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How appropriate that the name
Elias is Greek for 'The Lord is God,' because Elias is of Greek
heritage. He's a Canadian, born on March 11, 1961, in Montreal.
Both his parents are of Greek descent.
 Elias attended Vanier College in Montreal, Canada before leaving to attend
the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1981, of which
he is a 1983 graduate. He also attended the Actors Studio in New
York City, where he studied acting under Ellen Burstyn and Peter
Masterson. During
his early years, Elias washed dishes and bussed tables in New York for $1
an hour. At the time, he wasn't a U.S. citizen and wasn't allowed to
work in this country.
While at the AADA, Elias played Father Rangier in the school's production
of "The Devils" by John Whiting. He also performed the
part of Paris in a musical production of "Golden Apple" by John
Latouche.
Elias was first seen in "One Magic Christmas" in 1985. He
has also appeared on stage in "Kiss of the Spider Woman,"
"Death of a Salesman" and "Bent
and the Cherry Orchard."
In 1989, he was nominated for a Genie (Canada's Academy Award) for best
actor in "Malarek," a true story in which he plays a troubled
street kid-turned reporter for a Canadian newspaper. A
somewhat of a breakthrough role for Elias occured in 1990, when he got the
role of vigalante Casey Jones in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"
movies.
Elias is one of Canada's most popular actors and frequently appears in
movies by Canadian directors Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg. It
was Cronenberg's controversial movie "Crash" that had Cannes all
a-buzz in 1996. Elias played Vaughan, a self-appointed 'mad'
scientist with an unusual fetish -- sexual delight in car crashes!
The past two years, he has been very busy, adding six more roles to his
resume. As Capt. James Staros, the commanding officer of Charlie
Company in "The Thin Red Line," Elias brought sensitivity and
compassion to his portrayal of a man who cared about the safety of his men
-- even at the risk of his own career.
Even when he's only on screen for a few minutes, Elias still shines!
Just watch the first ten minutes of "Fallen" or "Gattaca"
and you'll see what I mean. That's why he's a great supporting
actor!
Elias' most recent movie was "Novocaine", a
film described as 'film noir/thriller/comedy' starring Steve Martin.
You can see him in "Collateral Damage" and soon in
"Harrison's Flowers."
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"I
just wish that you...weren't so alone in this. You just go to
work, and you're just alone. You just go home, and at 3:30 in
the morning, you're just f***ing alone. If anything, I've become
more uptight, man. The past year, two years, all I am is just
a...all I want to do is just relax. And I can't. If this is
going to be my life as an actor, I don't want it." --
--
Elias, quoted in Premiere, April 1990
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