It’s a little bit frustrating when looking up an actor to find that there’s not a lot of information on them, especially when what’s there doesn’t say much. Freddie Simpson was born Fredda Marie Simpson, but why she changed her name is hard to tell since again, there’s really not a lot there. But the fact that she’s enjoyed sports more than acting is kind of telling since her list of credits isn’t all that long and shows that she hasn’t been in anything substantial since about 2002. She hasn’t been idle since those days, however, as she’s been working at a spa in northern Kentucky and as of 2018 owned an acupuncture company. She’s also been coaching and guiding young actors since stepping away from the screen apparently, which is a big help, but as far as acting has gone, she hasn’t returned to the screen in quite some time. Other than this it does sound as though she’s been leading a rather quiet life away from show business, as she earned enough money from her acting days to live a comfortable existence as she’s been doing for years now. One has to wonder if she ever misses the business, but like a lot of people that end up leaving instead of falling off the map, it might be that she feels she’s right where she needs to be.
Her role in one of the most memorable movies of the 90s, A League of Their Own, was that of Ellen Sue, who was noted for her beauty as well as her ability to play ball. If anyone remembers that didn’t spare her or any of her teammates from the ire of their manager and coach since Jimmy, played by Tom Hanks, was the kind of guy that felt insulted to be coaching female ballplayers and was, for lack of a better word, a jerk. Ellen Sue didn’t really get a lot of screen time but she did get more than a few of the other ladies since she was focused on due to the fact that she was very good looking. That was actually a big part of the whole package when it came to this movie since it was made a bit obvious that since the ladies would be televised the league wanted women that would be seen as great at playing ball and nice to look at, which is why Marla, who was played by Megan Cavanagh, was usually filmed from a distance while the other ladies were given close-ups. One might start wondering why Doris, played by Rosie O’Donnell, was given more close-ups in that case, but something about her character apparently clicked in the league since she wasn’t alienated as much as Marla was. As far as who was really featured heavily, those such as Ellen Sue and Dottie, played by Geena Davis, were given a great deal of attention since they were both attractive and extremely good at the game.
One funny moment in the movie that’s worth remembering came when a fan decided to mock the Rockford Peaches before a game by pretending to be a female ballplayer and standing on top of the dugout. Ellen Sue made him pay for this in a way by tossing the ball his way when he wasn’t looking, an effort that succeeded in knocking him down, a sure way to prove that they weren’t to be mocked and could play the game just fine. Another moment that came after that was when the ball got away from the ladies and rolled to a stop near a group of spectators that weren’t allowed to sit with the white folks due to segregation. A woman of color picked up the ball and instead of throwing it to Dottie, who called for it, launched it in a perfect throw to Ellen Sue, who was standing nearly fifty yards beyond Dottie. In fact, the effect was to make the throw look so forceful that Ellen Sue actually shook her hand in mild surprise as she realized how hard the woman had thrown. There were so many touching moments in the movie such as this that had a great meaning that it’s no wonder that people remember it fondly.
Whatever she goes on to do at this point is bound to remain largely unknown unless she finds herself the subject of another article or two in the coming years, since it would appear that she’s been enjoying her time away and isn’t in a big hurry to get back. The main role she’s known for is one that people will likely remember fondly since she played it well and the movie was a lot of fun when it came out. But apart from that, it’s kind of obvious that she walked away for a reason and is pretty happy where she’s at.
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