Tom Ellis: The Devil You Know
By Kirsten Howard
Tom Ellis has led the cast of Lucifer for the last five years, bringing the show back from the dead several times.
Ellis has become a compelling presence on the sci-fi and fantasy TV genre scene, which is a world away from where he began.
The 42-year-old was born in Wales alongside his twin sister, and went on to study acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
He made his TV debut in the UK sitcom Kiss Me Kate just over two decades ago.
After that he snagged many notable parts on UK TV, including the role of Gary Preston on the BBC sitcom Miranda, which he played over five years.
But in 2015 he got his big break over in the US when he landed the starring role of Lucifer Morningstar in Fox’s procedural cop show, Lucifer.
The fantasy series finds Ellis’ notorious devil abandoning his throne in Hell and moving to LA, where he becomes a consultant to the LAPD.
Lucifer helps Detective Chloe Decker solve homicide cases using his unique powers of human manipulation.
The show has featured a “will they, won’t they” romance between Ellis’ character and that of Lauren German’s highly strung cop.
After three seasons on the air, Fox cancelled Lucifer citing low ratings.
The team behind the show rallied to rescue it from cancellation, and Ellis went on a promotional tour of talk shows and conventions to help build support.
The hashtag #SaveLucifer started trending on Twitter.
The campaign eventually worked and Netflix stepped in to pick up the series, ordering a fourth season that was released in 2019.
Netflix said that Lucifer’s fifth season would be its last, disappointing fans of the cult DC show.
But there was a surprise in store: Netflix unexpectedly ordered a sixth and final season of Lucifer after hashing out a new contract with Ellis.
Will Season 6 be the last we see of Ellis’ naughty little devil?