Longtime Boston TV Anchor Tom Ellis Dies At 86

SANDWICH, MA — Legendary Boston TV anchor Tom Ellis has passed away at the age of 86. Ellis died at his Sandwich home Monday after a battle with cancer, a spokesperson for his family told WCVB.

Ellis, who the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame describes as "THE face of Boston TV news," joined WBZ in 1968 after spending 10 years as a TV reporter in his native Texas. Over the course of his four-decade career, Ellis became the only person in the state's history to anchor newscasts that were number one on each of Boston's primary network television affiliates.

At WBZ he anchored solo until 1973, and then with Tony Pepper. He joined WCVB in 1978, co-anchoring with Chet Curtis and Natalie Jacobson until 1982; and co-anchored with Robin Young and later Diane Willis at WNEV-TV from 1982-1987.

His longest single tenure was as anchor of New England Cable News from 1994-2009.

His early ratings in Boston set all-time records; six months after joining WBZ in 1968, his solo newscasts captured more than half of the television audience at both 6 p.m. and 11p.m., according to the Hall of Fame. His tenure at WCVB also was distinguished by top-of-the-market ratings for an extended period.

Ellis appeared in three feature films: Marathon Man (1976) as a news anchor; 29th Street (1991) as a newscaster; and True Color (1991) as an FBI agent.