Edward Ellis (actor)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edward Mayne Ellis (born November 12, 1870 in Coldwater , Michigan , † July 26, 1952 in Beverly Hills , California ) was an American actor.

life and career

Edward Ellis was born into a family of theater actors, and his sister Edith Ellis (1866–1960) later became a well-known playwright. As a result, he was on stage with famous actors such as Fanny Davenport during his childhood . At the age of 17 he already played the role of Simon Legree in a production of Onkel Toms Hütte . Like his sister Edith, Ellis tried his hand at times with moderate success as a playwright, his play Affairs of a Gentleman , written together with Edith, was made into a film around 1934 with Paul Lukas in the lead role. Between 1905 and 1932 he played in a total of 22 Broadway productions, where he was particularly successful in portraying shady characters. After 1932 Ellis turned to the film business, in which he had worked in isolated cases since 1917.

In films, Ellis - almost bald, conspicuous by his lean figure - was often entrusted with the portrayal of mostly grouchy or eccentric older men. Ellis is best known today for his portrayal of the title character in the classic film The Thin Man (1934) based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett . Viewers of the film often mistakenly assume that the main character Nick Charles, played by William Powell , is meant by the "thin man" - in fact, however, it is the character played by Ellis of a disappeared industrialist. His better-known roles include Paul Muni's prison buddy in the gangster film Hunt for James A. (1932) and the sheriff in Fritz Lang's drama Blinde Wut starring Spencer Tracy . Commonly used in substantial supporting roles, Ellis received a lead role in the 1938 film A Man to Remember, written by Dalton Trumbo . In it he played the role of a doctor who sacrificed himself for his village community, but who only received recognition late on. In the late 1930s he was a well-known character actor and even turned down an offer from Frank Capra to play the role of Senate President in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Harry Carey Sr. later received an Oscar nomination for the role .

After 38 films, Ellis retired from the film business in 1942 with the western The Omaha Trail . He died of prostate cancer in Beverly Hills in 1952 at the age of 81. He had a daughter from his divorced marriage to actress Josephine Stevens (1897–1966).

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Edith Ellis in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  2. ^ Edward Ellis - A Biography of The Thin Man, an Actor to Remember . In: Immortal Ephemera . November 13, 2012 ( immortalephemera.com [accessed January 15, 2018]).
  3. ^ Edwin L. Marin: Affairs of a Gentleman. May 1, 1934, accessed January 15, 2018 .
  4. ^ Edward Ellis - A Biography of The Thin Man, an Actor to Remember . In: Immortal Ephemera . November 13, 2012 ( immortalephemera.com [accessed January 15, 2018]).
  5. ↑ Prescott Evening Courier - Google News archive search. Retrieved January 15, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Josephine Stevens in the Internet Movie Database (English)
personal data
SURNAME Ellis, Edward
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ellis, Edward Mayne (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH November 12, 1870
PLACE OF BIRTH Coldwater , Michigan
DATE OF DEATH July 26, 1952
Place of death Beverly Hills , California