David James Elliott: biography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

David James is a Canadian-born actor best known for his role as Harmon Rebb on the TV series JAG.

Early years

David James Elliott was born September 21, 1960 as David William Smith in the small town of Milton, Canada. He was the middle son in a family with three children. His father, Arnold Smith, was a heating and plumbing wholesaler and his mother, Pat Farrow, was an office manager.

David attended Milton High School (about 64 kilometers from Toronto). While in high school, he briefly dropped out of school to play music in a band. He dreamed of becoming a rock star, but when he realized that nothing would work with the group, he returned to school and graduated in 1980. In the same year, he was enrolled at the Toronto Polytechnic Institute, where he studied theater arts for three years.

The next two years, David honed his acting skills at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, where he took part in several productions along with the best theater actors. For him it wasan incredible experience, and in 1983 he won the Jean Chalmers Award for Most Promising Actor.

Career before JAG

After joining the US Screen Actors Guild, David changed his name to David James Elliott.

In 1987, David is playing the character Dick, the dim-witted stripper, in B-Movie:The Play when he is spotted by one of the producers of the CBC series Labyrinth of Justice. So he gets his first regular role in the series, the role of Nick Del Gado, a Toronto police detective. At the same time, he appears with minor roles in films such as "Police Academy 3" and "Chicago Blues".

In 1990, David James follows his dream and moves to Hollywood. The deal with Disney that brought him here has fallen through, leaving the aspiring actor to fight his own way in Hollywood. He appears with small roles in TV series such as "Hidden Room", "Dark Justice", "Quiet Marina", "Catch your luck on the fly".

Successful both in career terms and in personal life turns out to be 1992 for David. He marries actress Nancy Chambers and gets a role on The Untouchables. Filming is taking place in Chicago, which means a move for David and Nancy. Their daughter Stephanie is born in 1993.

From 1993 to 1995 David didn't have a "stable" job. He made occasional cameo appearances in television films and series, including Melrose Place and"Seinfeld". David attributes his late success to this appearance in Seinfeld, noting that after him phone calls began to come in, starting with the phrase "We didn't know he could be a comedian!".

In 1995, David had a big breakthrough. He auditions for the TV series "JSC" and gets the role of Harmon Rabb, which secures him a permanent job for the next 10 years.

Career after JAG

Despite being busy with JAG, David James Elliott continues to occasionally appear in other television films. These are mostly family films or films in the genre of romantic melodrama.

Meanwhile, his personal life is in full swing. In 1999, David and Nancy arranged for themselves a real wedding, which they promised themselves seven years ago. Their son Wyatt is born in 2003.

David's first work after the end of the TV series "JSC" was the thriller "Married to a Stranger". For his filming, David returned to Canada for a while. David also appears with leading roles in various series and films such as Close to Home, Rainbow Tribe, Last Day, Goofy, Knights of Steelblood and more.