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Ellen Foley (born June 5, 1951) is an American singer and actress who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the hit NBC sitcom '' Night Court'' during its second season. In music, she has released five solo albums, but she is best known for her collaborations with rock singer
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
, particularly the 14× Platinum selling 1977 album '' Bat Out of Hell''.


Early life and education

Foley was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of John and Virginia B. Foley. She attended Webster University.


Career


Vocalist

Foley gained public recognition through singing a duet with
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
on the hit single " Paradise by the Dashboard Light" from the 1977 album '' Bat Out of Hell''. Foley's part was recorded individually and in one take with Meat Loaf present in the room so she could sing in character. Although Karla DeVito (who toured with Meat Loaf in support of the album) is featured in the music video, DeVito is lip synching to Foley's vocals. Her debut album '' Night Out'' was released in 1979; the album's single "What's a Matter Baby" reached No. 7 in the Dutch charts and No. 92 on the US charts. The single "We Belong to the Night" reached No.1 in the Netherlands. The album, which peaked at No. 152, was produced by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. Foley recorded a duet with Ian Hunter in 1980, "We Gotta Get Outta Here". Her creative relationship with Hunter led her to singing backing vocals on the Iron City Houserockers' 1980 album '' Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive!'', produced by Hunter, Ronson, and The E Street Band's
Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...
. She also sings in the title cut of the 1979 Blue Öyster Cult album ''
Mirrors A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...
'' and on
The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
album '' Sandinista!'' (released in 1980) in the songs " Hitsville UK" and "Corner Soul", and on the unreleased track "Blonde Rock 'n' Roll". In 1981, all four members of The Clash appeared on her album ''The Spirit of St. Louis'', and Mick Jones and
Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...
co-wrote a number of songs for the album. Jones produced the album, which featured members of The Blockheads and peaked at No. 137 on the US charts. In 1982, she provided backing vocals on The Clash's song "Car Jamming" from the album '' Combat Rock''. The Clash's hit song " Should I Stay or Should I Go", written and sung by Jones, was about the turbulent relationship he shared with Foley at the time. She released her third solo album ''Another Breath'' in 1983; it failed to chart. In 1984, she sang backing vocals on Joe Jackson's album '' Body & Soul'' and had a large role in the music video for Utopia's "Crybaby". Foley was one of four female vocalists to front the group Pandora's Box, formed by Jim Steinman in the late 1980s. Their album ''
Original Sin Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
'', released in 1989, was the first to feature the song " It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (vocals by Elaine Caswell); both
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
and a duet between
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
and Marion Raven had separate chart successes with that song in some countries, years later.


Broadway, film and television

Foley studied acting at
HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency prog ...
in New York City. She has appeared on Broadway in such shows as ''
Me and My Girl ''Me and My Girl'' is a musical with music by Noel Gay and its original book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose. The story, set in the late 1930s, tells of an unapologetically unrefined Cockney gentleman named Bill Snibson, wh ...
'' and the revival of ''
Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
'', and off-Broadway in ''
Beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure which houses honey bees, subgenus '' Apis.'' Honey bees live in the beehive, raising their young and producing honey as part of their seasonal cycle. Though the word ''beehive'' is used to describe the nest of ...
''. Foley originated the role of The Witch in
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...
's ''
Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...
'' at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, but was replaced by Bernadette Peters before the musical opened on Broadway."'Into the Woods', 1986 Old Globe Production and 1987 Broadway Production"
SondheimgGide.com, accessed August 2, 2012.
Foley eventually played the role on Broadway from August 1, 1989 until the show's closing on September 3, 1989. Her best known television acting role is that of Billie Young on '' Night Court'' for season two (1984–85), after which she was succeeded by Markie Post as Christine Sullivan, who had been Reinhold Weege's first choice for the public defender part, but Post had been unavailable while under contract on the television series '' The Fall Guy'' on ABC. Foley was reportedly let go from the series because producers felt her relationship with star Harry Anderson was more like that of a brother and sister than as potential paramours. She had roles in
Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech Americans, Czech-American film film director, director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the Uni ...
's film adaptation of the stage musical ''
Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
'' (1979), as well as in the movies ''
Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. It follows Dan Gallagher ( Michael Douglas), an attorney who cheats on his ...
'' (1987), ''
Married to the Mob ''Married to the Mob'' is a 1988 American crime romantic comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, written by Barry Strugatz and Mark R. Burns, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Mercedes Ruehl, and Alec Baldwin. P ...
'' (1988) and ''
Cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...
'' (1988). Foley was in the short-lived 1977 series '' 3 Girls 3'', co-starring with Debbie Allen and Mimi Kennedy.


Other pursuits

In the mid-2000s, she taught voice at the
School of Rock ''School of Rock'' (titled on screen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin and written by Mike White (filmmaker), Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, White and Sa ...
(founded by Paul Green) in Manhattan.


Personal life

In 1990, Foley married writer Doug Bernstein, co-author of the Off-Broadway revue ''Showing Off''. They have two children, Henry and Timothy.


Performances


Discography


Studio albums

* '' Night Out'' (1979)
Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
- L #1; UK #68; AU #13; CAN #71/small> * '' Spirit of St. Louis'' (1981) Epic - L #35; UK #57; AU #61/small> * '' Another Breath'' (1983) Epic * ''About Time'' (2013) * ''Fighting Words'' (2021) Note: all of these were issued by Epic within the U.S. on vinyl LP. They have been reissued on compact disc by Wounded Bird Records.


Compilations

* ''The Very Best of'' (1992)


Singles

* "We Belong to the Night"/"Young Lust" (1979) - U #15; NL #1; South Africa #7/small> * "What's a Matter Baby"/"Hideaway" (1979) L #7; US #92/small> * "Sad Song"/"Stupid Girl" (1980) * "Stupid Girl"/"Young Lust" (1980) * "The Shuttered Palace"/"Beautiful Waste of Time" (1981) - U #48/small> * "Torchlight"/"Game of a Man" (1981) * "Torchlight"/"Le palais" (1981) * "Boys in the Attic"/"Beat of a Broken Heart" (1983) * "Nightline (Single Version)"/"Beat of a Broken Heart (1983) * "Nightline (Dance Mix - Long Version)"/"Nightline (Dance Mix - Short Version)" "Nightline (Dub)" 2" Maxi-Single* "Heaven Can Wait" (2015)


With Pandora's Box

* ''
Original Sin Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
'' (1989)


Guest appearances

* " Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (1977) (from '' Bat Out of Hell'' by
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
) * "Mirrors" (1979) (from ''
Mirrors A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...
'' by Blue Öyster Cult) * "Hitsville U.K.", "Corner Soul", "Washington Bullets" and "Blonde Rock 'n' Roll" (1980) (from '' Sandinista!'' by
The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
) * "We Gotta Get Out of Here" (1980) (from '' Welcome to the Club'' by Ian Hunter) * "Junior's Bar" (1980) (from '' Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive!'' by Iron City Houserockers) * "Car Jamming" (1982) (from '' Combat Rock'' by The Clash) * '' Body and Soul'' (1984) (by Joe Jackson) * "Going All the Way (A Song in 6 Movements)" (2016) (from '' Braver Than We Are'' by Meat Loaf)


References


External links


The Ellen Foley Webzine
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Ellen 1951 births Living people Actresses from St. Louis American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American television actresses American women rock singers Epic Records artists Singers from St. Louis Webster University alumni 21st-century American women