Ellen was born in San Jose, Costa Rica and came to the United States when she was a small child. She is proud to be a U.S. citizen. Ellen learned American Sign Language (ASL) at the age of 21 from her (now) husband William and has continued to teach others in ASL and gymnastics. Her extraordinary patience and exuberant encouragement have earned her a legion of grateful students including thirty actors in a local theatrical production of Children of a Lessor God. She has a rich and varied history of volunteerism as a teacher, leader, advocate, SSP (Service Support Provider) and is a member of the Georgia Association of the Deaf. Ellen is a proud wife to William, mother of two (Matthew Rice and Anjelica Rice Marsden), mother-in-law to Baron Marsden and grandmother of her precious Elena Madison Marsden. She is passionate about teaching others Deaf Culture and History and has been a featured speaker at several county Boards of Education in Georgia. She has performed in countless film and television projects in the Atlanta area including The Walking Dead, What to Expect When You’re Expecting (currently in production) and Footloose which will be released October 2011. Her motto is to work hard and live out your dreams no matter what obstacles you have in your life. This spunky lady stole the heart of every person in the cast and crew of this production with her wit and charm and we are proud to say that Zombie Lounge 2011 is her favorite production in her career!
