Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American stage director, actor, and

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...

Life and career

Ellis graduated from Goodman School of Drama at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

(now at

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) in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

."Scot Ellis"
pbs.org, accessed June 7, 2013 He also graduated from James W. Robinson Secondary School, in

Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is pa ...

, in 1975. He studied acting at HB Studio in New York City. Ellis has a twin brother named Mark Ellis, who is the Executive Director of the International Bar Association. Before he became a director, Ellis was a successful stage actor; he performed on Broadway in the original casts of the 1980 original musical ''Musical Chairs'' and '' The Rink'' with

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

and Chita Rivera. He has directed numerous

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and Broadway productions, as well as the New York City Opera Company revivals at the New York State Theater of '' A Little Night Music'' (1990) and '' 110 in the Shade'' (1992). Ellis has been the Associate Artistic Director for the Roundabout Theatre since 1998. He has been nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

as Best Director nine times for a revival of '' She Loves Me'' (1994), '' Steel Pier'' (1997), a revival of ''

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January ...

'' (1998), '' Twelve Angry Men'' (2005), '' Curtains'' (2007), a revival of '' The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' (2013), a revival of '' You Can't Take It with You'' (2015), another revival of '' She Loves Me'' (2016), and '' Tootsie'' (2019). He received the 1991

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

, Outstanding Director of a Musical, for ''And The World Goes Round''. He won the Olivier Award as Best Director, Musical, for ''She Loves Me''. He was the executive producer for the television drama ''

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'' on Showtime, and has directed television episodes of '' Modern Family'', '' Nurse Jackie'', '' The Good Wife'', '' Hung'', ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...

'', '' Desperate Housewives'', '' The Closer'' and '' Frasier''. He received an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

nomination in 2007 for directing the episode " The Break-Up" of the comedy series ''

''. In 2010, ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

'' announced that Ellis was expected to direct upcoming musical adaptations of the 1930s films '' The Blue Angel'' and '' Little Miss Marker''. Both would have books by David Thompson. He played the role of

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

's manager Harry Kraut in the biopic '' Maestro'' (2023).

Credits

Stage

As actor

As director

Television

References

Notes Bibliography *
"PLAYBILL.COM'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Scott Ellis" by Ernio Hernandez, Playbill.com, January 26, 2006Ellis Bio American Theatre Wing

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Scott 1957 births American musical theatre directors American television directors Television producers from Maryland Drama Desk Award winners Living people People from Washington, D.C. Robinson Secondary School alumni Tony Award winners