Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American
stage director, actor, and
television director.
Biography
Ellis graduated from
Goodman School of Drama at the
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
(now at
DePaul University) in
Chicago.
["Scot Ellis"]
pbs.org, accessed June 7, 2013 He also graduated from
James W. Robinson Secondary School
James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School is a six-year public school in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Known as Robinson Secondary School, it is located in Fairfax County, a suburb southwest of Washington, D.C.
Opened in 1 ...
, Fairfax, VA, 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, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
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: ''
A Little Night Music'' (1990) and ''
110 in the Shade
''110 in the Shade'' is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt.
Based on Nash's 1954 play '' The Rainmaker'', it focuses on Lizzie Curry, a spinster living on a ranch in the American southwest ...
'' (1992).
Ellis has been the Associate Artistic Director for the
Roundabout Theatre since 1998.
He has been nominated for the
Tony Award as Best Director nine times: the revival of ''
She Loves Me'' (1994), ''
Steel Pier
The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long () amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Begun in 1898, it was one of the most po ...
'' (1997), the 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 1 ...
'' (1998), ''
Twelve Angry Men'' (2005), ''
Curtains'' (2007), the revival of ''
The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' (2013), the 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 Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
, 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 ''Weeds'' on Showtime, and has directed television episodes of ''Modern Family'', ''Nurse Jackie'', ''The Good Wife'', ''Hung'', ''30 Rock'', ''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 American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nomination in 2007 for directing the episode "The Break Up
''The Break-Up'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peyton Reed, starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. It was written by Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick from a story by them and Vaughn, and produced by Universal ...
" of the comedy series ''30 Rock
''30 Rock'' is an American 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'', takes ...
''.
In 2010, ''Playbill
''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for 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 show's pr ...
'' announced that Ellis was expected to direct upcoming musical adaptations of the 1930s films '' The Blue Angel'' and ''Little Miss Marker
''Little Miss Marker'' (also known as ''The Girl in Pawn'') is an American Pre-Code 1934 comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Hall. It was written by William R. Lipman, Sam Hellman, and Gladys Lehman after a 1932 short story of the same name ...
''. Both would have books by David Thompson.Robert Simonson
Robert Simonson (born September 11, 1964) is an American journalist and author.
Personal life
Robert Simonson was born in Wisconsin; he has lived in Brooklyn since 1988.
Career
Robert Simonson began writing about cocktails, spirits and bars for ...
"Scottsboro Librettist David Thompson Working on New Musicals With Stew, Scott Ellis"
''Playbill'', date: April 1, 2010 accessed: March 8, 2016
Work
Stage
*''Musical Chairs'' (1980) (as an actor)
*'' The Rink'' (1984) (as an actor)
*'' Billy Bishop Goes to War'' (1987) (as an actor, Whole Theatre Co.)
*'' And the World Goes 'Round'' (1991)
*'' She Loves Me'' (1993)
*'' A Month in the Country'' (1995) starring Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...
*''Steel Pier
The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long () amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Begun in 1898, it was one of the most po ...
'' (1997)
*''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 1 ...
'' (1997)
*'' Present Laughter'' (1998)
*'' The Rainmaker'' (1999)
*'' The Man Who Had All the Luck'' (2002)
*'' The Boys from Syracuse'' (2002)
*'' Twelve Angry Men'' (2004)
*'' The Little Dog Laughed'' (2006)
*'' Curtains'' (2007)
*''Gruesome Playground Injuries
''Salvage'' is a 2006 horror film by the Crook Brothers, Jeffrey Crook and Joshua Crook. It was an official selection of the 2006 Sundance Festival. According to the directors' commentary, the film was shot for around $200,000. It stars Lauren C ...
'' (2011)
*'' Harvey'' (2012)
*'' The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' (2012)
*'' You Can't Take It with You'' (2014)
*'' The Elephant Man'' (2014) starring Bradley Cooper
*'' On the Twentieth Century'' (2015)
*'' She Loves Me'' (2016)
*'' Kiss Me, Kate'' (2019)
*'' Tootsie'' (2019)
*''Take Me Out
A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.
Film
In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...
'' (2022)
Television
*'' Frasier'' (2000–04)
*'' Hope & Faith'' (2005–06)
*'' Out of Practice'' (2005)
*''Stacked
''Stacked'' is an American television sitcom that aired on Fox from April 13, 2005 to January 11, 2006.
Premise
''Stacked'' was described as the opposite of ''Cheers'', instead of a smart person in a "dumb" place, it is based on the concept of a ...
'' (2005)
*''30 Rock
''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...
'' (2006)
*''Desperate Housewives
''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...
'' (2008)
*'' Weeds'' (2008–11)
*'' Hung'' (2009)
*'' The Good Wife'' episode "Home" (2009)
*'' Nurse Jackie'' (2009)
*'' Running Wilde'' (2010)
*'' Modern Family'' (2010–11)
*''Mad Love __NOTOC__
Mad Love may refer to: Books
*''Mad Love'' (French ''L'amour fou''), collection of poems by André Breton
*'' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love'', an Eisner and Harvey award-winning comic by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm
* Mad Love (publisher), ...
'' (2011)
*''2 Broke Girls
''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cumm ...
'' (2011–13)
*''Guys with Kids
''Guys with Kids'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC, from September 11, 2012, to February 27, 2013, as part of the 2012–13 television schedule. The series was created by Jimmy Fallon and Charlie Grandy and starred ...
'' (2012)
*'' The New Normal'' (2012–13)
*''The Michael J. Fox Show
''The Michael J. Fox Show'' is an American sitcom television series starring Michael J. Fox, that aired on NBC in the United States from September 26, 2013, to January 23, 2014, as part of the 2013–14 American television season. Fox made his r ...
'' (2013–14)
*'' Dads'' episode: "Comic Book Issues" (2013)
*''Us & Them
''Us & Them'' is an American sitcom based on the British series ''Gavin & Stacey'' created by James Corden and Ruth Jones. It was adapted for an American audience by David J. Rosen. The series was scheduled to premiere on Fox, as a mid-season re ...
'' episode: "Upstairs & Downstairs" (2014)
*'' Mixology'' episode: "Dominic & Stacey" (2014)
*'' Undateable'' (2014)
*''One Big Happy
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
'' episode: "Pilot" (2015)
*'' Dr. Ken'' (2015–16)
*''Superior Donuts
''Superior Donuts'' is a play by American playwright Tracy Letts. Its world premiere was staged by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 2008. It premiered on Broadway in 2009.
Synopsis
The play focuses on the relationship between despo ...
'' (2017)
*'' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (2017–18)
*'' A Christmas Story Live!'' (2017)
*'' Divorce'' (2018)
*'' Fam'' (2019)
*'' Carol's Second Act'' (2019–20)
*'' All Rise'' episode: "What The Bailiff Saw" (2020)
*''Tommy
Tommy may refer to:
People
* Tommy (given name)
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
'' episode: "Cause of Death" (2020)
References
*
"PLAYBILL.COM'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Scott Ellis" by Ernio Hernandez, Playbill.com, January 26, 2006
Ellis Bio American Theatre Wing
Notes
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Scott
1957 births
American musical theatre directors
American television directors
American television producers
Drama Desk Award winners
Living people
People from Washington, D.C.
Robinson Secondary School alumni