Rachel Cronin (born September 29, 1971 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Shirley Pifko on the NBC television series Ed.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, she attended Argyle Secondary School, a high school which emphasised the arts, where she won awards and bursaries for her acting. She was then accepted to the University of British Columbia Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting Program and graduated top of her class. Cronin has since been working in theatre, television and film, and in 2000 she was signed on to play the eccentric Shirley Pifko on Ed.