Canadian Producer/Distributor Ralph C. Ellis Passes Away

TORONTO: Ralph C. Ellis, founder of the Ellis Entertainment group, has passed away at the age of 91.

Ellis was a veteran of the Canadian film and TV production and distribution business. He got his start with the National Film Board of Canada in 1946, before founding Ellis Entertainment in 1964. He retired as chairman emeritus of the family business—Stellis Media, which he founded with his son, Stephen—in 2011.

Stephen commented: “I attribute his longevity to an early focus and orientation on international distribution, which became the engine pulling the production train; that and an extraordinary sense of humor that allowed him to see the lighter side of everything.”

“Ralph always loved what he was doing,” Stephen continued, “and when he stopped coming to the office daily, in 2002, it was 23 years after standard retirement age. We called it Freedom 78.”