Desert Golf Feb/Mar 2004

From Smith to Elliott to Stardom,
David James Elliott

by François Rhodes - staff writer with Desert Golf Magazine

At forty-three, desert resident David James Elliott is enjoying everything that life has bestowed upon him. Beginning with Nanci his beautiful wife of twelve years and his beautiful children Stephanie and Wyatt. He also enjoys a starring role in the successful television series "JAG," and a future easily described as limitless.

As a teenager, acting was not what Canadian born David Smith had in mind, music was his passion, and being the front man in a band was his goal. Dropping out of high school to accomplish the latter, Smith soon found out being a roadie was not everthing he had envisioned. From questionable gigs to turmoil amongst the band members, Smith decided enough already, and moved back home to finish his education.

In the process of finishing high school, Smith's theatre history class was studying King Lear. Reading the part of Lear so impressed his teacher that he encouraged Smith to consider acting as a career. The fact that Smith knew nothing about acting and had never seen or been in a live play, did not deter him. Smith auditioned for the Ryerson Polytechnic Institute in Toronto and was accepted.

From Shakespeare to B movies, Smith quickly earned the role of supporting actor in a highly rated Canadian television series and soon became a household name. Given the title of Flare magazine's Bachelor of the Year, Smith had Hollywood on his mind. In 1990 he moved to Los Angeles. Once in Los Angeles he needed to join the Screen Actors Guild, Smith's new name was to be "David Elliot" which was already registered. So, he added the "James" and become David James Elliot.

Elliot now stars as Commander Harmon "Harm" Rabb, Jr. a brave, outstanding Navy lawyer and officer in the Navy's Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corp., Which is currently in its 9th season and consistently ranked among the top ten. With the stability of a hit series, Elliot is able to pursue his other passions in life, "I'm a tri-athlete and am in training for the iron-man in Hawaii next year and also the Boston Marathon." Add to his list writing, snorkeling, bicycling, kickboxing, and of course playing golf, Elliot's life is complete.

Golf was his father's sport recalls Elliot; "I remember watching golf as a child with my father. My dad was a big fan of Jack Nicklaus so we used to go watch him, I wasn't even a golfer," Elliot adds with a chuckle. With continual prompting from his father, Elliot eventually started playing the game at the age of twenty-three at Hornby Hills Golf Course in Canada and now considers himself "obsessed with the game."

At the moment Elliot is a four handicap, with his lowest round being a 73 shot on his home course in Palm Desert. Falling in love with the desert on his first visit back in the 90's, it had been a dream of Elliot's to own a home there one-day. "My first visit to the desert was to Palm Springs. I instantly fell in love with it because of the weather and the serenity. About four years ago I finally purchased a home down here on a golf course and I always get the feeling that I am so far away, yet LA is so close," he explains. "The moment I come out here," he continues, "stress vanishes."

Dividing his time between homes in Canada, the Bahamas, Los Angeles and Palm Desert, it is the desert where the Elliot family spends most of their vacation weekends. Having played many of the courses in the Coachella Valley, Elliot is a member of two but prefers not to mention their name. "I get out on the course almost every weekend and once in a while during the week," he admits, "but at work I set-up a little practice area, with a big net, pad and video machine and a putting machine. A buddy of mine, who is a scratch golfer, and I, work on our swing all week long at work and on the weekends we let it rip."

As with many of the celebrities Desert Golf Magazine has profiled, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic is a favorite of most, including Elliot. "The Bob Hope is my favorite of because I love all the courses we play, you get to play with a different pro each day, the weather is always great, they treat you so nice and it's just a lot of fun."

It is Elliot's hopes that his ten-month-old son Wyatt will become his "golf pal," and is obsessed with the game as he is. But for the moment Elliot's enjoyment of the game is derived from "playing well and being in good company."

Simply stated from this very private and devoted family man who continues to sing and play guitar in front of his most treasured audience of three, his family.