Ted Otis

Ted Otis is an actor, writer, producer, and publisher. He's recently performed with Malcolm McDowell (Clockwork Orange), Paul Rudd (Antman), Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean), Emily Watson (Punch Drunk Love), and in productions with Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Irons, and director Francis Lawrence (Hunger Games). From Santa Monica, California, and a family of industry veterans, Otis took up residence in Europe (Prague) for a decade working as an actor, voice-actor, location manager, and teacher. During that period he worked internationally in Iceland, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and many regions of the Czech Republic. Otis is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (A.S.C.A.P) having composed original scores and original sound-effects for his own and other's productions. Otis has produced several documentaries including 'The Power Of Peace' hosted by Uma Thurman and Harry Belafonte as well as 'Secrets of the C.I.A.' for Turner Broadcasting System, which both aired internationally His colleagues, projects & friendships include industry veterans such as Richard Linklater, James Gunn, Tim Burton, Lisa Henson, David O. Russel, Candice Bergen, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joel Schumacher, Neal Patrick Harris, Lewis John Carlino, Tarsem Singh, Stacy Keach, Peter Jason, Dorothy McGuire, Janet Leigh, Lucille Ball, David Bowie, Tony Curtis, Charlton Heston, Bruce Willis, and others. Otis's love for the industry started in the 1970s when his Academy member step-father, Clifford David, (a veteran Broadway singer and acting protégé of Lee Strasberg's) would bring his son to various shooting locations. Mr. David starred in projects alongside Laurence Olivier, Paul Newman, Mel Gibson, Angela Lansbury, Oliver Reed, Keanu Reeves, and other notable actors and often escorted his son to productions. Otis' Oscar-winning godfather, Lewis Milestone, would relish him with stories including one of Milestone's Oscars mysteriously disappearing for over a decade. Milestone was a multiple Oscar-winning director, winning Best-Direction for 'All Quiet On The Western Front' which also won Best Picture of 1930. The film was praised by Steven Spielberg for inspiring 'Schindler's List' and was restored by Martin Scorsese's restoration foundation despite significant amounts of original lost footage. Otis' blood father, Ted Otis, Sr., an actor, producer, and educator starred in feature films and episodic television shows such as 'Maverick', 'The Rifleman' 'Death Valley Days' and notably, an episode from the first season of 'The Twilight Zone' which became adapted by creator/writer Rod Serling into the original 'Planet of the Apes' feature film. Otis learned much from his producer/actor grandfather Gordon Oliver, a veteran actor, and producer known for his seasoned acting career in films as a contract player for RKO, including 'Jezebel', 'Brother Rat', 'Blondie', 'The Spiral Staircase', 'Stations West' and 'The Las Vegas Story'. He went on to produce television hits such as 'Peter Gunn', 'Mr. Lucky' and 'It Takes a Thief'. Oliver frequented live radio, big-band broadcasts, and Oscar telecasts from the famed Cocoanut Grove and attended many red-carpet premiers during the 1930s at movie palaces such as the Chinese, Pantages, and Carthay Circle cinemas which made him a fixture in the Hollywood press. Oliver & Otis shared a deep love of westerns and spent countless hours listening to recordings of Louis L'Amour and Tom Mix radio programs as well as watching Oscar-nominated westerns, (and of course other nominated films) debating their merits before Oliver would cast his vote for best actor or picture. A conservationist at heart, Otis has renovated and redeveloped celebrity estates in Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Los Feliz Oaks, and Silverlake. He remains a long-time member of the Hollywood Heritage preservation organization and maintains a deep passion for Hollywood's historic infrastructure and film history. He encourages friends to visit their flagship location, The Hollywood Heritage Museum, housed in a renovated barn, the location of Hollywood's very first feature-length film.