David R. Ellis

David Richard Ellis ( born September 8, 1952 in Santa Monica, California, † January 7, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa ) was an American film director and stuntman.

Life

In his youth Ellis had a successful junior pro surfer and lived at this time in Malibu.

Ellis began his career in the film industry as a supporting actor in juvenile roles; his big screen debut was in 1975 in the Kurt Russell film The retort Goliath. A year later he took over the stunts in the film Baby Blue Marine and worked from then on as a stuntman. His next career step came in 1981 with the ascent to the Stunt Coordinator. When he was five years of success in this position, he worked from 1986 increasingly as an assistant director or second unit director.

In 1996 he made ​​his debut as a director with the family movie Homeward Bound. He gained greater attention in 2001 when he was the director of Final Destination 2, the first sequel of the most financially successful Final Destination series. 2009 Ellis turned their fourth part.

His next directorial effort, the thriller Final Call - When he hangs up, she has to die (2004), a moderate success at the box office was granted what Ellis on the competition of parallel running in theaters Resident Evil: Apocalypse and the poor application of his film attributed.

2006 saw Ellis ' next film, the thriller Snakes on a Plane, around which developed an unusual internet hype.

The final rotated to end film Shark Night 3D, which appeared in 2011.

Ellis passed away on January 7, 2013 at the age of 60 years during the shooting of the film kite in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Private

His sister was the stunt woman Annie Ellis, who was involved, inter alia, as a stunt coordinator in his films Snakes on a Plane and Final Destination. Ellis wife Mary was also active in the stunt area. Their daughter Tawny Ellis works mainly as a film producer.

Filmography

222586
de