrote and co-produced Club Disco and created the character, Angie, an interactive play at the Llillian theater. Ellen has worked with incredible people like Danny Divito, Lainie Kazan, Robert DeNiro , Kathy Bates, Jason Bateman,Ted Danson, Martin Scorcese, Paul Schraeder, Rob Marshall, and Mimi Leder to name a few.Ellen co-wrote and co-produced and starred in a short film, Silent Laughter, out of the AFI Women's Directing Workshop. The award winning one-woman show, My Psychotherapy Comeback Tour, was written, produced, directed and performed by Ellen. The show won semi-finalist in the Samuel French short play festival. She performed the show in LA as well as at the Harold Clurman Theater in New York. The award wining interactive play Club Disco was co-written, co-produced, co-directed and acted in by Ellen. This stage play ran eight months at the Lillian Theater to rave reviews.Ellen recently finished directing and acting in the short film, Come Away with Me. She also wrote an original song for the film.Ellen wrote, produced and directed an international award winning short film 35 mm, titled Waiting for Ronald. A 34 year old mentally challenged man leaves the institution where he has spent most of his years, and becomes an every day hero, as he takes his suitcase, fears, anxiety and humor to meet the new life that awaits him. She cast mentally challenged actors along with non-challenged and had incredible success. The very talented Bruno Kirby plays their counselor. She created and stars in the popular and hysterical web series Sylvia's Just Sayin'. Ellen studied acting with Lee Strasberg, and script analysis with Stella Adler. She is a life member and on the audition committee of the Actors Studio. Somewhere along the line Ellen received a Graduate Degree in Psychology, so she does not have to pay for therapy, she can just talk to herself.