Ellen Bry is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of nurse-turned-vigilante Shirley Daniels on the hospital drama St. Elsewhere. Bry gained acting experience in school plays, community theater productions, and summer stock theatre. At one point, she left acting and worked as a paralegal for New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs. A scripted fight on an episode of Kojak led to Bry's working for a while as a stuntwoman in New York. Bry's family moved to Stamford, Connecticut, when she was a child.