Tom Ellis

Welsh actor Tom Ellis used his smoldering presence to excellent effect on television series in the United Kingdom and America, most notably "EastEnders" (BBC One, 1985- ) and "Lucifer" (Fox, 2016- ). Born Thomas John Ellis on November 17, 1978 in Cardiff, Wales, he was raised in a religious household with numerous ministers in its number, including his father, sister and uncle. Ellis attended High Storrs School and played French horn with the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra before devoting his energies to acting. He began appearing in minor roles on television in 2000, and soon added turns in British-made features like "High Heels and Low Lifes" (2001) before earning his breakout role as Dr. Oliver Cousins on the long-running soap "EastEnders." The upstanding doctor enjoyed a lengthy and tumultuous relationship with Kacey Ainsworth's long-suffering Little Mo on the series before the pair called it quits and Ellis departed the series after a single year's work in 2006. That same year, he also became involved off-screen with fellow "EastEnders" star Tamzin Outhwaite, whom he married in 2006; the couple had two children in 2008 and 2012 before splitting in 2013. During this period, Ellis worked steadily in guest roles on television, and also starred as comedian Miranda Hart's love interest on her BBC Two series "Miranda" (2009-2015). In 2013, he made his American television debut as Robin Hood on "Once Upon a Time" (ABC, 2011- ), which preceded his first Stateside starring role as a drug-addicted doctor on "Rush" (USA Network, 2014). The following year, Ellis scored his star-making role in America as the titular Prince of Darkness in "Lucifer," a drama based on a character and graphic novel co-created by Neil Gaiman. In the series, Ellis' Lucifer comes to Earth largely to alleviate the boredom of ruling Hell, and becomes a consultant to the Los Angeles Police Department while also operating a nightclub. The wry, racy series launched its third season, which introduced Tom Welling to its cast of characters, in 2017.