pirates of the caribbean - Cannes International Film Festival

ecently seen as Chief Engineer Olsen, first chief engineer of the original Starship
Enterprise, in J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek.”
On the small screen, Ellis starred on TNT’s series “Trust Me,” “The Riches” and
“Valentine.” He also portrayed the villainous Michael Amador opposite Kiefer
Sutherland in the third season of “24.” On the big screen, in addition to the “Pirates of
the Caribbean” films, Ellis appeared in two other blockbusters, James Cameron’s
“Titanic” and Doug Liman’s “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
Ellis was born on March 21, 1968 in Wigan, England, moving with his family to the small
seaside town of Ainsdale at the age of seven. Following his father to a business meeting
in London when he was 14 years old, Ellis found himself in a mall where over 10,000 kids
had lined up to audition for a part in Alan Parker’s film musical, “Bugsy Malone.” With
the encouragement of his father, Ellis tried out for the part, and was chosen for the
second lead role of “Fat Sam.” While performing in the film, Ellis caught the eye of a
record label executive who offered him a record deal. He went on to sign with BMG
Germany and recorded four songs back-to-back that went to the top of the European
charts, with three hits in the “Top 20s” and performing for H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth at
Saint Paul’s Cathedral.
Upon obtaining his high school diploma, Ellis trekked to London and immediately landed
a role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Starlight Express,” directed by Trevor Nunn, then
joining the cast of “Miss Saigon” in the lead role of Chris. He landed a role in the British
family sitcom “Bread,” and shortly thereafter was asked by Andrew Lloyd Webber to
recreate the lead role of Rusty the Steam Train in the newly re-vamped version of
“Starlight Express,” then playing the role in Las Vegas. Moving to Los Angeles, Ellis was
cast by James Cameron in “Titanic.” Following “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of
the Black Pearl” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” he was cast by Robert Zemeckis as barbarian
warrior Garmund in “Beowulf.”
On television, Ellis has appeared in “The X-Files,” “Bones,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,”
“The Closer,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Jake in Progress” and “Nip/Tuck.” His
voice talents have been heard in numerous animated series, including “Star Wars: The
Clone Wars,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” “The Mummy,” “What’s New, Scooby-
Doo?,” “The Boondocks,” “Ben 10,” “Teen Titans,” and the animated features “Garfield”
and “Foodfight!” He’s also lent his voice to many video games.
DAMIAN O’HARE is seen in the role of Gillette for the first time since “Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” O’Hare has portrayed the roles of Dr. Nick
Burnett on “The Royal” and cameraman Rory Wallace in “Taking the Flak.” Also for
British television, O’Hare has appeared in “Ultimate Force,” “P.O.W.,” “Foyle’s War,”
“Red Cap,” “Holby City,” “If…,” “The Wild West,” “Casualty,” “The Bill” and “Doctors.”
O’Hare also portrayed ship designer Thomas Andrews in “Titanic: Birth of a Legend.”
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