Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Mary Elizabeth Ellis (born May 11, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for her recurring roles as The Waitress on the FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present), Nick's ex-girlfriend Caroline in the Fox sitcom New Girl (2011–2018), and Lisa Palmer on the Netflix horror-comedy Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2019). She starred as Amy in the shortlived NBC sitcom Perfect Couples (2010–2011) and Debbie Sanderson in the Fox sitcom The Grinder (2015–2016).
Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 1979. · Laurel.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- actress and film director.
- Education
- Southern Methodist University and Laurel High School.
- Known for
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
- Languages
- English.
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Mary Elizabeth Ellis (born May 11, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for her recurring roles as The Waitress on the FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present), Nick's ex-girlfriend Caroline in the Fox sitcom New Girl (2011–2018), and Lisa Palmer on the Netflix horror-comedy Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2019). She starred as Amy in the shortlived NBC sitcom Perfect Couples (2010–2011) and Debbie Sanderson in the Fox sitcom The Grinder (2015–2016).
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Mary Elizabeth Ellis (born 1979) is an actor, actress and film actor, among other activities, of American nationality. The actor was born in Laurel.
Mary Elizabeth Ellis was educated at Laurel High School and Southern Methodist University. The actor worked in United States.
Among the works is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1103579 · wikipedia · Mary Elizabeth Ellis
In this article
Early life and education
Early life and education
More recently, she played Gary's mother Anita in Licorice Pizza (2021), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Mary Elizabeth Ellis studied at Southern Methodist University and Laurel High School. The recorded working language is English. Places of work recorded in the authority are United States. Works named in the authority record are It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Mary Elizabeth Ellis was born on May 11, 1979, in Laurel, Mississippi. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2001.
Stage
Stage
Ellis and her It's Always Sunny colleague Artemis Pebdani were as of 2011 members of the Los Angeles-based performance group Discount Cruise to Hell. Together, they wrote and starred in the stage show Mother May I Dance with Mary Jane's Fist?: A Lifetime Original Play at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. The stage show was later adapted to TV for Adult Swim in 2018.
Music videos
Music videos
She has also appeared music videos, including "Diaper Money" (2013) for The Lonely Island, and "Anti-Hero" (2022) for Taylor Swift.
Personal life
Personal life
Ellis and Charlie Day met in 2001 and began dating immediately. They were married on March 4, 2006. Their son was born in 2011. The couple have an extensive history of appearing on shows together. In 2004, they auditioned together as incestuous siblings for Reno 911! and landed the roles. Around the same time, Ellis also began playing The Waitress in home movies Day was making. The films became the pilot episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2005, in which Ellis stars.
Actress Mary Elizabeth Ellis on the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Mary Elizabeth Ellis Uploaded by maybeMaybeMaybe
TV and film
Since the first season of the FX/FXX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia began airing in 2005, Ellis has been mostly known for her role as The Waitress. In 2008, she co-wrote and starred as Olive in the independent film A Quiet Little Marriage. Ellis was a series regular on the NBC romantic comedy series Perfect Couples, which ran for one season in 2011. In 2015, she got her first main role as Debbie Sanderson, co-starring with Fred Savage and Rob Lowe in The Grinder. In 2020, she appeared in Disney's Godmothered. The next year, she appeared in Licorice Pizza (2021) as Momma Anita. Ellis has appeared in a number of other television series, including Reno 911!, House M.D., Without a Trace, Cold Case, New Girl, Happy Endings, and Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet. In 2024 she appeared in A Man on the Inside as Ted Danson's daughter. The series was renewed for a second season, which was released in November 2025.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Famous birthdays May 11; and: Adele's ex wants a little credit. May 11, 2016.
- 2.Mary Elizabeth Ellis Spills on Her New Show and Working with Ted Danson. November 21, 2024.
- 3.2001-2002 Class Notes. SMU Magazine 2013. 2013.
- 4.Mary Elizabeth Ellis Reveals Why She Likes to Work with Husband Charlie Day Other Than Him Being Her ‘Favorite Person’. People.
- 5.Anderson, John. A Quiet Little Marriage. Variety. November 13, 2008.
- 6.Gencarelli, Mike. Interview with Mary Elizabeth Ellis. MediaMikes. March 3, 2011.
- 7.Palmer, Roger. Production Has Begun On New Disney+ Movie "Godmothered". What's On Disney Plus. January 30, 2020.
- 8."Licorice Pizza," Reviewed: Paul Thomas Anderson's Thrilling Coming-of-Age Story. The New Yorker. December 1, 2021.
- 9.Andreeva, Nellie. Mary Elizabeth Ellis Joins Netflix Comedy Series ‘Santa Clarita Diet’. Deadline. 2016-06-07.
- 10.Bianculli, David. 'A Man on the Inside' goes to college, and Ted Danson aces the test. NPR. November 20, 2025.
- 11.Conversations with Ross: Featuring Mary Elizabeth Ellis
- 12.Adult Swim Made a Comedy About Ballet, Fisting, and Abusive Parents. Inverse.
- 13.Shafer, Ethan Shanfeld,Ellise. Taylor Swift Reveals First Look at ‘Midnights’ Music Videos Featuring Haim, Laura Dern and More. Variety. 2022-10-21.
- 14.The Days of Disco – An Interview with Charlie Day & Mary Elizabeth Ellis. Monster Fresh. October 4, 2007.
- 15.Interview with Charlie Day & Mary Elizabeth Ellis, MonsterFresh.com
- 16.Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Ellis Welcome Son Russell Wallace. Peoplemag.
- 17.Wedemeyer, Jessica. Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Ellis Expecting a Baby. People.com. July 23, 2011.
- 18.Lebowitz Rossi, Holly. Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Ellis Welcome Baby Boy. Parents. December 19, 2011.
- 19.39. The Waitress (with special guest, Mary Elizabeth Ellis!) The Always Sunny Podcast. July 11, 2022.
- 20.Wyatt, Edward. The Writers Are the Actors Are the Producers. The New York Times. September 9, 2007.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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