Kerry Ellis

Kerry Ellis

Birth : 1979-05-06,

History

Kerry Jane Townsend (born 6 May 1979), better known by her maiden name Kerry Ellis, is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before attending Laine Theatre Arts from the age of 16. Ellis made her first professional stage appearance in 1998 and went on to make her West End debut in the 2001 revival of My Fair Lady as Martine McCutcheon's understudy in the role of Eliza Doolittle. After meeting Queen guitarist Brian May in 2002, she landed the role of Meat in the original London cast of We Will Rock You and has subsequently played lead roles in West End musicals Les Misérables, Wicked (which also took her to Broadway) and Oliver! as well as appearing in national tours and concert productions of musicals like Miss Saigon, Chess, The War of the Worlds and RENT. Ellis, who has received several awards and nominations for her performances, has fast become recognised as the First Lady of West End musicals. She has also worked sporadically in film and television. Despite her misfortune on The Voice UK in 2012, Ellis had been expanding her repertoire as a solo artist in collaboration with May since 2002. She has released a studio album Anthems (2010), which reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart, as well as an extended play Wicked in Rock (2008) and a live album Acoustic by Candlelight (2013). In addition to headlining solo concert tours like Anthems: The Tour and The Born Free Tour, and singing in concerts across the world, Ellis also appears as a featured artist on several albums and is featured on three cast albums. With May, she also involves herself in charity work with the Born Free Foundation.

Profile

Kerry Ellis

Movies

Maltby and Shire's Closer Than Ever
Maltby and Shire's Closer Than Ever
A captivating and hilarious song cycle which delves into the trials and tribulations of modern love, Maltby and Shire’s Closer Than Ever will take audiences on a journey of lust and romance, marriage and ageing, unrequited love and obsession.
Musicals: The Greatest Show
Musicals: The Greatest Show
Recorded at the London Palladium and hosted by Sheridan Smith, this joyous celebration of musical theatre is packed with showstoppers from the West End’s biggest productions, performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and guests including Elaine Paige, Michael Ball, Amanda Holden, Nicole Scherzinger, Josh Groban and Lea Salonga. Idina Menzel and Elaine Paige reveal the Top 10 songs from musicals, as voted for by BBC Radio 2 listeners, and there’s even a special performance from Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s next big show, Cinderella.
Brian May & Kerry Ellis - The Candlelight Concerts Live at Montreux
Brian May & Kerry Ellis - The Candlelight Concerts Live at Montreux
Herself
Queen legend Brian May and first lady of the West End Kerry Ellis come together for The Candlelight Concerts. Filmed at the renowned Stravinski Auditorium during the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 2013, this wonderfully intimate show blends Kerry Ellis' beautiful voice with the sympathetic guitar playing of Brian May for a largely acoustic performance of standards, ballads, Queensongs and cover versions.
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds - The New Generation: Alive on Stage!
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds - The New Generation: Alive on Stage!
Beth
In 1978 Jeff Wayne composed and produced one of the most ground-breaking and bestselling musical works of all time. In 2006 Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds took to the stage with audiences and critics hailing it as one of the most innovative combinations of music, technology and live performance. Now in 2013 The New Generation production is launched . With an all-star cast including Liam Neeson, Marti Pellow, Jason Donovan, Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson, Jetblack's Will Stapleton and Wicked's Kerry Ellis, plus stunning new 3D holography and a 3-ton 35ft Martian Fighting Machine, it's truly a musical multi-media extravaganza. Filmed Live at London's O2 Arena, Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds is a show not to be missed!
The Sunflower Superjam 2012
The Sunflower Superjam 2012
herself
The Sunflower Superjam 2012 was a once-in-a-lifetime event that you can now experience with the release of the DVD, due on September 16. On stage together for the only time, you can watch Alice Cooper, Brian May (QUEEN), Bruce Dickinson (IRON MAIDEN), John Paul Jones (LED ZEPPELIN), Ian Paice (DEEP PURPLE), Mark King, Alfie Boe and a host of other exceptional musicians "jam" at the Royal Albert Hall, making the iconic London venue rock like never before. Plus, enjoy the Sunflower Superjam 2011 on the bonus disc with performances from DEEP PURPLE, Rick Wakeman, Joe Bonamassa, Newton Faulkner and including the last live performance from the legendary Jon Lord (DEEP PURPLE). Produced by The Sunflower Jam charity, all monies raised will go directly to supporting the research and application of holistic and non-toxic treatments for children and young adults suffering from cancer.
Les Misérables
Les Misérables
Ensemble 'Master of the House'
An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France, in which a paroled prisoner named Jean Valjean seeks redemption.
Chess in Concert
Chess in Concert
Svetlana Sergievsky
The story of a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other, all in the context of the Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. Shot for television in 2009.
Justice Be Damned
Justice Be Damned
Marshal
It’s 1860 and a U.S. Marshal is escorting his prisoner, Thomas Redding, to trial for the killing of two women. They wind up in a town that no one ever knew of with ghostly occurrences. The avenging Greek Goddess Nemesis tells the Marshal that here everyone is treated equally. The Marshal kills the ghost of a man whom he killed years earlier several times and Redding becomes the victim of the spirits of the women he killed, only to be brought back by Nemesis. The Marshal uses his wits to be rid of all ghosts. Nemesis appears as a hideous human/reptilian creature about to kill the Marshal. Darlene reappears and stops Nemesis citing she was created for the retribution of humans and not her own. With that, the women disappear. In Yuma, Redding is found guilty at trial but punishment had already been served by Maxine and Darlene and Redding is released. In a flash, Redding is transported back to the Town of Justice by Nemesis and now faces revenge by all the men he killed.