Christopher Michael Ellison (born 16 December 1946 inSt Pancras, London)^[1] is a Britishactor fromLondon. He is best known for his role as DCIFrank Burnside in theITVpoliceseriesThe Bill and short-lived spin-off seriesBurnside.

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.^[2]

He served in theMerchant Navy, trained as a graphic designer and worked as a minicab driver. His first drama job was assistant stage manager at theRichmond Theatre. His first acting role was in the playWoman in a Dressing Gown at said theatre. His first major guest role was an appearance inThe Sweeney (1975).

He appeared in many guest roles in TV shows throughout the 1970s, including episodes ofThe Professionals,Dempsey and Makepeace andBergerac, and in the filmsRosie Dixon – Night Nurse (1978),Lady Oscar (1979),Minder,Brush Strokes andBuster (1988), based on theGreat Train Robbery of 1963. In 1981 he had a notable role as bent DI in the ITV crime mini-seriesWolcott, a performance with marked similarities to his later work inThe Bill.^[3]

In 1984, he appeared inPaul McCartney's feature filmGive My Regards To Broad Street playing Rath's Minder. In 1986, he played criminal gang leader Charlie Elkin inRunning Scared, based on Bernard Ashley's novel.

Having first appeared as Detective Sergeant Tommy Burnside in 1984, he became a regular cast member ofThe Bill from 1988 to 1993 now with the name Frank Burnside appearing as Detective Inspector. After an absence of five years, Burnside returned on a semi-regular basis from 1998 to 2000 having been promoted to the rank of Detective Chief Inspector during the interim.^{[citation needed]}

He appeared in one episode of the sci-fi police seriesCrime Traveller in 1997.^{[citation needed]}

In 2003, Ellison played the lead role in the revived series ofFort Boyard, which aired onChallenge. In 2005, he guest starred in theDoctor Who audio adventureThe Game. In 2007, Ellison played the role ofLen Harker in theBBC One soap operaEastEnders.

He has appeared inCasualty andJudge John Deed, among other appearances onSoccer AM, and presenting roles inThe World's Most Stupid Criminals andMousetrapped.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2009, Ellison wonCelebrity Come Dine with Me onChannel 4. In 2009, he appeared in the filmA Silent Whistle and in 2010Bonded by Blood andBasement.

In August 2011, he appeared in aNew Tricks episode titled 'Half Life' as a prisoner. On 27 August 2015, he entered theCelebrity Big Brother house.^[4] He was evicted on 8 September 2015.^{[citation needed]}

In 2017 he appeared on the celebrity version of the television game showPointless.^[5]

In 1989, Ellison illustrated the children's booksOtto and the Sea Circus, written by his futureThe Bill co-starTom Cotcher.^[6]

In 2020, Ellison shared his memories of his early work onThe Bill for the bookWitness Statements: Making The Bill (Series 1-3). A follow-up volume,Witness Statements: Making The Bill (1988) was published in 2022, also featuring memories from Ellison about his time as Frank Burnside during the earliest half-hour episodes of the programme.^[7]

In April 2022, Ellison revealed that he had been suffering fromaphasia for about 18 months.^[8][9] Ellison's decision to publicly disclose his condition was inspired by American actorBruce Willis's announcement that he too had the condition.^[8]

Ellison had been diagnosed with the condition following astroke in mid-2020 when his wife discovered him lying on their bedroom floor at their home in Brighton.^[8] He had to be removed via a skylight due to the ambulance crew not being able to move him down a spiral staircase.^[8] Ellison was moved to a rehabilitation centre inHaywards Heath.^[8]

When Ellison returned home in November 2020, his wife became his full-time carer but she credits their two adult children and Ellison's former castmateMark Wingett for providing valuable support.^[8] Due to his condition hampering his ability to communicate, Ellison became anxious when leaving the house due to the fear of being recognised and not being able to engage in conversation.^[9] Despite having difficulty speaking, Ellison can fully understand what others are saying.^[9]

Despite initially being reluctant to publicise his diagnosis, Ellison and his wife hope that by sharing their experience with aphasia it will enable other people to develop an awareness and understanding of the condition.^[9]

• Christopher Ellison atIMDb

• 1946 births
• Living people
• English male television actors
• English male stage actors
• British male soap opera actors
• English male film actors
• Actors from the London Borough of Camden
• Male actors from London
• People from St Pancras, London

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• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from March 2023
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• Articles with unsourced statements from January 2020
• Articles with unsourced statements from January 2025
• Articles with unsourced statements from February 2021