User:Zaikovskis/Draft of Ellis Jones

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Ellis Jones (born 15th November 1943, Petersfield) is a British actor. He is best known for his role as a young apprentice named 'Hal Adden', a pun that goes some way towards characterising the 1970s children's comedy series Pardon My Genie. 

Career
Ellis Jones retired in September 2009 as Creative Director of RADA Enterprises Ltd but remains on call as Creative Consultant. He joined RADA as Head of Acting in 1993 and was the Academy’s Vice Principal from 1998 to 2003. His acting career included performances in theatres throughout the UK and television roles ranged from Shakespeare to regular characters in several sitcom series. He has directed in London and regional theatres and many final-year showcase productions at RADA; most recently “Fanny’s First Play” in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of George Bernard Shaw. His book Teach Yourself Acting was published in 1998 by Hodder Headline. 

Ellis has been deeply involved in the development of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, as Head of Acting, as Vice Principal, more recently as Artistic Director of the Academy's business arm, RADA Enterprises.

As an actor, a career of over thirty years included acting in Shakespeare on the screen, television sit-com and stage performances ranging from Priestly to Wycherley.

He has directed in regional theatre throughout the country and was for three years the Artistic Director of the Century Theatre in Keswick, Cumbria. Much of his directing work in recent years has been at RADA's splendid new Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre, and his work also reaches an international audience through his productions of classic theatre featuring RADA graduate actors on board the Cunard flagship ocean liner, the Queen Mary the Second.

The co-author of 'Wellington', his other work as a writer includes adaptations of Dickens' novels for the stage and a useful handbook on stagecraft, Teach Yourself Acting, published by Hodder and Stoughton. He is currently Artistic Director of Coppermill Productions Ltd, and engaged in creating a new website www.teachyourselfacting.com.

On the strength of 'Hal Adden' Ellis Jones should have gone to greater roles, but perhaps becoming a theatre director and then director of acting at RADA he is ensuring future generations have 'pardon my genies' to entertain them.

Acting Summary