James Ellis

Acting

James Ellis

Born 1931-03-15 · Belfast, Ireland

Legendary Northern Irish actor who came to prominence in the 1960s for his role of Bert Lynch in the BBC TV series Z Cars.

Acting credits

Priest poster
6.3

The deeply held religious convictions of an idealistic young priest are challenged when he must face extraordinary events within his own congregation.

Priest

1995

Lorna poster
9.0

In the follow-up to Graham Reid’s trilogy of ‘Billy’ plays, Billy's sister Lorna Martin is left to care for their Uncle Andy. Lorna feels trapped, but Andy wishes to give her the freedom she desires.

Lorna

1987

The Near Room poster
5.0

Charlie Colquhoun is a burnt out journalist. His old school friend Harris Hill is a lawyer at the top of his game. Their lives are smashed together by one name - Tommy Stirling, Charlie's daughter, a fostered teenage pregnancy who has become embroiled in an alleged child pornography scandal with a top ranking police officer. As the trail to Tommy begins to heat up, so the bodies begin to mount up. Allegiances fall by the wayside as Charlie's life begins to spiral out of control and the deadly world of drugs, blackmail and murder that lies in the deepest heart of the underworld threatens to consume him and his missing daughter forever.

The Near Room

1997

The Long March poster
7.0

A woman returns to Belfast after ten years in England and becomes involved in the Maze prison protest.

The Long March

1980

Naming the Names poster
NR

Finn's story seems to begin when Henry Kirk comes into the bookshop where she works. But it goes back a lot further than that...

Naming the Names

1987

Resurrection Man poster
6.2

Belfast, in 1970s. Victor Kelly is a young protestant man who hates the Catholics so much that one night he begins to brutally murder them. A reporter soon tries to uncover the murder and obtained prestige for himself, while Victor sinks deeper into madness.

Resurrection Man

1998

Crossing the Floor poster
6.8

Political satire closely mirroring real-life British politics of the time - a self-serving Conservative minister "crosses the floor" to join the opposition Labour Party, at a time when the Conservative Party has a majority in Parliament of just one seat. Sequel to A Very Open Prison.

Crossing the Floor

1996

Conspiracy of Silence poster
4.8

When a priest commits suicide and two trainees are expelled from a seminary, a journalist starts to investigate the Vatican’s silence on broken vows of celibacy. A thriller examining the internal conflicts in the modern Catholic church.

Conspiracy of Silence

2003

Doctor Who: Battlefield poster
7.3

Knights from a parallel universe arrive on Earth to find the legendary sword Excalibur. Only the Doctor and Ace, with the assistance of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, can save the Earth from total catastrophe.

Doctor Who: Battlefield

1989

No Surrender poster
6.7

It's New Year's Eve in Thatcher's de-industrialising Britain. The scene is set at a seedy bar in Liverpool where a group of Irish Protestant and Irish Catholic pensioners will gather to clash and bash the new year in.

No Surrender

1985

Spellbreaker: Secret of the Leprechauns poster
4.0

Fairyhill Ireland is a place filled with mysteries and legends,Leprechauns and Magic. And for an American Kid like Mike Dennehy, it's a world of wonderous adventure. Vacationing in Fairyhill for the summer, Mike makes friends with a fascinating group of rather unlucky leprechaunsby Nula, Queen of the Dead - an unbelievably beautiful and sinister witch. can the Queen destroy centuries of Leprechaun power? Will evil triumph? Gather up your lucky charms(you'll need them!) and get ready for Spellbreaker, the adventure of Mike's lifetime... and yours!

Spellbreaker: Secret of the Leprechauns

1996

Leapin' Leprechauns poster
4.0

A man tries to build a theme park on top of land that's secretly the home to friendly Leprechauns.

Leapin' Leprechauns

1995

A Matter of Choice for Billy poster
6.0

Belfast 1978: the Martin family, a year on. Norman is away in England, and his eldest son, Billy, and daughter, Lorna, are in charge of their younger sisters, Ann and Maureen. Second in the trilogy.

A Matter of Choice for Billy

1983

James Ellis: An Actor's Life poster
NR

Documentary tracing the life of James Ellis, one of Northern Ireland’s best loved actors.

James Ellis: An Actor's Life

2007

Too Late to Talk to Billy poster
7.0

Relationships are strained in a Belfast family, particularly between a father and his son. First in a multi-year trilogy.

Too Late to Talk to Billy

1982

The Precious Blood poster
NR

Rosie Williams is haunted by the murder of her husband 12 years previously. Her teenage son John is heading for a life of delinquency fuelled by revenge. Then, he meets Billy McVea, who runs a boxing gym, affecting all their lives.

The Precious Blood

1996

No artwork available
7.0

The efforts of three children, who live in high rise flats, to save a donkey from two small-time crooks who want to sell it as horsemeat, by providing a temporary stable for the donkey in the block of high-rise flats.

High Rise Donkey

1980

Best poster
6.2

Pulling no punches in its depiction of soccer legend George Best's slow descent from the heights of his Manchester United career, the man once dubbed the fifth Beatle for his glamorous lifestyle and good looks.

Best

2000

Shadow of a Gunman poster
7.0

The first part of O'Casey's "The Dublin Trilogy". Set in 1920, as the War of Independence rages, "Shadow of a Gunman" is the story of two young men, Donal and Seamus who share a flat in Dublin.

Shadow of a Gunman

1995

No artwork available
NR

A behind the scenes look at a theatre company formed by playwright Brian Friel and actor Stephen Rea. It contains footage of rehearsals and the performance in Derry of Three Sisters.

Chekhov in Derry

1983

A Coming to Terms for Billy poster
7.0

Belfast, 1980: July, the marching season ... Norman Martin, away for two years, returns with his 'English woman', Mavis. How will the family - particularly Billy - react? And has she achieved the impossible in mellowing the man? Third in the trilogy.

A Coming to Terms for Billy

1984

No artwork available
NR

Cathy and Noel are a Catholic and a protestant soldier. They fall in love, to their cost.

The Glory Hole

1982

Mark of the Devil poster
5.3

A desperate gambler in debt with a gangster robs a Chinese tattoo artist, getting stabbed and killing the man in the process. A black spot appears on his chest and begins to spread and turn into a condemning tattoo

Mark of the Devil

1984