David James Elliott is a Canadian actor, director, and producer. He was born David William Smith on September 21, 1960, in Milton, Ontario.
During his teenage years, he was part of a band, quitting Milton District High School in his final year to pursue his dream of becoming a rock star. However, at age 19, he realized this would not happen and returned to finish high school. After graduating from high school, he attended Ryerson University in Toronto, graduating in 1982. He joined the Stratford Shakespearean Festival in Ontario as a member of its Young Company. Subsequently moving to Los Angeles, California, he took the stage name David James Elliott, having found an actor was already named David Smith.
He appeared in the film Police Academy 3: Back in Training in 1986, and subsequently in the television series Street Legal, Knots Landing as Bill Nolan, and in 1993's The Untouchables as Agent Paul Robbins. The following year, Elliott landed a recurring role on the hit series Melrose Place, playing Terry Parsons, and a guest appearance in an episode of Seinfeld as "Carl" the anti-abortion furniture mover.
In 1995, Elliott landed the lead role of naval aviator turned JAG lawyer Harmon Rabb Jr. in the NBC/CBS television drama JAG, a role he would hold for 10 years. His tenure on JAG ended in 2005 with the series finale. In 2019, Elliott reprised his JAG role of Harmon Rabb Jr. for a three-episode arc in the tenth and eleventh seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles.
Elliott has been married to actress Nanci Chambers since 1992. They have a daughter and a son.
