Scott Ellis

Scott Ellis is an American stage director, actor, and television director born on April 19, 1957, in Washington, D.C. He attended James W. Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia, graduating in 1975, and went on to earn a degree from the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago, now part of DePaul University. He subsequently studied acting at HB Studio in New York City. Ellis has a twin brother, Mark Ellis, who serves as Executive Director of the International Bar Association.

Ellis began his career as a stage actor, appearing on Broadway between 1972 and 1984. His Broadway acting credits include Grease, the 1980 original musical Musical Chairs, and The Rink, the latter featuring Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera. He transitioned from performing to directing, a shift that would define the bulk of his professional life.

As a director, Ellis has helmed numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. He directed New York City Opera Company revivals at the New York State Theater, including A Little Night Music in 1990 and 110 in the Shade in 1992. He received the 1991 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical for And the World Goes Round and won the Olivier Award for Best Director, Musical, for She Loves Me. Ellis has earned nine Tony Award nominations for Best Director, covering a revival of She Loves Me in 1994, Steel Pier in 1997, a revival of 1776 in 1998, Twelve Angry Men in 2005, Curtains in 2007, a revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 2013, a revival of You Can't Take It with You in 2015, another revival of She Loves Me in 2016, and Tootsie in 2019. In 2025, he received Tony Award nominations for both Best Play and Best Revival of a Musical. Since 1998, Ellis has served as Associate Artistic Director of the Roundabout Theatre.

Ellis has also maintained an active career in television, directing episodes of Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, The Good Wife, Hung, 30 Rock, Desperate Housewives, The Closer, and Frasier. His direction of the 30 Rock episode "The Break-Up" earned him an Emmy Award nomination in 2007. He additionally served as executive producer of the Showtime drama Weeds. In 2023, Ellis appeared on screen in the biopic Maestro, portraying Leonard Bernstein's manager Harry Kraut.