Herbert Ellis (actor)
Encyclopedia
Herbert "Herb" Ellis is an American
character actor
and writer. He is best known for his collaborations with Jack Webb
, and he frequently played people in law enforcement.
Born Herbert Siegel in Cleveland, Ohio
, Ellis began his career in Hollywood in the late 1940s. Ellis and Webb came up with the name and concept for Dragnet together after collaborating on a project titled Joe Friday, Room Five which was not picked up. He played Officer Frank Smith in eight episodes of the original Dragnet
series. He played Frank La Valle in 23 episodes of the Jack Webb series The D.A.'s Man, and he played Wilbur in five episodes of Peter Gunn
. Ellis and Webb later worked together on Dragnet 1966 and Dragnet 1967.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
and writer. He is best known for his collaborations with Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
, and he frequently played people in law enforcement.
Born Herbert Siegel in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ellis began his career in Hollywood in the late 1940s. Ellis and Webb came up with the name and concept for Dragnet together after collaborating on a project titled Joe Friday, Room Five which was not picked up. He played Officer Frank Smith in eight episodes of the original Dragnet
Dragnet
Dragnet may refer to:* A type of fishing net*Dragnet , a coordinated search, named for the fishing net-Dragnet media series:...
series. He played Frank La Valle in 23 episodes of the Jack Webb series The D.A.'s Man, and he played Wilbur in five episodes of Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
. Ellis and Webb later worked together on Dragnet 1966 and Dragnet 1967.