Biography
Ellen Kuras is an American cinematographer and director. Born on 10 July 1959 in New Jersey, she studied anthropology and semiotics at Brown University and photography at the Rhode Island School of Design.
She began her career in documentaries before working as director of photography on narrative features including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Blow (2001) and Analyze That (2002). Kuras has directed episodes of series such as The Umbrella Academy (2019), Ozark (2017), Legion (2017) and The Terminal List (2022). Her feature directorial debut was the biographical drama Lee (2023), and she directed an episode of the series Scarpetta (2026).
Kuras directed and shot the documentary The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) (2008), which received an Academy Award nomination. She is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
