Adrienne Shelly

Birth Name: Adrienne Levine
Birth Place: Queens, NY
Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: June 30, 1966, Cancer
Date of Death: November 1, 2006
Profession: Actor; director; screenwriter
In the early '90s, this alluring beauty was the princess of the indie circuit, serving as muse to the Long Island Godard Hal Hartley, who cast Shelly in her first two films: The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. Simultaneously girlish and wise, sexy and rebellious, this native New Yorker excelled in Hartley's offbeat movies but stumbled when working with other directors. By the mid-'90s, she was an acting also-ran, which perhaps prompted her to turn to writing and directing. Beginning with the 1994 short Urban Legend, Shelly turned out a string of films, including the quirky 1997 black comedy Sudden Manhattan, in which she also starred. Although she kept a low profile, living in New York with her family and tackling the occasional acting role while making a handful of films, Shelly seemed satisfied with her place in the industry, which is why her 2006 death — originally thought to be suicide — was particularly shocking to her friends and fans. Ultimately though, her death was ruled a homicide.
Adrienne Shelly Fast Facts:
Intermittently suffered from Bell's palsy, which first appeared when she was 15.
Co-founded the nonprofit theater troupe Missing Children, for which she penned the play Verbatim.
Won the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival's Film Showcase Jury Award for Best Director in 2000 for her second feature, the romantic comedy I'll Take You There.
Although her death was initially thought to be a suicide — she was found hanging from a shower rod in her bathroom — Shelly was in fact murdered. Led by the clue of a sneaker print in her bathtub, the New York City Police Department ultimately were led to Diego Pillco, a 19-year-old illegal immigrant who had been renovating the apartment below Shelley's, and while doing so fielded a complaint from her about the noise he was making. Having apparently panicked that he might be deported if Shelley filed a complaint with the police, Pillco "snapped," assaulted her, then staged the suicide.

Adrienne Shelly Relationships:
Andy Ostroy - Husband
Howie - Stepfather
Shelly Levine - Father
Sophie - Daughter

College:

Attended Boston University, Boston, MA