Mario Ellul

Mario Ellul (8 September 1963 - 31 July 2004) was a Maltese singer and television producer between the early 1980s and the end of his life.

Early Life and TV Career

He was born on 8 September 1963 and studied at the De La Salle College in Cottonera and at the New Lyceum in Msida. During his studies at the New Lyceum he joined Xandir Malta as a student worker, becoming a full-time producer-director soon after. At Xandir Malta, Ellul produced and directed some of the most innovative Maltese programs and TV shows, including Arzella and Mill-Garaxx.

In the early 1990s Mario Ellul left Xandir Malta and joined BPC where he was responsible for the building of a new TV studio in Hamrun for Audiovision, a subsidiary of BPC. While at BPC, he also attended a TCV Direction Course in London.

Popular Singer and Actor

Ellul was also a popular singer, actor and stage director. He sang with Fog and Mirage, two local rock bands and took part in numerous musicals, including Little Shop of Horrors, Ali Baba, Bastilja, Żeża tal-Flagship, Ulied In-Nanna Venut, Manwel! Manwel! and Il-Ħotbi ta' Notre Dame. Maltese TV viewers will also remember him as Bango in the TV series Villa Sunset, and as part of the cast for Dejjem Tieghek, Becky, a very poplar Maltese TV series.

He worked as a committee member of Maltasong, organizers of the Malta Song for Europe Festival, bringing his professional skills in stage management and television direction to good use.

His death from heart failure at such a young age prompted many tributes, including one by his former colleague Toni Sant, which is available online. [click here to read it now]

Mario Ellul was married to Grace and together thay had one child, Daniel.