Tom Ellis (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tom Ellis
Ellis in September 2022
Born	Thomas John Ellis (1978-11-17) 17 November 1978 (age 46) Cardiff, Wales, UK
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–present
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Spouse(s)	Tamzin Outhwaite ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2014)​ Meaghan Oppenheimer ​ ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	4

Thomas John Ellis (born on November 17, 1978) is a talented actor from Wales. He first became well-known for his role as Gary Preston in the BBC One comedy show Miranda (2009–2015). Later, he gained even more fame playing Lucifer Morningstar in the fantasy series Lucifer (2016–2021). He also appeared as Lucifer in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event in 2019.

Early Life and Education

Thomas John Ellis was born in Cardiff, Wales, on November 17, 1978. His parents are Marilyn Jean and Christopher John Ellis. He has three sisters, and one of them is his twin. His father, uncle, and one sister are all Baptist ministers.

Soon after he was born, his family moved from Wales to England and settled in Sheffield. There, he went to High Storrs School. He also played the French horn in the city's youth orchestra. After school, he studied Dramatic Arts at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

Acting Career Highlights

Tom Ellis's big break came when he played Gary Preston in the popular BBC One sitcom Miranda. This show ran from 2009 to 2015.

He also appeared in other fantasy shows like Merlin (2008), where he played King Cenred. You might have seen him as Justyn in Channel 4's No Angels. He was also Thomas Milligan in an episode of Doctor Who called "Last of the Time Lords".

Ellis has acted in many other British TV shows. These include the soap opera EastEnders, the comedy show The Catherine Tate Show, and the medical drama Holby City. In 2009, he starred in the ITV comedy-drama Monday Monday. He also played Detective Inspector Bland in Agatha Christie's Poirot.

Becoming Lucifer

In 2015, Tom Ellis was chosen to play Lucifer Morningstar in the Fox series Lucifer. This show is based on a character from DC Comics. It first aired on January 25, 2016. Later, the show moved to Netflix. In 2020, Netflix announced that the show would have a sixth and final season.

He played Lucifer again in an episode of The Flash. This was part of a big crossover event called "Crisis on Infinite Earths".

In 2021, Tom Ellis won the Tell-Tale TV Award for Favorite Actor in a Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror Series. He also starred as Nick, a war correspondent, in the Netflix romantic comedy film Players (2024).

Looking ahead, in April 2025, Ellis was cast in the main role for a new CBS series called CIA.

Personal Life

In 2006, Tom Ellis married English actress Tamzin Outhwaite. They were introduced by actor James McAvoy. They had two daughters together. They later divorced in April 2014. Tom Ellis also has a third daughter from an earlier relationship.

On June 2, 2019, Ellis married American screenwriter Meaghan Oppenheimer. Their daughter was born in November 2023 through surrogacy.

Film and Television Roles

Tom Ellis has appeared in many films and television shows. Here are some of his notable roles:

Film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Kiss Me Kate	Ben	Episode: "Kate's Niece"
2001	Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, TheThe Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby	John Browdie	Television film
	Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story	Bigger boy 1	Miniseries; 2 episodes
2001–2002	Nice Guy Eddie	Frank Bennett	Main role
2002	Wild West	Bungee jump instructor	Episode: "Fear of Bungee"
	Linda Green	Marko	Episode: "Viva Espana"
2003	Pollyanna	Timothy	Television film
	Holby City	David Jones	Episode: "Endgame"
2004	Messiah III: The Promise	Dr. Phillip Ryder	2 episodes
2005	Twisted Tales	Alex	Episode: "The Irredeemable Brain of Dr Heinrich Hunsecker"
	Doctors	Ricky Adams	Episode: "Slim Chance"
	Midsomer Murders	Lee Smeeton	Episode: "Midsomer Rhapsody"
	Waking the Dead	Harry Taylor	Episode: "Straw Dog"
	Love Soup	Mike	Episode: "Take Five"
	ShakespeaRe-Told	Claudio	Episode: "Much Ado About Nothing"
2005–2006	No Angels	Justyn	4 episodes
2006	EastEnders	Dr. Oliver Cousins	29 episodes
	Pulling	Sam	2 episodes
2006–2007	Suburban Shootout	PC Haines	Main role
	Catherine Tate Show, TheThe Catherine Tate Show	Detective Sergeant Sam Speed	2 episodes
2007	Casualty	Joe Kelsall	Episode: "Combat Indicators: Part 1"
	Doctor Who	Tom Milligan	Episode: "Last of the Time Lords"
2008	Trial & Retribution	Nick Fisher	2 episodes
	Passion, TheThe Passion	Apostle Philip	4 episodes
	Harley Street	Dr Ross Jarvis	5 episodes
2009	Monday Monday	Steven McColl	Main role
2009–2015	Miranda	Gary Preston	Main role
2010	Dappers	Marco	Episode: "Proper Job"
	Merlin	Cenred	4 episodes
	Accused	Neil McGray	Episode: "Liam's Story"
2011	Sugartown	Max Burr	Main role
	Fades, TheThe Fades	Mark Etches	Main role
2012	Silent Witness	Father Jacobs	Episode: "Fear"
	Playhouse Presents	Bill	Episode: "The Other Woman"
	Gates	Mark Pearson	5 episodes
	Secret of Crickley Hall, TheThe Secret of Crickley Hall	Gabe Caleigh	Miniseries; 3 episodes
2013	Once Upon a Time	Robin Hood	S2 Episode 19 "Lacey"
	Agatha Christie's Poirot	Detective Inspector Bland	Episode: "Dead Man's Folly"
	Gothica	Victor Frankenstein	Television film
2014	Under Milk Wood	Mr. Ogmore	Television film
	Rush	Dr. William Rush	Main role
2015	Strain, TheThe Strain	Rob Bradley	Episode: "Identity"
2016–2021	Lucifer	Lucifer Morningstar / Michael Demiurgos	Main role
2018	Family Guy	Oscar Wilde (voice)	Episode: "V Is for Mystery"
	Queen America	Andy	2 episodes
2019	Flash, TheThe Flash	Lucifer Morningstar	Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Three"
2022	Robot Chicken	Michelin Man (voice)	Episode: "May Cause Indecision...Or Not"
	The Great North	Rick Chateau (voice)	Episode: "Dick, Rick, Groom Adventure"
2024	Exploding Kittens	GodCat (voice)	9 episodes
	Tell Me Lies	Oliver	Series regular (Season 2)
2025	Washington Black	Christopher 'Titch' Wilde	Main role
TBA	FBI/CIA	CIA Agent Hart Hoxton	Pre-production
	Second Wife	Jacob	Pre-production

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

See also

In Spanish: Tom Ellis para niños