About!
Ephraim Ellis is a Toronto-based playwright and actor with over twenty years of experience in the Canadian entertainment industry.
Ephraim began his comedy writing journey as a member of the award-winning sketch troupe The Rocket Scientists before becoming one of Ontario’s most successful emerging playwrights. His first two plays, the romantic comedy On The Air and the adventure-comedy Bigfoot! have received multiple productions across Ontario at theatres such as the Lighthouse Festival, the Port Stanley Festival, and Magnus Theatre. His third play, the action-farce Secret Service, is set to have its world premiere this summer at the Lighthouse Festival in Port Dover.
With his plays, Ephraim strives to write clever comedies with nuanced, likeable characters that pull on your heartstrings as much as they tickle your funny-bones, bringing a smart, contemporary sensibility to classic summer theatre.
As an actor, Ephraim burst onto the scene in 2003 with his acclaimed, iconic portrayal of the troubled ‘Rick Murray’ on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Over the following two decades, Ephraim has appeared in over a hundred episodes of Canadian television, including leading roles on Global TV’s teen drama Falcon Beach, YTV’s action sci-fi Zixx and the sitcom Family Biz.
Ephraim has also appeared on stages across Canada and the USA, in such varied roles as ‘Tom’ in Perfect Wedding, ‘Jesus’ in Jesus Christ Superstar, and ‘Hedwig’ in Hedwig & The Angry Inch. NOW Magazine said of his ‘Hedwig’;
“[Ellis] achieves emotional depth, telling stories of love and betrayal, revealing a poignant loneliness… Ellis has the manic energy and singing chops to deliver in this difficult role.”
Ephraim also has a podcast, which he hosts with fellow former Rocket Scientist Chris Small. On Clothed Men Discuss Barenaked Ladies, Ephraim and Chris bond over their shared love of Canadian 90s alternative rock by meticulously reviewing every Barenaked Ladies album in chronological order.
Ephraim lives in Toronto with his wife Meghan, and their cat Ianto.
