Christopher Ellison

Christopher Michael Ellison (born 16 December 1946 in St Pancras, London) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as DCI Frank Burnside in the ITV police series The Bill and short-lived spin-off series Burnside. Education At school his art teacher encouraged him having seen his talent. Art remained his strong subject throughout his school years, and it was a natural progression that Ellison then moved on to art college, firstly at Wimbledon and then Camberwell. Career He worked in the merchant navy, trained as a graphic designer and worked as a minicab driver. His first drama job was assistant stage manager at the Richmond Theatre. His first acting role was in the play Woman in a Dressing Gown at said theatre. His first major guest role was an appearance in The Sweeney (1975). He appeared in many guest roles in TV shows throughout the 1970s, including episodes of The Professionals, Dempsey and Makepeace and Bergerac and in the films Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse (1978), Lady Oscar (1979), Brush Strokes and Buster (1988), based on the Great Train Robbery of 1963. In 1981 he had a notable role as bent DI in the ITV crime mini-series Wolcott, a performance with marked similarities to his later work in The Bill