James Ellis (actor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Ellis (born March 15, 1931, Belfast) is an actor from Northern Ireland who has been a regular on the television screen for more than forty-five years. He attended Methodist College Belfast during his childhood.
His most famous role was that of Bert Lynch in Z Cars, rising from the rank of PC to Inspector over a period of sixteen years from 1962 to 1978.
His numerous other roles include parts on Doctor Who, Ballykissangel, Playing the Field , One By One and the cult sitcom Nightingales, as well as the short film Romans 12:20.
Ellis is also a writer of poems and prose and a translator. A selection of his adaptations from French was broadcast on the BBC in 2007.
Perhaps his finest performance as an actor was as Norman Martin in the acclaimed "Billy" trilogy by Graham Reid, the first play of which, "Too Late to Talk to Billy", was aired in 1982 on BBC1. This ground-breaking series of plays introduced a 22-year-old Kenneth Branagh in the role of Norman's son, the eponymous hero, to the viewing public, and included some fine ensemble playing from TV debutantes Brid Brennan,Tracey Lynch, and Aine Gorman, as his daughters. He has also contributed memorable cameos to series such as "Boys from the Blackstuff" by Allan Bleasdale.
