[6] He then graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)[1] alongside his future wife, actress Emily Simpson in 1987.
Ehlers made his acting debut as Captain Watkin Tench in 1987 miniseries Frontier, alongside Max Cullen, Ruth Cracknell, and Robert Coleby.
Early television credits include the miniseries True Believers (1988), Body Surfer (1989), Darlings of the Gods (1989) and Bangkok Hilton (1989) – the latter alongside Nicole Kidman in her breakout role.
He made further television appearances in Shadows of the Heart (1990), A Country Practice (1992), New Zealand series Marlin Bay (1992), Time Trax (1993), Fire (1996), Flipper (1995-1996), Heartbreak High (1996), Water Rats (1998), Stingers (1999) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World (1999-2002).
Ehlers also appeared in numerous films including western film Quigley Down Under (1990) alongside Tom Selleck, Weekend with Kate (1990), erotic thriller Fatal Bond (1991), US thriller Irresistible Force (1993) and cult crime drama Two Hands (1999) alongside Heath Ledger, Bryan Brown and Rose Byrne.