John Emmet Tracy

John Emmet Tracy is an American-Canadian actor who has appeared in various film, television, and stage roles. He currently has a recurring role as Ellis Steele on the American television series Yellowstone. He has previously held recurring roles on series like Batwoman and iZombie and was a series regular on the Syfy series Olympus. Tracy has also appeared in films including American Mary, If I Stay (2014), and Fifty Shades Freed (2018) and voiced the role of Thomas Jefferson in the video game Assassin's Creed III (2012).

Early life and education

Tracy was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in both Chicago and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In high school, he was an exchange at Lilian Baylis School in England. He also took courses at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and after starting his university studies in the United States, transferred to Rose Bruford College in England, Additionally, he studied under Lynn Redgrave and Uta Hagen.

Career

Tracy began his career primarily as a stage actor. In the late 1990s, he played the title role in a production of Hamlet that toured Japan for a year. He subsequently appeared in stage, film, and television productions in Los Angeles and Vancouver, British Columbia. In the early 2010s, he earned roles in American television series like Smallville, Fringe, and The Killing. Tracy was also among 11 actors chosen for the International Actors' Fellowship at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. Between 2012 and 2014, he appeared in the films, American Mary and If I Stay and also provided the voice of Thomas Jefferson for the video game, Assassin's Creed III.

In March 2013, Tracy starred in a production of Terminus at Performance Works in Vancouver. He won the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for this performance. In 2014, he received a second Outstanding Lead Actor nomination for his performance as Sharky in a production of The Seafarer at Vancouver's Pacific Theatre. That year, Tracy also created, produced, and performed in The 24 Hour Shakespeare Project which entailed performing abridged productions of each of William Shakespeare's 38 plays over the course of 24 hours on April 23 (Shakespeare's 450th birthday). The event, which was staged at Blake Snyder Theatre at Go Studios, raised money for the British Columbia Children's Hospital.

In 2015, he appeared as Pallas, a series regular role, in the Syfy series, Olympus. In 2017, Tracy was nominated for his third Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for his performance as Anthony in Outside Mullingar at Pacific Theatre. Following several more film and television parts, he earned recurring roles as Enzo Lambert in iZombie and August Cartwright in Batwoman (both on The CW) in 2018 and 2019. That same year, he appeared as the lead role in the improvised feature film Open for Submissions.

In 2019, it was announced that Tracy would be cast in a recurring role on Paramount Network's Yellowstone. He initially appeared in the third season as Ellis Steele, a land acquisition attorney who represents Fortune 500 companies. He has also appeared in the series' fourth and fifth seasons, running through the series finale in 2024.

In 2025, Tracy appeared in two episodes of FBI: International as well as one episode of Fire Country.

Personal life

Tracy is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

Filmography Film +List of selected film roles Year Title Role Notes Ref 2012 American Mary Detective Dolor Horror film 2014 If I Stay Surgeon The Surface Bank manager 2015 The Mary Alice Brandon File Edgar John Brandon 2016 The BFG Palace staff 2018 Fifty Shades Freed Troy Whelan The Bad Seed Mark Wiggins 2019 Open for Submissions Desmond Baggs

Television +List of selected television roles Year Title Role Notes Ref 2010 Smallville Dr. Alfonso Episode 1.5: "Isis" 2020–2024 Yellowstone Ellis Steele Recurring role beginning in season 3 through final season in 2024. 14 episodes.