Ellen Kennedy is a Canadian actress whose career encompasses voice work for animation, stage performances, and live-action roles. Born on January 2, 1958, she is a longtime member of the Vancouver-area arts community. Her foundation in performance was established in theater, with appearances at renowned institutions such as the Persephone Theatre and the Citadel Theatre. Kennedy also co-wrote and performed in the production All Grown Up at the Arts Club Theatre, a role for which she won a Jessie Award in 1993. In addition to her acting, she is a jazz and swing singer and an active member of Vancouver TheatreSports, participating in shows like TheatreSports Interactive and Star Trick, the Musical.

Kennedy transitioned into voice-over work approximately five years prior to a 1996 interview, initially starting with commercials before pursuing animation. She has noted that her theater background aids her in voice acting, as both require a performer to convey emotion and character with a certain magnitude to reach the audience. Her approach to a role involves thoroughly reading the script to understand the character, and while she sometimes finds it helpful to hear the original Japanese performance to grasp tone and emotion, she primarily develops her interpretation from the script itself.

Throughout her career in anime dubbing, Kennedy has portrayed a wide array of characters. One of her most prominent roles is Kyoko Otonashi in the romantic comedy series Maison Ikkoku. She has described Kyoko as a favorite character, appreciating the character's depth in being outwardly sweet but possessing an inner toughness. In the Dragon Ball Z franchise, she provided voices for the Ocean Group dub of the first 53 episodes, playing the fortune teller Baba and Princess Snake. Her other notable anime credits include the role of Suzunagi in the Ronin Warriors OVA series Message, Lebia Maverick in Silent Möbius: The Motion Picture 2, and Misha Miramond in Transformers: Energon. She has also lent her voice to characters in Ranma 1/2, Saber Marionette J, Please Save My Earth, and Hamtaro, among others.

Beyond anime, Kennedy's voice is widely recognized in Western animation. She has had longstanding roles in children's programming, such as Mrs. Pteranodon in Dinosaur Train and various characters in the My Little Pony franchise, including Daffidazey in the G3 series and the Mane-iac in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Her other voice credits include Destiny in X-Men: Evolution, Finn in Dragon Tales, and Brainy Barker in Krypto the Superdog.