---
name: "Chris Ellis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/chris-ellis"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "14 April 1956"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 76
updated: "2026-09-17T01:37:13.263789+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Chris Ellis

Actor. Born 14 April 1956 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 14 April 1956, Dallas, Texas, USA
- **Active:** 1990–2012

## Biography

Chris Ellis is an American actor. He was born on 14 April 1956 in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Frayser, Tennessee, near Memphis. He began working in community theatre in Memphis before moving to New York, where he appeared in regional and off-Broadway productions.

Ellis's screen career began with a small role in the 1979 television film The Suicide's Wife. After a long period with little work, he gained a part in the 1990 film Days of Thunder. Subsequent film roles include Deke Slayton in Apollo 13 (1995), Special Agent Witkins in Catch Me If You Can (2002), a flight director in Armageddon (1998), Admiral Brigham in Transformers (2007) and Fr. Reilly in The Dark Knight Rises (2012). He has also appeared in numerous television series.

*Sources: rottentomatoes.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, themoviedb.org.*

## On Fi1m (9)

- *The Dark Knight Rises* (2012), Fi1m 74, as Fr. Reilly — [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight-rises.md)
- *Justified* (2010), Fi1m 87, as Douglas Cooper — [page](https://film.one/tv/justified.md)
- *Catch Me If You Can* (2002), Fi1m 83, as Special Agent Witkins — [page](https://film.one/film/catch-me-if-you-can.md)
- *Alias* (2001), Fi1m 74, as Agent Chapman — [page](https://film.one/tv/alias.md)
- *Armageddon* (1998), Fi1m 64, as Flight Director Clark — [page](https://film.one/film/armageddon.md)
- *Wag the Dog* (1997), Fi1m 77, as Officer — [page](https://film.one/film/wag-the-dog.md)
- *Apollo 13* (1995), Fi1m 84, as Deke Slayton — [page](https://film.one/film/apollo-13.md)
- *Addams Family Values* (1993), Fi1m 78, as Moving Man — [page](https://film.one/film/addams-family-values.md)
- *Days of Thunder* (1990), Fi1m 61, as Harlem Hoogerhyde — [page](https://film.one/film/days-of-thunder.md)

## Also known for

- *Transformers* (2007), Admiral Brigham
- *Live Free or Die Hard* (2007), Capt. Jack Scalvino
- *The Island* (2005), Aces & Spades Barman
- *Con Air* (1997), BOP Official Grant
- *The Mentalist* (2008), Sherrif Mullery
- *Planet of the Apes* (2001), Commander Karl Vasich
- *Godzilla* (1998), General Anderson
- *Criminal Minds* (2005), Sheriff Rhodes

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/chris-ellis