David Ellison (born January 9, 1983) is an American film producer, former actor, and the founder and CEO of Skydance Media. He is the son of multibillionaire and Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison. For (2022), Ellison received an Academy Awards nomination for the Best Picture.
Early life and education
David Ellison was born in Santa Clara County, California. He is the son of billionaire Oracle Corporation co-founder and chairman
Larry Ellison and his ex-wife, Barbara Boothe Ellison. His father is of
Italian American and
American Jews heritage.
[Matthew Symonds, Larry Ellison. Software: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle Simon and Schuster, 2004. pp332-333] Ellison grew up in Woodside, California with his mother, who nurtured his love for film.
He attended the University of Southern California, but dropped out of its film school in 2005 to make his first movie,
Flyboys.
[Fritz, Ben, "Ellison: more than a trust fund kid?", Los Angeles Times, February 22, 2011.][Masters, Kim, "How David Ellison, Son of Larry Ellison, Scored Big With 'True Grit'" , Hollywood Reporter, March 1, 2011.] David Ellison was influenced by businessman
Steve Jobs, a friend of his father, and pitched Jobs his idea for
Skydance Media before revising it under Jobs' advice.
He has one sister, film producer
Megan Ellison, who founded Annapurna Pictures.
Career
Ellison is the CEO and founder of
Skydance Media. The company's films include
,
Annihilation,
World War Z,
True Grit,
Jack Reacher,
Star Trek Into Darkness,
Star Trek Beyond. Ellison was named to
Varietys Dealmaker list for 2010
[Lowry, Tom. "Paramount-Skydance deal: Dealmakers Impact Report 2010", Variety.com, December 9, 2010.] and the
Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2011.
[Dorothy Pomerantz, Michael K. Ozanian and David M. Ewalt. "Forbes 30 Under 30" , "Forbes.com", December 19, 2011.]
As an actor, Ellison has performed in the films Flyboys, Little Fish, Strange Pond, and Hole in One.
Ellison's company Skydance Media expanded in 2013 with the launch of its television division. He has executive produced shows such as Altered Carbon and Grace and Frankie.
In 2014, Ellison launched a new line of men's clothing, called the "LANAI Collection."
In 2017, Ellison helped launch Skydance Animation in partnership with Spain's Ilion Animation Studios. He hired the former Pixar CCO John Lasseter to run Skydance Animation.
In 2018, he announced that Skydance Media had partnered with Tencent.
In January 2024, it was reported that Ellison was interested in merging Skydance Media with Paramount Global and buying the latter's parent company National Amusements from Shari Redstone.[ FCC Approves Skydance's Acquisition of Paramount CBS]
Personal life
Ellison is a licensed pilot with instrument ratings for helicopter aviation,
aerobatics, commercial aviation, fixed-wing aircraft, and multi-engine aircraft. In 2003, aged 20, he was selected to perform as part of Sean D. Tucker's "Stars of Tomorrow" aerobatic team at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
[ EAA News ; accessed October 26, 2015.]
Ellison is a member of the Producers Guild of America and Television Academy.
He married Sandra Lynn Modic, an actress and singer, on October 1, 2011, in Palm Springs, California.
Filmography
Film
Executive producer
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Flyboys (2006) (Uncredited)
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True Grit (2010)
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(2011)
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The Guilt Trip (2012)
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Jack Reacher (2012)
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(2013)
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Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
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World War Z (2013)
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(2014)
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Star Trek Beyond (2016)
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(2016)
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Baywatch (2017)
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Annihilation (2018)
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(2018)
-
Without Remorse (2021)
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Snake Eyes (2021)
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Blush (2021)
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(2023)
-
(2023)
-
(2025)
Producer
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Terminator Genisys (2015)
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(2015)
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Life (2017)
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Geostorm (2017)
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Gemini Man (2019)
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(2019)
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6 Underground (2019)
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The Old Guard (2020)
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The Tomorrow War (2021)
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The Adam Project (2022)
-
(2022)
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Luck (2022)
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The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022)
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Air (2023)
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Ghosted (2023)
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Kelce (2023)
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Heart of Stone (2023)
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(2023)
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Spellbound (2024)
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The Gorge (2025)
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The Old Guard 2 (2025)
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Fountain of Youth (2025)
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Pookoo (2026)
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Mayday (TBA)
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Matchbox (TBA)
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The Family Plan 2 (TBA)
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Ray Gunn (TBA)
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Untitled Jack and the Beanstalk project (TBA)
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Untitled Skydance Animation/Don Hall project (TBA)
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Way of the Warrior Kid (TBA)
- Actor
|
| |
| Short film |
| |
| |
| Direct-to-video |
- Director
- Writer
- Thanks
Television
- Executive producer
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Manhattan (2014−15)
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Ten Days in the Valley (2017)
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Grace and Frankie (2015−18)
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Dietland (2018)
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Condor (2018–2020)
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Altered Carbon (2018−19)
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Jack Ryan (2018−2023)
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Foundation (2021–present)
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Reacher (2022–present)
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Good Rivals (2022)
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The Checkup with Dr. David Agus (2022)
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The Big Door Prize (2023)
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FUBAR (2023)
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WondLa (2024)
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(2025)
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(2024)
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Neuromancer (TBA)
- Actor
External links
