Their fight for safer working conditions was chronicled in the 1983 film Silkwood, in which Ellis was portrayed by Cher, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
After Karen Silkwood's death in 1974, Ellis continued to protest and was involved in a series of legal battles against Kerr-McGee and the state of Oklahoma.
On November 10, 1974, Silkwood, Ellis, and Stephens were flown to Los Alamos, New Mexico for two days of intense testing.
In the years following the death of Karen Silkwood, Ellis was known for not cooperating with authorities, declining interviews, and refusing to testify in court proceedings.
In 1980, Ellis made national news after being reported as a missing person and was feared to have been murdered, because she was writing a tell-all book about her experiences of working in the Kerr-McGee plant.
In 2010, Ellis was caught stealing from a local grocery store and assaulted a police officer, and she was charged with larceny and obstruction.
[6][7][8][9][10] Director Mike Nichols began filming for Silkwood in 1982, with a script written by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen.
The director of the Guthrie Food Bank praised Ellis, stating that she had donated goods for the needy for many years.