Evan Ellingson, a former actor who most recently appeared alongside David Caruso on “CSI: Miami,” has died at the age of 35, according to authorities in California’s San Bernardino County.
Ellingson was found dead at a home in Fontana on Sunday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office confirmed to Deadline. The department’s site indicates Ellingson’s body was found in a bedroom, but an official cause of death was not listed.
Ellingson’s father, speaking with TMZ, said Ellingson was staying in a sober-living home at the time of his death, following a struggle with drug addiction.
As a child actor, Ellingson appeared on such shows as “General Hospital” and “Mad TV,” and had landed an early recurring role on the 2000 Fox sitcom “Titus” as a child version of lead actor Christopher Titus. In later years, Ellingson appeared on “24” playing the nephew of Keifer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer character, and had a role on “CSI: Miami” as the son of David Caruso’s Horatio Crane.
According to IMDb, Ellingson’s most recent film credit was in 2009’s “My Sister’s Keeper,” starring Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Abigail Breslin and Alec Baldwin.
In a 2009 interview with The Star (archived via a “CSI” fan site), Ellingson expressed his wishes to continue in the entertainment industry beyond his last credited role on “CSI: Miami.”
“I’ve been acting for more than half my life,” he said at the time. “It’s my life and what I love to do. Pretty soon I will start to direct. I love this industry. I love making films, storytelling and everything about it.”
Officials told TMZ they don’t suspect foul play in Ellingson’s death. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, Deadline reported.