Ellen Sandweiss is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cheryl Williams in The Evil Dead.

Ellen Sandweiss
Sandweiss in 2009
Born
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (BFA, MA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
  • singer
Years active1976–present
ChildrenJessy Hodges[1]
RelativesBeck Bennett (son-in-law)

Early life

edit

Sandweiss was born in Detroit, Michigan to a Jewish family.[2] She graduated from Groves High School in 1977,[2] where she participated in plays and later Super 8 movies with classmates Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell.[3] Sandweiss later earned a degree from the University of Michigan.

Career

edit

She gained notoriety in the 1981 horror cult-classic The Evil Dead, playing Ash Williams' sister Cheryl. Afterwards, she went on a hiatus from acting for over 20 years. In 2006, Sandweiss starred in Satan's Playground. The following year, she appeared in My Name Is Bruce. In 2013, Sandweiss had a cameo role in Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful. In 2016, Sandweiss reprised her role as Cheryl Williams in Ash vs. Evil Dead, the character being reborn as a Deadite after a Kandarian demon possesses a photo of her.

Personal life

edit

Sandweiss has performed in musical theatre as a dancer and pop singer, and in a one-woman show of Jewish music.[4]

Filmography

edit
YearFilmRoleNotes
1976The Case of the Topanga PearlSophisticated crime boss/TemptressShort film
1978Shemp Eats the MoonThe Snake
1979Within the WoodsEllen
1981The Evil DeadCheryl WilliamsMain role
2006Satan's PlaygroundPaula
2007My Name is BruceCheryl
2007Brutal Massacre: A ComedyNatalie Vasquez
2007The DreadDiane
2009Dangerous WomenCheryl6 episodes
2009Dark FieldsMandy
2010The Other WayGuest #1Short
2013Oz the Great and PowerfulQuadling WomanCameo
2013Evil DeadCheryl WilliamsVoice cameo
2016Ash vs Evil DeadCheryl Williams2 episodes
2019SundownersDanaShort

Video games

edit
YearTitleRole
2022Evil Dead: The GameCheryl Williams

References

edit
  1. Blake, Sam (2020-03-13). "From Huntington Woods to L.A — Catching up with Actress Jessy Hodges". thejewishnews.com. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  2. 1 2 Blake, Sam (March 13, 2020). "From Huntington Woods to L.A — Catching up with Actress Jessy Hodges". The Detroit Jewish News. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024.
  3. Graham, Adam (2021-10-05). "Life after Dead: Rooted in Michigan, cult hit 'The Evil Dead' turns 40". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  4. "Ladies of The Evil Dead - Ellen". Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
edit