David R. Ellis

Began as child actor in 'Kurt Russell' (qv)-Disney Films in 1974. Made the switch to the Stunt world following a successful career as a junior pro surfer. Born, bred, and resided in Malibu. Many, many stunts later, David made the promotion to Stunt Coordinator in 1978 on _Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)_ (qv). Coordinating TV and films all over the world brought him up to the position of 2nd Unit Director on _Gorky Park (1983)_ (qv). "Action" movies proceeded to explode along with David's career. Befriending 'Harrison Ford' (qv), two of David's most notable 2nd units were _Patriot Games (1992)_ (qv) and _Clear and Present Danger (1994)_ (qv). As shown in Filmography, he worked back-to-back until the break from Disney, offering to 1st unit Direct the feature, _Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996)_ (qv). Directorial debut grossed over $100 Million. Completed two features for 1997, _Desperate Measures (1998)_ (qv) & _Sphere (1998)_ (qv) with 'Barry Levinson' (qv).::Athanatos173