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Mary Ellen Trainor

Mary Ellen Trainor

Actor · Died May 20, 2015, aged 62 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Mary Ellen Trainor (July 8, 1952 – May 20, 2015) was an actress well-known for roles in a variety of 80s movies including Romancing the Stone, The Goonies, Lethal Weapon (and its sequels), The Monster Squad, Action Jackson, Die Hard, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, and Back to the Future 2, among other things. One of her most iconic roles was that of the greedy wife in the famous killer Santa episode of Tales From the Crypt "And All Through the House".

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 8, 1952
Died
May 20, 2015 (aged 62)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
34 on MovieCove · 44 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 64 days to Oct 27Up 19% in 30 days

What are Mary Ellen Trainor's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Self
27%
Morality
25%
Survival
11%
Power
3%
Ideas
2%
Society
2%
Identity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 6 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Thrilling
4
Melancholic
4
Joyful
4
Romantic
2
Other
11

How their films linger

Fun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet8

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Mary Ellen Trainor's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 34 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mary Ellen Trainor's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

44 credits, 34 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Cake: A Wedding Story(2007)

    as Jane Andrews

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Freaky Friday(2003)

    as Diary Reading Patient

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Moonlight Mile(2002)

    as Mrs. Meyerson

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Amy's Orgasm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Amy's Mom

  • Anywhere But Here(1999)

    as Homeowner

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Roswell(1999)

    Show 22 episodes · as Diane Evans

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Wife

  • Someone to Love Me(1998)

    as Jocelyn Hart

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Lethal Weapon 4(1998)

    as Dr. Stephanie Woods

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Hope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Maize Burns

  • Relativity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 17 episodes · as Eve Lukens

  • Executive Decision(1996)

    as Allison

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • A Face to Die For(1996)

    as Nora Gilmore

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Congo(1995)

    as Moira

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Seduced and Betrayed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Charlotte

  • Little Giants(1994)

    as Karen O'Shea

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Forrest Gump(1994)

    as Jenny's Babysitter (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Greedy(1994)

    as Nora

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Death Becomes Her(1992)

    as Vivian Adams

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Lethal Weapon 3(1992)

    as Stephanie Woods

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Kuffs(1992)

    as Nikki Allyn

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Grand Canyon(1991)

    as Ms. Green

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Ricochet(1991)

    as Gail Wallens

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Parker Lewis Can't Lose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 47 episodes · as Judy Lewis

  • Fire Birds(1990)

    as Janet Little

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Outsiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Rhonda Sue's Mother

  • Rock Hudson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Female Agent

  • Fear Stalk(1989)

    as Jennifer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Back to the Future Part II(1989)

    as Officer Reese (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Lethal Weapon 2(1989)

    as Police Psychiatrist

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Ghostbusters II(1989)

    as Brownstone Mother

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Wife (segment "And All Through the House")

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Scrooged(1988)

    as Ted

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Die Hard(1988)

    as Gail Wallens

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Action Jackson(1988)

    as Secretary

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Monster Squad(1987)

    as Emily

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Lethal Weapon(1987)

    as Psychologist

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Mara Webster

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • The Goonies(1985)

    as Mrs. Walsh

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Crazy like a Fox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Connie Olsen

  • The Stone Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Doris Simms

  • Romancing the Stone(1984)

    as Elaine

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Remington Steele(1982)

    Show 2 episodes · as Estelle Becker

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Cheers(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Mary

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 44 titles from 1982 to 2007; peak year 1993.

Biggest box office

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

$322M worldwide

Highest rated

Romancing the Stone (1984)

Midcredits 78th

Most popular right now

Roswell (1999)

Film career

19822007

Peak 1993 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting44 of 44: 44 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score67th

By decade

1980s17 · acting1990s23 · acting2000s4 · acting

Billing

usually 12th · top billed in 0% of 20 roles
848994

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Mary Ellen Trainor's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 29; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 34 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

20 of their 34 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser20
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Cake: A Wedding Story (2007)

94th percentile spread · 22% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Forrest Gump (1994)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Mary Ellen Trainor's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles54–83 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles27–58 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles44–83 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles37–59 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles42–79 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Mary Ellen Trainor work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mary Ellen Trainor's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alan Silvestri shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers