Personal details
- Birth Date: 1966-06-24
- Height: 5′ 2″ (1.57 m)
- Birth Location: Queens, New York City, New York, USA
- Children: (her death, 1 child) Sophie Ostroy
- Professions: Actress, Writer, Director
Adrienne Shelly grew up in Queens, New York—her real last name was Levine, actually. She went to Jericho High out on Long Island, then headed up to Boston University, supposedly to study film production. Didn’t stick around to finish, though. Instead, after her junior year, she just bailed and moved to Manhattan. That’s where things really started rolling for her. She snagged roles in indie flicks like The Unbelievable Truth back in ’89, and then Trust in ’90. Both of those movies are kind of cult favorites now, you know? Her vibe was really different—quirky, a little offbeat, but totally magnetic. At some point, she decided she wasn’t just gonna act in these indie films; she wanted to make them too. So she wrote and directed I’ll Take You There in ’99, which is pretty wild when you remember how male-dominated the indie scene was at the time. Her big, lasting mark though? Waitress. She directed and wrote it—that movie came out in 2007, but, heartbreakingly, it was her last. She never got to see the impact it had, or how it blew up later on. Adrienne’s life took a really dark turn in 2006. She was killed—straight up murdered. It sent shockwaves through the indie film world and beyond. She left behind her husband, Andy Ostroy, and their daughter, Sophie. Honestly, her story’s got this bittersweet, almost tragic feel to it. She was just getting started as a filmmaker, and then—gone. Such a loss.
Waitress (2007) is this quirky, bittersweet indie film that sort of sneaks up on you. It stars Keri Russell as Jenna, a small-town waitress with a knack for baking mouthwatering pies and, unfortunately, a pretty horrible marriage. She’s stuck with her controlling husband, just trying to scrape together some hope for a better life. Then, bam, she finds out she’s pregnant, which isn’t exactly the news she was hoping for. Instead of feeling all glowy, she’s panicked, trapped, and dreaming of getting the heck out. So, what does she do? She starts an affair with her doctor, played by Nathan Fillion, and pours her heart out into her pies—like, literally, she names them after her feelings. Kind of hilarious and tragic all at once. The film’s got this sweet, oddball humor, but there’s a real ache underneath, too. Adrienne Shelly, who wrote and directed the film, was sadly murdered before she could see its cult following.
June 24, 1966
5′ 2″ (1.57 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Yes, Sophie Ostroy
59 years old