He was educated at Highgate School as were his older brothers Robin Ellis, also an actor, and the director Peter Ellis.
He has also appeared in Independent Television soap Coronation Street as Bookmaker Harry Mason. He has two older brothers. Both are actors. Prior to Bad Girls, his most prominent television role was Detective Inspector Muddyman in Prime Suspect.
Ellis toured with Agatha Christie"s The Unexpected Guest in 2007, and had a role in the film Outlaw (2007), starring Danny Dyer and Sean Bean.
Ellis has also been seen in Heartbeat. Ellis has appeared in many television series either as a minor or major character which include The Fugitives (2005), playing the part of Salko, Blue Murder in the episode "Steady Eddie", portraying Dan Fulford, and Highlander: The Series.
He played the lead role in the film Hunter. Ellis is one of the few performers to have to acted in both Inspector Morse and its spin-off series Lewis.
His first major part since Bad Girls came in summer 2006.
Ellis appeared in several episodes of Independent Television drama Where the Heart Is as businessman Robert Ashford. In 1994 Jack Ellis played the part of Eddie Barton a Senior Her Majesty Customs & Excise Investigation Division officer based at Hearthrow Airport that had to retire through ill health caused by Motor Neurone diseases in all seven episodes of Series one of The Knock The disease eventually pushes him into paranoia and death by suicide. In late 2005 Ellis starred in A Few Good Men at London"s Theatre Royal Haymarket, playing opposite Rob Lowe, John Barrowman and Suranne Jones.
Ellis started his role on Coronation Street as the new Rosamund Street betting shop owner Harry Mason in December 2007.
Also in 2007, Ellis appeared in an episode of Rome (television Series). Ellis starred in the Theatre Royal Windsor pantomime Peter Pan (Christmas 2008) playing Captain Hook.
Sam Mendes directed Ellis as Hastings in a William Shakespeare"s Richard III starring Kevin Spacey. The show began in June 2011 and toured the world, culminating in a season at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York in early 2012.
Later in 2012 he toured in a new production of Dickens" Great Expectations playing Jaggers.
The production opened in the West End of London in February 2013 at the Vaudeville Theatre. In 2014, he starred as Deputy Governor Danforth in the much acclaimed production of The Crucible by Arthur Miller directed by Yael Farber at the Old Victoria
