Robin Ellis

Robin Ellis's father was in the Royal Air Force, so his early life was spent in various RAF bases. After obtaining a history degree at Cambridge University, he spent two years in repertory theatre and made his West End debut in "The Rivals" at London's Haymarket Theatre. Having performed with Sir Ian McKellen's The Actor's Company, he made several television appearances, including in the first episode of Fawlty Towers (1975), and then shot to fame in the title role of the BBC television drama series Poldark (1975). After that, he spent a year with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford, then had a part in The Europeans (1979). He wrote a book, "The Making of Poldark", and paid £3,000 to have 5,000 copies published. In the mid-1980s, he took a break from acting, made commercials and narrated documentaries.