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1-19 of 19
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jay Ellis is a television and film actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Born in Sumter, South Carolina, Ellis spent the majority of his childhood traveling with his military family. His father completed over 15 years of service in the Air Force while his mother was an accomplished finance executive and former board member of the Consumer Advisory Council for the Federal.
Jay graduated Suma Cum Laude at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon where he also played basketball and held the position of student body president. Ellis interned briefly with the Portland Trailblazers and also joined AmeriCorps to provide care and resources to disadvantaged students of Portland.
Ellis made the move to Los Angeles to pursue his passion for acting before landing his first role on the BET series The Game, which ran for 147 episodes. Over the years Ellis has been featured on critically acclaimed series Masters of Sex, Grace and Frankie, How I Met Your Mother, Grey's Anatomy, and NCIS.
Ellis lives in Los Angeles, CA and can be seen on the HBO comedy series Insecure.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
James Jay Ellis is now Executive Producer for StreamScene Productions, creators and distributors for several TV and Feature Film projects currently in development, including Sleepless On Sunset, Tracy Prowler Attaché, Chaplain, Greenish, Married Men, The Third Child, The Day, Beneath, Virt, Syntra and Heavenly Manors. New Media projects on StreamScene's roster include Best On Sunset brands and others now in development...
James Jay Ellis was born in Los Angeles near the end of World War II to a nominally middle class, normally dysfunctional family. His father was "distant," mother clinically depressed, mostly "unavailable."
From an early age he has been passionate about large social issues and continues to produce media to foster social change.
In college he studied the sciences - seriously pursuing pre-med courses, aiming to make a difference as a neurosurgeon. But along the way, after volunteering at Harbor General Hospital, he realized that medicine was filled with many whose motivations were ego and greed-based. In college, increasingly dissatisfied with slide rules and flat tops, struggling with calculus and organic chemistry, his vocational testing (not quite Clockwork Orange) resulted in the obvious... he was very much a "creative type," not destined to become a doctor.
Ellis had studied acting at Bret Harte Junior High school, graduated from Washington High School and then El Camino College, majoring in marketing and minoring in theater. There, after switching from medicine to acting, he formed "Cinema Club of El Camino College."
So at this time, age 19 - adopting the stage name "Jay Ellis" - he began to act - leads in college plays and little theater, and cast as a small but shining supporting role (an adolescent who loses his virginity half on and half off stage), he was sure he had been discovered - Standing ovations and two Hollywood agents -- Yea... "Discovered" almost literally overnight.
But Hollywood, circa 1962 - as an actor - was not his cup of tea either. It was just at the time when the notorious Studio System was giving way to the coarseness of Cattle Calls. Quite a transition. Young Jay Ellis quickly grew weary of casting directors describing their underwear and vague invitations to read scripts in their Malibu mansions. Moreover he saw many of his fellow actors as dysfunctional.
Jay Ellis was nevertheless cast in bit parts in TV series and TV commercials. And during this time he studied assiduously at Desilu Professional Theatre Workshop (now the Paramount Pictures lot) and Oxford Theatre Workshop. At Oxford he fondly recalls the influence of Jack Donner (Richard Donner's unsung brother). There in the mid 60's Donner passionately taught Ellis his unique acting technique he called "Essential Reality." The young actor also continued stage acting, appearing in many shows in many small theater productions.
At Desilu Ellis had free access to productions on the lot and glided effortlessly in and out of the huge sound stages where I Love Lucy, My Three Sons, Slattery's People, Ben Casey and the Bing Crosby Show were being filmed.
In the late 60's, as valet parking lot attendant at LAX, Ellis met many stars and celebrities, and was invited by both Amanda Blake ("Kitty" on Gunsmoke) and Fess Parker (Adventures of Daniel Boone) to their sets where, just as at Desilu, he enjoyed all the advantages of hanging out with cast and crew... hundreds of invaluable hours, soaking in all the rich nuances of television sound stage and location production craft.
By this time he was hooked on working on the other side of the camera.
In 1970 Ellis was hired by CBS as District Sales Manager for their new Educational Media Division in Northern California. After a year in this position Ellis bought a home in Orinda and quit CBS to form and operate Humanics, Inc., a non-profit corp. with a mission to provide free fundraising and community relations services to Children's Services Organizations in the Bay Area.
Based in Strawberry Studios that Ellis created in 1973 -- What else? This was Berkeley, barely out of the 60's, just down the street from UCB and People's Park -- he donated countless hours to Humanics, Inc. clients, while providing photography services to Macy's Department Store, and educational video production services for the University of California through Strawberry Studios..
In the eighties Jay became a general contractor, remodeling homes mostly on the west side of Los Angeles and also launched a successful home inspection company. Out of his Beverly Hills builder's and home inspection offices, Ellis produced "Lights, Camera, Action!" a community cable TV show to teach underprivileged youth video production skills. In this decade Ellis married, fathered two sons, divorced. and navigated the challenging voyage of single parenthood, while continuing work in construction and home inspections.
In the nineties his construction career path evolved into consulting work as home designer and ultimately successful upscale residential real estate community development. After completion of environmental award-winning Deerbrook View Estates, Ellis began investing in and developing more luxury properties in Florida and New York. He also launched Senior Marketing Services, a senior housing marketing and advertising firm, delivering creative services in print, television and radio media to clients nationwide.
In the new millennium Ellis' attention has again turned to creative media work - now focused on entertainment in television and motion pictures. In 2005 he formed StreamScene Productions which has now evolved into an independent production company, poised to produce and distribute exciting new media, television and feature film projects now in development.
More recently, now semi-retired, Ellis has founded a non-profit charity to provide housing for Single Moms and Veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless. This project - MomsVetsHomes.org, - has evolved and grown into a worldwide project to provide housing and employment for Ukrainian Refugee Moms, called Panels4Peace.org. Ellis continues to use his skills in new media to support and promote these worthwhile charitable projects.- Jeremy 'Jay' Ellis is known for Candy (2017).
- Actor
- Casting Department
- Ellis Karblick Jay is known for What About You (2019).
- Make-Up Department
Siobhan Jay Parody-Ellis is known for Magnus (2017).- Jay Ellis is known for Poncho (2018).
- Sound Department
James Jay Ellis (pka "Jay Ellis" - Actor) Supervises the Sound Department for StreamScene Productions, as well as heading the company as Executive Producer. Ellis began studying sound and film making in the 1960's on many well-known television sets of the time, both in sound stages for many Major Motion Picture Studios of the time, and shoots on location in many parts of southern California.
Today, as Director of Photography, Jay shoots on a variety of cameras including DSLR's that require external sound recording. StreamScene Productions owns a good selection of sound gear that can professionally capture quality sound in a wide range of sets and locations.
One recent credit is as Sound Supervisor as well as Mixer on location in Vacaville for "Four Minutes," action suspense drama produced in 2012.- Ellis Jay Villar is known for Casting Room (2012).
- Jay Ellis is known for The Great White (2010).
- Jay Ellis is known for Wormwood Falling.
- Additional Crew
- Executive
Ellis Jay Pailet was born on 7 February 1940 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Ellis Jay was an executive, known for Crooked Mile. Ellis Jay was married to Nona Paillet. Ellis Jay died on 11 March 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.- Jay Ellis is known for Devil's Due (2011).
- Jay Ellis is known for Us or Them (2018).
- Jay Jay Ellis is known for Timer (2009) and Carpoolers (2007).
- Actor
- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jay Ellis is known for The Salesman Cometh (2012).- Cinematographer
- Producer
Jay Ellis is known for The Morning Star (2016).- Jay Ellis is known for Sacrament (2014).