David R. Ellis

An unpretentious craftsman who wears multiple hats, director David R. Ellis has been working in Hollywood for over 45 years. He began as a child surfer, making his screen debut as juvenile bit player in the 1975 Kurt Russell family film "The Strongest Man In The World" and took his first job as a stunt man the next year. Years later, Ellis would reunite with a Russell when working as a second unit director on the 1998 sci-fi action film "Soldier," one of many films he's worked on in that capacity in addition to his extensive stunt work. To this day, Ellis has continued acting as a second-unit director alongside his directorial career, which began in 1996 with the undistinguished family film "Homeward Bound 2: Lost In San Francisco." Seven years would pass before his next turn behind the camera with the horror sequel "Final Destination 2," a better match for his genre-oriented talents. Ellis' subsequent work as a director has played to his strengths as a coordinator of elaborate mayhem, including the fourth "Final Destination" film, the high-concept genre flop "Snakes On A Plane " and the even more self-explanatory "Shark Night 3D." His daughter Tawny Ellis has followed in his footsteps as a stuntwoman.