Former Child Star Dead at 35: Evan Ellingson Starred in ‘CSI: Miami’ and ’24’

Evan Ellingson, a former child actor best known for starring in CSI: Miami, 24, and the Cameron Diaz film My Sister’s Keeper, has died. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s coroners division, Ellingson was found dead in the bedroom of a home in Fontana, California at 11:31 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s coroners division. He was 35.

At this time, Ellingson’s cause of death is pending, though the Los Angeles Times reported that San Bernadino police said there were no obvious signs of foul play. Ellingson’s father, Michael, told TMZ that his son was found at a sober-living home. Michael added that Ellingson struggled with addiction in the past but was doing better. He said his son’s passing “comes as a complete shock to the family.”

Raised in La Verne, California with his three brothers, according to his bio on IMDb, Ellingson “was discovered at a skate park and was asked to not only skate for the Vans PeeWee team, but to do a commercial for the Vans Company” when he was just 10. His “unmistakable charisma and talent” led to him being “asked to do a trilogy of short films playing a character that was written specifically for him,” his bio adds.

Ellingson made his television debut in 2001 when he played “young Chuck” in the TV movie Living in Fear and also appeared on the soap opera General Hospital. He had a recurring role on the Fox sitcom Titus from 2001 to 2002, appeared in 19 episodes of the ABC sitcom Complete Savages between 2004 and 2005, and appeared throughout Season 6 of the Fox TV series 24. 

The young actor was perhaps best known, however, for his role as Jesse in the 2009 My Sister’s Keeper, a movie about a family coping with their young daughter’s cancer diagnosis. The film also starred Diaz, Jason Patric, and Abigail Breslin, who remembered her former co-star as “a kind, funny and extremely talented human being” who was “a genuinely thoughtful person who cared so much about turning in the best performance, which he accomplished.” He was also well-known for his portrayal of Kyle Harmon, the son of David Caruso’s Horatio Cane, in 18 episodes of CSI: Miami from 2007 to 2010.

Ellingson seemingly stepped away from acting following his role on CSI: Miami, which is his last credited role, according to his IMDb profile. Ellingson’s other credits include Mad TV, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Walk the Talk. In a 2009 interview, Ellingson said his “childhood was a cool one. was busy doing the things I love. I had no regrets because I found my passion for acting early on.”