A native New Yorker, Ilene is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Delia Ryan on "Ryan’s Hope," and her ten-year stint as the gambling, beer-guzzling and always-inappropriate hairdresser Roxy Balsom on "One Life to Live", for which she received two Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actress.  Ilene portrayed the de, dems and do Norma Gilpin on "Loving" and wannabe socialite Madeleine Thompson on "Another World." Currently she is reprising the role of Delia Ryan in a character crossover on "General Hospital."

Ilene made her Broadway debut as a dancer in Henry, Sweet Henry.  She originated the role of Patty Simcox in Grease and portrayed the infamous Leona Helmsley in Mayor.  Off-Broadway shows include Acts of Providence, All That Glitters, Light Up the Sky, The Dolphin Position, Cowboy, and Trust. She also appeared in The Gig at Goodspeed and Marvin’s Room at the Helen Hayes in Nyack. An Ensemble Studio Theatre member since 1984, Ilene has performed in five of their Marathon of One-Act Plays including Saxophone Music, Naomi in the Livingroom, Cosmo's in Love, Degas, C'est Moi, A Dead Man's Apartment and the comedy revue Strange Behavior. Recent film appearances include Tinseltown, Signs of the Cross, Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe, Luscious, Knock, Knock,  andManhattanites.

Night time TV sightings include  "Deception," "Unforgettable," HBO's "Show Me A Hero," "Law and Order," "Law and Order: SVU,"  "The Good Policeman," "Third Watch," "The Sopranos," "Family,"  and "The Black Donnellys."

In addition to a full-time performing career, Ilene also co-founded of The Jean Renoir Cinema, a film theatre showing independent and foreign films. While affiliated there, she produced the award-winning short The Aftermath. In 1997 she was a producer of the feature Angels with Angles, starring Frank Gorshin and Rodney Dangerfield.  As a songwriter, Ilene has penned album cuts for teenage phenom Kaitlyn Lusk and jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb, as well as producing for the label Tuxedo Records. A regular on the club circuit, Ilene has recently recorded her first CD of her own original songs, which is expected to be released sometime this year.