A Familiar Face

by Debra Wallace | Nov 26, 2025

No matter if David James Elliott is travelling in Tuscany, Paris, Vancouver or stateside, he is routinely recognized by fans who are eager to share fond memories watching him command the screen as the star of the TV drama JAG.

“People who come up to me, more often than not, talk about having watched the show with their families, and what a great time in their life that it was. … It’s always nice to hear that we brought families together. We made them feel something. That’s really our job, and so, job well done if I was able to do that,” says Elliott.

JAG was an award-winning primetime series that ran for a decade before ending its run in 2005, and ultimately led to the spinoff NCIS, currently in the midst of its 23^rd season. Elliott portrayed the lead character Harmon Rabb, a naval aviator turned judge advocate general’s lawyer. He reprised his role in 2019 on the 10^th season of NCIS: Los Angeles, one of the six spinoffs that came from NCIS, which includes the recent premiere of Tony & Ziva on CBS.

“On JAG, we did a bang-up job of presenting these fetching international stories and putting a human touch on them,” Elliott says. “I worked extremely hard at finding the humanity in this rigid system and to not lose the fact that we were not playing general two-dimensional kinds of characters.”

Elliott believed a major factor in the show’s appeal was its authentic approach. The show’s large budget allowed them to shoot on location at Miramar, El Toro and several other active U.S. Naval bases.

“We went out on a carrier once for a week; we shot in Australia—and one time the Marine Corps loaned us three active military tanks,” Elliott recalls. “So, all of those aspects helped to make it extremely popular, especially with members of the Armed Forces or former members of the military, who appreciated the authenticity and were our first loyal audience.”

When asked what character traits he has in common with his JAG counterpart, Elliot says, “I learned a lot studying for that character. I read the officer’s training manual and I read The Bluejacket’s Manual, and there were some really interesting things in there. [Something] that really stuck out to me was one piece of advice: “If you point out a problem and you don’t also point out a potential solution, then you are part of the problem.”

Outside of this signature role, Elliott’s impressive body of work also includes playing Paul Robbins, the lead on the 1993 TV series, The Untouchables. He’s also had a recurring role on Melrose Place, starred alongside Virginia Madsen in Scoundrels, played Dave Wooster on Mad Men and portrayed John Wayne in the acclaimed 2015 film Trumbo.

To play an iconic character like ‘The Duke’ was both scary and challenging, and the experience was all-around great. I got to work with Bryan [Cranston], a great guy, and Helen [Mirren], who was just a doll; such a lovely lady,” he reminisces. “I had met her before the filming; if not, I would have been a nervous wreck. The first scene I had to shoot was in my office, and I get in her face about beating up Edward G. Robinson.”

When he is not in front of the camera, Elliott is an accomplished hockey player, who loves participating in celebrity events. He also enjoys photography—frequently posting pictures of scenic landscapes and outdoor activities—and literature, often sharing his book recommendations with his many social media followers.

Currently, Elliott is starring as Clayton in The Chicken Sisters, which airs Sundays on Hallmark and is currently enjoying its second season. The backdrop of the show is a battle between two female-led fried chicken restaurants warring with one another. Joining the cast in its new season, Elliott plays the high school sweetheart of Gus (Wendie Malick), one of four leading ladies in the series, and has returned to the small town of Merinac for their daughter Mae’s (Genevieve Angelson) upcoming wedding. The only problem is Clayton never knew he had a daughter and he appears to come back to town with his eye on rekindling his lost romance with Gus.

“My wife and I watched the show after they called and offered me the part, and we thought it was excellent, so I thought it would be fun,” Elliott says. “It is a lovely cast, and so are the writers and showrunner. I really had the best time!”

While in real life, Elliott and his actress wife Nanci Chambers are the loving parents of two,—a 32-year-old daughter, Stephanie, and a 22-year-old son, Wyatt—in The Chicken Sisters, Clayton is trying to learn everything he can about his newly discovered daughter Mae in a short amount of time.

“I have a grown daughter of my own, so that side of fathering a daughter was relatable immediately. But it took [things] a step further, having to play a guy who was never a part of her life, and somebody who has not quite grown up himself,” Elliott explains.

While open to reprising the role of Clayton should The Chicken Sisters embark on a third season, Elliott has been busy of late. In addition to appearing in Revival, a new sci-fi series streaming on Peacock, he will also star with Penelope Ann Miller in the upcoming November film After All.

When asked what he attributes to having such a rich, diverse and long career, Elliott responds that he has always shown up to work and put his best foot forward.

“It has all been about hard work, good luck and trying to keep my head on the right way. I try to approach things by asking, ‘How can I be of service?’”

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Published and copyrighted in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 22, Issue 8 (November 2025)

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Author: Debra Wallace

A Familiar Face

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