20+ Famous People And Celebrities Named Ellis
Voting Rules
Vote up all of the Ellises you've heard of.
How many celebrities named Ellis can you think of? The famous Ellises below have many different professions, including notable actors named Ellis, famous athletes named Ellis, and even musicians named Ellis.
Ellis Valentine is certainly one of the most famous Ellises on this list. One of the famous baseball players named Ellis, he was named an MLB All-Star in 1977. He started his career with the Montreal Expos and later played for the Mets, Angels, and Rangers.
Another of the famous people with the first name Ellis is Ellis Weiner. He is a writer and humorist. He was the editor of National Lampoon and his work has appeared in The New Yorker and Spy Magazine.
Did we forget one of your favorite famous people named Ellis? Just add them to the list!
Latest additions: Ellis Hobbs
Help shape these rankings by voting on this list of 20+ Famous People And Celebrities Named Ellis
- 109/11/1964Ellis Rena Burks (born September 11, 1964) is a former outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for 18 seasons. He batted and threw right-handed.
- 208/02/1933Ellis Edward Amburn (born August 2, 1933 in Jack County, Texas) was an American book editor and biographer.
- 305/15/1923Ellis Larkins (May 15, 1923 – September 30, 2002) was an American jazz pianist born in Baltimore, Maryland, perhaps best known for his two recordings with Ella Fitzgerald: the albums Ella Sings Gershwin (1950) and Songs in a Mellow Mood (1954). He was also the leader in the first solo sides by singer Chris Connor on her album Chris (1954). Larkins was the first African American to attend the Peabody Conservatory of Music, a well-known institute in Baltimore. He began his professional playing career in New York City after moving there to attend the Juilliard School. Following school Larkins performed jazz piano with Billy Moore and Edmond Hall. He recorded with Coleman Hawkins, Mildred Bailey, and Dicky Wells in the 1940s. In the 1950s he recorded with Ella Fitzgerald, Ruby Braff, and Beverly Kenney. His 1960s work included recordings or performances with Eartha Kitt, Joe Williams, Helen Humes, Georgia Gibbs and Harry Belafonte. Though he was best known as an accompanist, Larkins recorded several solo albums in the 1950s. In the 1970s he performed regularly at several New York venues, including Gregory's, a small bar on the Upper East Side.
- 405/16/1983Ellis Hue Hobbs III (born May 16, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played for six seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for Iowa State. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and played for them from 2005–2008. He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2009 and played for them from 2009–2010 before a neck injury ended his career. Hobbs previously shared the NFL record for the longest kickoff return (108 yards) with Randall Cobb and Jacoby Jones, a feat he accomplished on September 9, 2007 in a game against the New York Jets. This record was eclipsed by a 109-yard kickoff return touchdown by Cordarrelle Patterson of the Minnesota Vikings against Green Bay on October 27, 2013.
- 511/13/1879Ellis Fuller Lawrence was an American architect who worked primarily in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 1914, he helped found and was the first dean of the University of Oregon's School of Architecture and Allied Arts, a position he held until his death. Lawrence concurrently served as campus architect for the University of Oregon and designed many campus buildings, including Knight Library and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Lawrence Hall on the university campus was named in his honor in 1956. His body of over 500 projects includes churches, residences, commercial and industrial buildings, funerary buildings, multi-family residences, and public buildings. In 1988, the private residence he designed for Thomas A. Livesley, a prominent Salem, Oregon businessman and civic leader, was purchased through private donations and donated to the state and now serves as the Governor's official residence.
- 6
Ellis Wackett
04/13/1901Air Vice Marshal Ellis Charles Wackett, CB, CBE (13 August 1901 – 3 August 1984) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Its chief engineer from 1935 to 1959, he served on the RAAF's controlling body, the Air Board, for a record seventeen years, and has been credited with infusing operations with new standards of airworthiness. Commencing his service career as a Royal Australian Navy cadet during World War I, Wackett transferred to the Air Force in 1923 while on an engineering course in Britain. He qualified as a pilot before completing his studies and returning to Australia, where he inaugurated parachute instruction within the RAAF and made the country's first freefall descent from a military aircraft in 1926. The following year, he led a three-month survey flight to Papua New Guinea. Wackett became the RAAF's senior engineer with his appointment as Director of Technical Services in 1935. A wing commander at the outbreak of World War II, he rose to air commodore by 1942 and assumed the role of Air Member for Engineering and Maintenance. He established the Technical Branch as a separate department of the RAAF in 1948, and was promoted to air vice marshal the same year. Wackett served as Air Member for Technical Services until leaving the military in 1959, having been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Companion of the Order of the Bath. From 1960 to 1968, he was a member of the Australian National Airlines Commission, parent of Trans Australia Airlines. Generally known as "Wack", or "EC" (to distinguish him from his elder brother, aircraft designer Lawrence James Wackett or "LJ"), his prominent chin and nose also earned him the nickname "Punch". He died in 1984, aged 83. - 7
Ellis Garai
Ellis Garai was a Fellow in the Biodesign program at Stanford University. - 807/26/1914Ellis Raymond "Old Folks" Kinder (July 26, 1914 – October 16, 1968) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox between 1946 and 1957. Kinder batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Atkins, Arkansas. Despite making his MLB debut as a 31-year-old rookie, Kinder had a reputable career. He is one of few pitchers in baseball history who won or saved a combined total of at least 200 games, and who were primarily starters for at least a third of their career. Kinder was among the best starting pitchers in the American League in 1949, going 23–6 and leading the league in shutouts (6) and a .793 winning percentage, with a 130 adjusted ERA. In fact, Kinder's ERA+ for his four years as a starter were 87, 117, 130 and 115. Then, in 1951, the Red Sox, desperate for a relief pitcher, moved him to the pen where he shined as the best reliever in the AL until 1955. In his 12-year career, Kinder compiled a 102–71 record with 749 strikeouts, a 3.43 ERA, 56 complete games, 10 shutouts, 102 saves, and 1479 innings pitched in 484 games. On May 17, 1947 a seagull flew over Fenway Park and dropped a three-pound smelt on Kinder while he was pitching for the St. Louis Browns. Nevertheless, Kinder beat Boston 4–2. Ellis Kinder died in Jackson, Tennessee, at the age of 54, after undergoing open-heart surgery. Highlights Twice Top 10 MVP (1949, 1951) Twice led league in winning percentage (1949, 1951) Led league in shutouts (1949) Twice led league in games pitched (63, 1951; 69, 1953) Twice led league in saves (1951, 1953) Pitched a 10 inning scoreless relief win-game (1951) (On July 12, 1951, Kinder took over to start the eighth inning and held the Chicago White Sox scoreless for 10 innings. The Red Sox finally scored a run in the 17th inning to win, 5-4.) The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year (1949)
- 912/28/1917Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke (28 December 1917 – 30 December 2010) was the second and last Governor-General of Trinidad and Tobago and the first President of Trinidad and Tobago. He was one of the main architects of Trinidad and Tobago's 1962 Independence constitution.
- 10
Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett
08/24/1849Sir Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett (24 August 1849 – 18 January 1902) was an American-born British Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1902. - 11
Ellis H. Roberts
09/30/1827Ellis Henry Roberts (September 30, 1827 – January 8, 1918) was a United States Representative from New York and 20th Treasurer of the United States. Roberts was born in Utica, Oneida County, New York on September 30, 1827. He attended the common schools and the Whitestown Seminary and graduated from Yale College in 1850, where he was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi and Skull and Bones. He served as principal of Utica Free Academy in 1850 and 1851 and became editor and proprietor of the Utica Morning Herald 1851 - 1889. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1864, 1868, and 1876; and a member of the New York State Assembly (Oneida Co., 2nd D.) in 1867. Roberts was elected as a Republican to the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses (March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress; resumed his former newspaper activities in Utica, N.Y.; Assistant Treasurer of the United States 1889 - 1893; president of the Franklin National Bank of New York City 1893 - 1897; appointed Treasurer of the United States on July 1, 1897, and served until June 30, 1905, when he resigned; again engaged in banking; died in Utica, New York, January 8, 1918; interment in Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica. - 1210/30/1973Ellis Bernard Johnson (born October 30, 1973) is an American former college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Johnson played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as the National Defensive Player of the Year. He was picked in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos of the NFL.
- 1311/14/1934Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. (November 14, 1934 - April 1, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and educator. He had been active since the late 1940s. Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and 1990s as the patriarch of a musical family, with sons Branford Marsalis and Wynton Marsalis rising to international acclaim.
- 1407/30/1954Ellis Clarence Valentine (born July 30, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is remembered for having one of the all-time great throwing arms. "There's a plateau where you can't throw the ball any harder and you can't be any more accurate", said former Montreal manager Felipe Alou. "That was Ellis Valentine."
- 1501/01/1783Ellis Bent (1783 – 10 November 1815) was the Deputy Judge Advocate between 1810 and 1815 of the Australian colony of New South Wales, which was eventually to become an Australian state. The Deputy Judge Advocate of New South Wales was the senior legal officer of the colony and functioned in many ways as a Chief Justice. Bent was the first barrister to be appointed to a judicial office in the infant colony in an era when military officers were commonly appointed to the position. Bent Street in Sydney, Bent's Basin and Ellis Bent Road, Greendale near the Warragamba Dam are named after him.
- 16
Ellis R. Dungan
05/11/1909Ellis Roderick Dungan (May 11, 1909 – December 1, 2001) was an American film director, who was well known for working in Indian films, predominantly in Tamil cinema, from 1936 to 1950. He was an alumnus of the University of Southern California and moved to India in 1935. During his film career in South India, Dungan directed the debut films of several popular Tamil film actors, such as M. G. Ramachandran in Sathi Leelavathi, T. S. Balaiya and N. S. Krishnan. - 17
Ellis Weiner
Ellis Weiner is an author and humorist who has previously worked as an editor of National Lampoon and a columnist for Spy Magazine. His humor has also appeared in The New Yorker , Paris Review, and The New York Times Magazine. Ellis (known as "Otts" when growing up) was raised in Pikesville, Maryland. He attended Wellwood Elementary School, Sudbrook Junior High, Pikesville High School and the University of Pennsylvania. His theatrical and literary talent was obvious to all who knew him. In college, he played drums and sang in a rock band called Droylesden Wake. His first produced work was the 1967 Pikesville High Junior Play, an original parody using music from H.M.S. Pinafore and other Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Otts has an athletic history as well. He was a split end in the Development Football League from 1961 to 1964 with the Summit Park Colts Association (SPCA). He works regularly as an editor and ghostwriter for Kevin Anderson & Associates Inc. - 18
Ellis Jones
11/15/1943Ellis Jonesis a British director and actor. In recent years he has been involved in training and directing student actors, for sixteen years as a resident director at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) London, and subsequently as a guest director for other leading drama schools in the UK and abroad, including the Royal Central School and the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and as a consultant to the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. He became known for his role as the young apprentice Hal Adden, in the 1970s children's comedy series Pardon My Genie. He went on to appear in many other television productions, such as The Squirrels, 1914 All Out, King Lear and Measure for Measure Having worked extensively in recent years in theatre training, directing and producing, Ellis Jones recently made a cautious return to performing, as understudy to Kenneth Cranham in London's West End and on tour in Florian Zeller's award-winning play "The Father". - 19
Ellis Wainwright
08/03/1850Ellis Wainwright (August 3, 1850 – November 6, 1924) was an American capitalist, brewer, art collector and socialite from St. Louis, Missouri. He was President of the St. Louis Brewing Company and Director of the St. Louis and Suburban Company. He is best known for the Wainwright Building in downtown St. Louis, which was one of the first skyscrapers in the world and one of the most important office buildings of the period. - 2002/11/1881This article is on the war correspondent. For his father, the politician, see Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett.Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett (11 February 1881 – 4 May 1931) was an English war correspondent during the First World War. Through his reporting of the Battle of Gallipoli, Ashmead-Bartlett was instrumental in the birth of the Anzac legend which still dominates military history in Australia and New Zealand. Through his outspoken criticism of the conduct of the campaign, he was instrumental in bringing about the dismissal of the British commander-in-chief, Sir Ian Hamilton – an event that led to the evacuation of British forces from the Gallipoli peninsula.
- 21
Ellis Ferreira
02/19/1970Ellis Ferreira (born 19 February 1970) is a former professional male tennis player from South Africa. He played collegiately at the University of Alabama, earning all-SEC and all-American honors. He won 2 Grand Slam doubles titles, the Men's title at the 2000 Australian Open with Rick Leach and the mixed doubles at the Australian Open with Corina Morariu in 2001. Ferreira was named the Senior Assistant Men's and Women's Tennis Head Coach at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, in July 2007. Ferreira is now the co-owner of the Eagleton/ Ferreira Tennis Academy on Longboat Key in Florida (www.eftennis.com). - 2201/14/1965Ellis Paul (born Paul Plissey; January 14, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, provocative, and urbanely romantic folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s. His pop music songs have appeared in movies and on television, bridging the gap between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.Paul grew up in a small Maine town. He attended Boston College on a track scholarship, majoring in English. Injured during his junior year, Paul began playing guitar to help fill his free time and soon began writing songs. After graduating college Paul played at open mic nights in the Boston area while working with inner-city school children. He won a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition and gained national exposure on a Windham Hill Records compilation which helped him choose music as a career.Paul had released 19 albums by the end of 2014 and received 14 Boston Music Awards, considered the pinnacle of contemporary acoustic music success by some. He has published a book of original lyrics, poems, and drawings and released a DVD that includes a live performance, guitar instruction, and a road-trip documentary. In 2014, his children's CD Hero in You was published as a book by Albert Whitman & Company. Paul plays almost 200 live shows a year.More Ellis Paul
- Dig Deeper...List of Famous Bands from Boston
- And Deeper...List of Famous Singer-songwriters
- #8 of 58 onThe Best Musical Artists From Maine
- 2310/08/1915Ellis Paul Torrance (October 8, 1915 – July 12, 2003) was an American psychologist from Milledgeville, Georgia. After completing his undergraduate degree at Mercer University, Torrance acquired a Master's degree at the University of Minnesota and then a doctorate from the University of Michigan. His teaching career spanned from 1957 to 1984. First, he taught at the University of Minnesota and then later at the University of Georgia, where he became professor of Educational Psychology in 1966. Torrance is best known for his research in creativity. His major accomplishments include 1,871 publications:88 books; 256 parts of books or cooperative volumes; 408 journal articles; 538 reports, manuals, tests, etc.; 162 articles in popular journals or magazines; 355 conference papers; and 64 forewords or prefaces. He also created the Future Problem Solving Program International, the Incubation Curriculum Model, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.
- 24
Ellis Spear
10/15/1834Ellis Spear (October 15, 1834 – April 3, 1917) was an officer in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. On April 10, 1866, the United States Senate confirmed President Andrew Johnson's February 24, 1866 nomination of Spear for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general to rank from April 9, 1865. He was United States Commissioner of Patents in 1877-1878. - 25
Ellis Wellwood Sifton
10/12/1891Ellis Wellwood Sifton (12 October 1891 – 9 April 1917) was a Canadian soldier. Sifton was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Sifton was born in Wallacetown, Ontario and was a farmer when he enlisted in October 1914. One of four soldiers to earn the Victoria Cross in the Battle of Vimy Ridge (the others were Thain Wendell MacDowell, William Johnstone Milne and John George Pattison), Sifton was 25 years old, and a Lance Sergeant in the 18th (Western Ontario) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. - 26
Ellis M. Zacharias
01/01/1890Ellis Mark Zacharias, Sr. (January 1, 1890 – June 27, 1961) was a Rear admiral and naval attaché to Japan, who served in World War I and World War II. After World War II, he was appointed as the deputy director of US Naval Intelligence, and post-retirement he narrated the 1958–59 NBC television docudrama series Behind Closed Doors. - 2706/28/1951Ellis E. Williams (born June 28, 1951) is an American film and television actor/comedian who is better known for playing "Henry Hugley" (father of Darryl Hughley, played by comedian D.L. Hughley) on the sitcom, The Hughleys.
