Robert Ellis Reel (June 27, 1892 – December 29, 1974), known professionally as Robert Ellis, was an American film actor,

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1913 and 1934. He also wrote for 65 films and directed 61.

Biography

Ellis was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, on June 27, 1892, and he attended St. Francis Xavier College in New York City. Ellis's wives included actresses May Allison and

Vera Reynolds Vera Reynolds (born Vera Nancy Reynolds; November 25, 1899 – April 22, 1962) was an American film actress. Early life and career Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1899, Reynolds first worked in films at age 12. She began as a dancer, worked ...

and screenwriter Helen Logan. He and Logan wed in 1962, following Reynolds's death. His relationship with Reynolds drew public attention in 1938 as a lawsuit ended when the two decided to marry. Reynolds had sued Ellis for $180,000 for breach of promise, asserting that after their 1926 marriage in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

, was found to be invalid, he had promised to marry her but failed to follow through. After a month's hearing, their decision to marry ended the litigation. On Broadway, Ellis portrayed Dan Huntley in ''Baxter's Partner'' (1911). Ellis acted for Kalem and Metro film studios. He was the leading man in the film '' For Sale'' (1924), but he often portrayed villains. After acting, he became a screenwriter whose scripts were used in films of

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan ...

, Jane Withers, and others. He also directed films, including ''A Fool and His Money'' and ''The Figurehead.'' On December 29, 1974, Ellis died in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. He and Logan are buried in adjacent graves in Inglewood Park Cemetery in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

Selected filmography

* '' The Apaches of Paris'' (1915) - Darcelle * '' The Glory of Youth'' (1915)memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.5691/default.html - Hal Crofton - an Athlete * '' The Customary Two Weeks'' (1917) - George Extell * '' The Lifted Veil'' (1917) - Leslie Palliser * '' Brown of Harvard'' (1918) - 'Bud' Hall * '' In for Thirty Days'' (1919) - Brett Page * '' Peggy Does Her Darndest'' (1919) - Honorable Hugh Wentworth * '' Upstairs and Down'' (1919) - Terrence O'Keefe * ''

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

'' (1919) - Laurence Ferol * '' The Third Kiss'' (1919) - Rupert Bawlf * '' The Spite Bride'' (1919) - Billy Swayne * '' The Tiger's Trail'' (1919) * '' The Imp'' (1919) * '' The Figurehead'' (1920) - Director * '' The Daughter Pays'' (1920) - Gerald Roseborough * '' Handcuffs or Kisses'' (1921) - Peter Madison * '' Ladies Must Live'' (1921) - Anthony Mulvain * '' Wild Honey'' (1922) - Kerry Burgess * '' Chivalrous Charley'' (1921) * '' Love's Masquerade'' (1922) - Herbert Norwooood * '' The Dangerous Little Demon'' (1922) - Gary McVeigh * '' The Infidel'' (1922) - Cyrus Flint * ''

Hurricane's Gal ''Hurricane's Gal'' is a 1922 American silent film, silent adventure film produced, written and directed by Allen Holubar and starring his wife Dorothy Phillips. It was distributed through Associated First National Pictures. Plot Cast *Doroth ...

'' (1922) - Steele O'Connor * '' The Woman Who Fooled Herself'' (1922) - Fernando Pennington * '' Anna Ascends'' (1922) - Howard Fisk * '' Dark Secrets'' (1923) - Lord Wallington * '' The Flame of Life'' (1923) - Fergus Derrick * ''

Mark of the Beast The number of the beast (, ) is associated with the Beast of Revelation in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Book of Revelation. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the beast is six hundr ...

'' (1923) - Dr. David Hale * '' The Wild Party'' (1923) - Basil Wingate / Stuart Furth * '' The Wanters'' (1923) - Elliot Worthington * '' The Law Forbids'' (1924) - Paul Remsen * '' For Sale'' (1924) - Alan Penfield * ''

Lovers' Lane A lovers' lane is a secluded area where people kiss, Making out, make out, or engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity. These areas range from parking lots in secluded rural areas to places with extraordinary views of a cityscape or othe ...

'' (1924) - Dr. Tom Singletoon * '' Silk Stocking Sal'' (1924) - Bob Cooper * '' On Probation'' (1924) - Bruce Winter * '' A Cafe in Cairo'' (1924) - Barry Braxton * ''

Capital Punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

'' (1925) - Harry Phillip * '' Forbidden Cargo'' (1925) - Jerry Burke * ''

Speed In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...

'' (1925) - Nat Armstrong Jr. * ''Defend Yourself'' (1925) - Dr. Poole * '' Lady Robinhood'' (1925) - Hugh Winthrop * '' The Part Time Wife'' (1925) - Kenneth Scott * '' Northern Code'' (1925) - Louis Le Blanc * ''

S.O.S. Perils of the Sea ''S.O.S. Perils of the Sea'' is a 1925 American silent action drama film featuring Elaine Hammerstein, directed by James P. Hogan, and released through Columbia Pictures. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Rose is a girl who is sa ...

'' (1925) - Ralph Seldon * '' The Girl from Montmartre'' (1926) - Jack Ewing * '' Ladies of Leisure'' (1926) - Jack Forrest * ''

Brooding Eyes ''Brooding Eyes'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent crime film directed by Edward LeSaint and starring Lionel Barrymore, Ruth Clifford, and Robert Ellis (actor, born 1892), Robert Ellis. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Slim Ji ...

'' (1926) - Phillip Mott * '' Whispering Canyon'' (1926) - Bob Cameron * '' Devil's Dice'' (1926) - Larry Bannon * '' Lure of the Night Club'' (1927) - John Stone * ''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

'' (1927) - Steve Martin, aka 'Slick' * '' The Law and the Man'' (1928) - Ernest Vane * '' Marry the Girl'' (1928) - Harry Wayland * '' The Law's Lash'' (1928) - Corporal Ted Campbell * '' Varsity'' (1928) - Rod Luke * ''

Freedom of the Press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic Media (communication), media, especially publication, published materials, shoul ...

'' (1928) - Cyrus Hazlett * '' Restless Youth'' (1928) - Robert Haines * '' Broadway'' (1929) - Steve Crandall * '' The Love Trap'' (1929) - Guy Emory * '' Tonight at Twelve'' (1929) - Jack Keith * '' Night Parade'' (1929) - Mr. John W. Zelli * '' Undertow'' (1930) - Jim Paine * '' What Men Want'' (1930) - Howard LeMoyne * '' The Squealer'' (1930) - Valleti * ''

Caught Cheating ''Caught Cheating'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer from a screenplay by W. Scott Darling. The film stars Charles Murray, George Sidney, and Nita Martan, and it was released by Tiffany Productions on Janu ...

'' (1931) - Joe Cabrone * '' The Last Parade'' (1931) - A.C. Marino * ''

Aloha ''Aloha'' ( , Hawaiian: �ˈlohə is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a greeting. It has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance to native Hawaiians, for whom the term is use ...

'' (1931) - Larry Leavitt * '' The Fighting Sheriff'' (1931) - Flash Halloway * '' The Good Bad Girl'' (1931) - Dapper Dan Tyler * '' Dancing Dynamite'' (1931) - Lucas * '' Murder at Midnight'' (1931) - Duncan Channing * '' Is There Justice?'' (1931) - Dan Lawrence * '' Mounted Fury'' (1931) - Paul Marsh * '' The Deadline'' (1931) - Ira Coleman * '' The Devil Plays'' (1931) - Stiles * '' One Man Law'' (1932) - Jonathan P. Streeter * ''

The Fighting Fool ''The Fighting Fool'' is a 1932 American pre-Code Western (genre), Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and released by Columbia Pictures starring Tim McCoy, Marceline Day, and William V. Mong. Plot Sheriff Collins pursues a villain who e ...

'' (1932) - Crip Mason * '' Behind Stone Walls'' (1932) - Jack Keene - Man-about-Town * '' Scandal for Sale'' (1932) - Hotel Resident (uncredited) * '' A Man's Land'' (1932) - John Thomas * '' Daring Danger'' (1932) - Hugo DuSang * ''

American Madness ''American Madness'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Walter Huston as a New York banker embroiled in scandal. Plot At the Union National Bank, the directors are concerned because they think that ba ...

'' (1932) - Dude Finlay (uncredited) * '' The Phantom Express'' (1932) - Reynolds * '' The Last Man'' (1932) - English Charlie * '' Broadway to Cheyenne'' (1932) - Butch Owens * '' Come on Danger!'' (1932) - Frank Sanderson * '' The All American'' (1932) - Walter Grant * '' White Eagle'' (1932) - Jim Gregory * '' Slightly Married'' (1932) - Brandon * '' Speed Demon'' (1932) - Langard * '' Women Won't Tell'' (1932) - District Attorney * '' Call Her Savage'' (1932) - Hotel Manager (uncredited) * '' Officer Thirteen'' (1932) - Jack Blake * '' The Penal Code'' (1932) - James Forrester * '' The Monster Walks'' (1932, writer) * ''

Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

'' (1933) - Col. Jedcott * '' Reform Girl'' (1933) - Kellar * ''

The Constant Woman ''The Constant Woman'' (1933), also known as ''Auction in Souls'' and ''Hell in a Circus'', is an American Pre-Code film directed by Victor Schertzinger. It is based on the 1913 Eugene O'Neill play ''Recklessness''. Plot Marlene Underwood is a ...

'' (1933) - Leading Man * '' Soldiers of the Storm'' (1933) - Moran * '' The Thrill Hunter'' (1933) - Al Blake * '' The Sphinx'' (1933) - Inspector James Riley * '' The Important Witness'' (1933) - Jack (Duke) Farnham * '' Police Call'' (1933) - Police Chief Crown * '' Notorious But Nice'' (1933) - Prosecuting Attorney * '' Only Yesterday'' (1933) - (uncredited) * ''

In the Money ''In the Money'' is a 1958 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on February 16, 1958, by Monogram Pictures, Allied Artists Pictures and is the 48th and final film in the series. It ...

'' (1933, writer) * '' Dance Girl Dance'' (1933, writer) * '' I've Got Your Number'' (1934) - Turk Garrison * '' Madame Spy'' (1934) - Sulkin * '' Dancing Man'' (1934) - Cavendish * '' Gambling Lady'' (1934) - Mr. Carter - Lawyer (uncredited) * '' A Very Honorable Guy'' (1934) - Gangster (uncredited) * ''

Now I'll Tell ''Now I'll Tell'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Edwin J. Burke starring Spencer Tracy, Helen Twelvetrees, and Alice Faye. It was produced by Fox Film shortly before the company's merger with Twentieth Century Pictures. ...

'' (1934) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Friends of Mr. Sweeney'' (1934) - Casino Manager (uncredited) * '' A Girl of the Limberlost'' (1934) - Frank Comstock * '' Kid Millions'' (1934) - Desert Rider (uncredited) (final film role) * '' In Love with Life'' (1934, writer) * '' Charlie Chan in Egypt'' (1935, writer) * '' The Jones Family in Big Business'' (1937, writer) * ''

Sun Valley Serenade ''Sun Valley Serenade'' is a 1941 American musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, and Lynn Bari. It features the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as dancing by the Nichol ...

'' (1941, writer) * ''

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

'' (1942, writer) * ''

Hello, Frisco, Hello ''Hello, Frisco, Hello'' is a 1943 American musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Lynn Bari, and Jack Oakie. The film was made in Technicolor and released by 20th Century-Fox. This was one of the l ...

'' (1943, writer) * ''

El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

'' (1949, writer) * ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' (1953, writer)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Robert 1892 births 1974 deaths Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery American male film actors American male silent film actors American male screenwriters 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Brooklyn Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters