Biography
Ellen Fairey is an American writer and producer who began her career as a playwright in Chicago. She left high school at 16, attended art school in Chicago, and worked in advertising before writing her first short play at age 35. Her full-length play Graceland received productions in Chicago and New York, leading to representation and a position in the writers’ room for the Showtime series Nurse Jackie.
Fairey wrote episodes and served as producer on Nurse Jackie (2009–2015). She later contributed as writer and co-executive producer to series including Masters of Sex (2016), The Sinner (2018), Away (2020), The First Lady (2022) and Tiny Beautiful Things (2023), and is credited as writer and executive producer on the forthcoming American Classic (2026). She has also premiered plays such as Support Group for Men at the Goodman Theatre.
