Elias Koteas (born on March 11, 1961) is a Canadian actor.
Koteas was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to a father who worked as a mechanic for the Canadian National Railways and a homemaker mother. His parents are both of Greek descent, and he speaks Greek fluently. Koteas attended Vanier College in Montreal, Canada before leaving to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1981, of which he is a 1983 graduate. He was a member of the Academy's 1983-1984 Production Company. He also attended the Actors' Studio in New York City, where he studied acting under Ellen Burstyn and Peter Masterson. During his early years, Koteas washed dishes and bussed tables in New York for $1 an hour. At the time, he was not a U.S. citizen and therefore was not allowed to work in that country.
While at the AADA, Koteas played Father Rangier in the school's production of "The Devils" adapted by John Whiting from the Aldous Huxley novel. He was also Paris in "The Golden Apple" a musical by John Latouche and Jerome Moross.
Koteas is known for his film portrayal of Casey Jones in the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies and for the character Thomas Daggett in the American film The Prophecy, which also starred Christopher Walken as the Archangel Gabriel and Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer.
Koteas had noteworthy roles in the Denzel Washington thriller, Fallen as the demon-possessed serial killer Edgar Reese. He appeared in John Hughes' Some Kind of Wonderful, Atom Egoyan's Exotica, Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line and David Cronenberg's Crash. Koteas also made an appearance in Season 4 of "The Sopranos" as Dominic Palladino, and in the Season 2 Finale of House. In the finale, Koteas played a man who shot doctor Gregory House. Elias has also appeared in "The Greatest Game Ever Played", a Disney biography about a young golfer, as well as the thrillers "Skinwalkers" in 2006, "Zodiac" and Shooter in 2007.
Koteas is often mistaken for Christopher Meloni, with whom he shares more than a passing resemblance.
