# Tate Ellington
**Tate Ellington** (birth name James Tate Ellington) is an American actor born in 1979 in Madison, Mississippi, known for film roles in *Remember Me* (2010), *[Sinister 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/sinister-2)* (2015), and *The Endless* (2017), and for playing FBI trainee Simon Asher as a series regular on the ABC drama *Quantico* (2015)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693588/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979, Madison, Mississippi; birth name James Tate Ellington[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/) |
| Training | BFA in Theatre Performance, University of Mississippi (Oxford), as a double major in art and theater[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693588/bio/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/) |
| Breakout screen role | Aiden, Robert Pattinson's best friend, in *Remember Me* (2010)[3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf) |
| Series regular | Simon Asher on *Quantico* (ABC, 2015), an FBI trainee with a talent for foreign languages[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/) |
| Broadway | 2009 revival of Christopher Hampton's *The Philanthropist*, opposite Matthew Broderick and Steven Weber[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/) |
| Early award | Best Actor at the Brooklyn International Film Festival for *The Elephant King*, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival[3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf) |
| Family | Married Chrissy Fiorilli on May 19, 2012; two children[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693588/bio/) |
## Early life and education
Ellington attended Madison-Ridgeland in Madison, Mississippi, then enrolled at the [University of Mississippi](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-mississippi) in Oxford as a double major in art and theater[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/). He graduated with a [Bachelor of Fine Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-fine-arts) degree in Theatre Performance[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693588/bio/). His parents are Deborah Cochran Ellington and James R. Ellington of Madison, Mississippi[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693588/bio/).
## Film career
Ellington began in independent features, including *The Elephant King* and *Red* (2008), before moving into supporting parts in studio projects such as [Ricky Gervais](https://www.edgepedia.org/ricky-gervais)' *The Invention of Lying* (2009)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/). His first major film role was Aiden, the best friend of [Robert Pattinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-pattinson)'s character, in the Summit film *Remember Me* (2010), opposite [Pierce Brosnan](https://www.edgepedia.org/pierce-brosnan) and Chris Cooper[3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf).
**Independent genre work.** *The Elephant King* premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and earned him a Best Actor award at the Brooklyn International Film Festival[3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf). He played Dr. Stomberg in the horror sequel *Sinister 2* (2015) and Kenny in *The Kitchen* (2013)[4](https://www.movieinsider.com/p16/tate-ellington/). In *Straight Outta Compton* (2015), the Universal film about the formation of N.W.A, he played [Priority Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/priority-records) chief Bryan Turner[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/).
In *The Endless*, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, he played Hal; the film premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in U.S. competition[3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/). He also appeared in *Belzebuth*, listed by Movie Insider among his five credited films between 2008 and 2020 alongside *The Endless*, *Sinister 2*, *The Kitchen*, and *The Elephant King*[4](https://www.movieinsider.com/p16/tate-ellington/).
## Television
Ellington worked steadily as a guest performer before becoming a series regular. Notable guest appearances include two episodes of *The Mindy Project* as Mindy's supervisor, plus *The Big Bang Theory*, *The Blacklist*, *Parenthood*, *Castle*, *The Good Wife*, *NCIS: Los Angeles*, *Shameless*, and *The Walking Dead*, where he played one of the leaders of Terminus[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/) • [3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf).
In 2015 he joined *Quantico* as Simon Asher, a series regular role that ran through the show's first seasons[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/) • [3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf). Later credits include Felix in *[Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-rhyme-hunt-for-the-bone-collector)* (2020) and Dr. Kyle Vargas on *[Law & Order](https://www.edgepedia.org/law-and-order-franchise): Organized Crime*, a role AlloCiné lists across the series' fourth and fifth seasons (2023–2024)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/) • [5](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-226417/filmographie/). In 2023 he played Duane Rich in *Maggie Moore(s)* and Dr. Bates in the miniseries *Lessons in Chemistry*[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/).
## Theater and other work
Ellington made his Broadway debut in a 2009 revival of Christopher Hampton's *The Philanthropist*, starring opposite [Matthew Broderick](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-broderick) and [Steven Weber](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-weber)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/). His other stage credits include *The Shape of Things* for the Rising Sun Performance Company and the 2004 Fringe Festival-winning *Dog Sees God* at the SoHo Playhouse[3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf). He also led the Fox Digital Entertainment web series *Wolfpack of Reseda* (2012), a comedy about a young man who believes he has been bitten by a werewolf[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/), and his film work includes *[Taking Chance](https://www.edgepedia.org/taking-chance)* for HBO Films[3](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf).
## Personal life
Ellington married Chrissy Fiorilli on May 19, 2012; the couple have two children[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693588/bio/). As of the most recent reports, he lives in Los Angeles, California[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693588/bio/).
## References
1. [Tate Ellington Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693588/bio/)
2. [Tate Ellington, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tate-ellington/)
3. [The Endless press notes (2017), Tate Ellington cast biography](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2017/09/20/11/04/The_Endless_Press_Notes_-_06_20_17.pdf)
4. [Tate Ellington Film Credits, The Movie Insider](https://www.movieinsider.com/p16/tate-ellington/)
5. [Tate Ellington : Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-226417/filmographie/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Do to E*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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