David Kelly (actor)

Kelly was born 11 July 1929 in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland,https://www.dib.ie/index.php/biography/kelly-david-a10008One source, which interviewed him, gives 1928: {{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/why-lifes-sweet-for-oscarhopeful-david-251904.html |title=Why Life's Sweet for Oscar-Hopeful David |date=30 July 2005 |work=Irish Independent |location=Dublin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305071738/http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/why-lifes-sweet-for-oscarhopeful-david-25977773.html |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=live}} and educated at Dublin's Synge Street CBS Christian Brothers school.Irish Independent, 2005 He began acting at the age of eight at the city's Gaiety Theatre, encouraged by a teacher at school he also performed with the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society{{cite news| url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/profile-david-kelly-at-long-last-the-world-wakes-up-to-grandpa-joe-nj2g5f9l862| title=Profile: David Kelly: At long last the world wakes up to Grandpa Joe| newspaper=The Sunday Times| location=London| date=November 6, 2005| url-access=subscription}} and went on to train at The Abbey School of Acting.

As a backup career, he additionally trained as a draughtsman and calligrapher, and also learned watercolour art. He appeared onstage in the original production of Brendan Behan's The Quare Fellow, and gained his first major career attention in Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape at the Dublin's Abbey Theatre in 1959.{{cite news| url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/35246/leading-irish-actor-david-kelly-dies| title=Leading Irish Actor David Kelly Dies| date=14 February 2012| first=Michael| last=Quinn| work=The Stage| access-date=14 February 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219235935/http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/35246/leading-irish-actor-david-kelly-dies| archive-date=19 February 2012| url-status=live}} By then he had made his screen debut in a small part in director John Pomeroy's 1958 film noir Dublin Nightmare.

One of his first television appearances was on RTÉ in O'Dea's your Man (1964) in which he played the part of Ignatius opposite Jimmy O'Dea. He went on to become a familiar face on British television with the BBC comedy Me Mammy, opposite Milo O'Shea and Anna Manahan. He went on to often-memorable guest roles on such series as Oh Father! and Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width, and particularly during the 1970s with a long-running role as the one-armed dishwasher Albert Riddle in the Man About the House spin-off Robin's Nest. He also had a regular long running role alongside Bruce Forsyth in both series of the comedy Slinger's Day from 1986 to 1987, and, in 1991, he appeared in the first series of the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children as the cafe-owner Paddy.

He gained some of his greatest recognition in 1975, playing inept builder Mr O'Reilly on the second episode of Fawlty Towers ("The Builders").

Kelly was in the voice cast of The Light Princess, a partly animated, hour-long family fantasy that aired on the BBC in 1978.{{cite news |url=http://blog.bcdb.com/irish-actor-david-kelly-grandpa-joe-dies-82-3088/ |title=Irish actor David Kelly, "Grandpa Joe," Dies at 82 |first=Paul |last=Anderson |website=Big Cartoon News |date=13 February 2012 |access-date=13 February 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208223009/http://blog.bcdb.com/irish-actor-david-kelly-grandpa-joe-dies-82-3088/ |archive-date=8 December 2012 |url-status=dead}}

In Ireland, he may be most famous for his portrayal of the character "Rashers" Tierney in the 1980 RTÉ miniseries Strumpet City, which starred Peter O'Toole, Cyril Cusack and Peter Ustinov. He went on to have starring roles in television shows such as Emmerdale Farm in the 1980s and Glenroe in the 1990s, as well as playing the grandfather in Mike Newell's film Into the West (1992).

Following his appearance as Michael O'Sullivan in the 1998 film Waking Ned, he played roles in such films as Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), in which he played Grandpa Joe, and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004). He played title character Frank Kovak in the mystery film The Kovak Box, in a rare villainous role. In 2007, he appeared in Stardust, which featured Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, and which was also his final film. He also did extensive radio work, including a guest appearance on the BBC Radio 4 series Baldihttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00whw3t

Kelly was married to actress Laurie Morton, who survived him, along with children David and Miriam.{{cite news| url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0212/kellyd.html|title=David Kelly Dies Aged 82| work=RTÉ News| date=12 February 2012| access-date=12 February 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220000859/http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0212/kellyd.html| archive-date=20 February 2012| url-status=live}} He died after a short illness on 12 February 2012{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/movies/david-kelly-82-irish-film-actor-is-dead.html| title=David Kelly, Irish Film Actor, Dies at 82| agency=Associated Press| work=The New York Times| date=18 February 2012| access-date= 4 November 2015| url-access=subscription}} at age 82. The Irish Times referred to him as the "grand old man of Irish acting".{{cite news| url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0213/1224311684377.html| title=Grand Old Man of Irish Acting Dies, Aged 82| first=Alison| last=Healy| newspaper=The Irish Times| location=Dublin| date=13 February 2012| access-date=13 February 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219235802/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0213/1224311684377.html| archive-date=19 February 2012| url-status=live| quote=Kelly was born in Dublin on July 11th, 1929 and educated at Synge Street Catholic Boys School.}} A Catholic funeral mass took place on 16 February 2012, at the Church of the Miraculous Medal, in the actor's home town of Dublin. Kelly was cremated at Mount Jerome Cemetery and Crematorium.{{cite news| url=http://www.rte.ie/ten/2012/0216/kellyd.html|title=Funeral takes place of acting legend Kelly| work=RTÉ Ten| date=16 February 2012| access-date=16 February 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217143017/http://www.rte.ie/ten/2012/0216/kellyd.html| archive-date=17 February 2012| url-status=live}}

Kelly won a 1991 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production, for a Kennedy Center revival of The Playboy of the Western World.{{cite web| url=http://theatrewashington.org/content/kelly-david-1991| title=Kelly, David – 1991| website=TheatreWashington.org| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220001808/http://theatrewashington.org/content/kelly-david-1991| archive-date=20 February 2012| url-status=live}} As well, he earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the 1998 film Waking Ned.{{cite web|url=http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/5th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards#nominee-1314 |title=The 5th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards |website=Screen Actors Guild |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220001907/http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/5th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards |archive-date=20 February 2012 |url-status=live}}

In 2005, Kelly won the Irish Film & Television Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, in addition to earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.{{cite web| url=http://www.ifta.ie/winners/iftawinners2005.html| title=Winners of the 3rd Annual Irish Film & Television Awards| website=Irish Film & Television Academy| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721125210/http://www.ifta.ie/winners/iftawinners2005.html| archive-date=21 July 2011| url-status=live}}

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• The Wrong Man (1956) – Policeman (uncredited)
• Dublin Nightmare (1958) – 1st Customer
• The Quare Fellow (1962) – Reception Clerk
• Girl with Green Eyes (1964) – ticket collector
• Young Cassidy (1965) – O'Brien
• Ulysses (1967) – Garrett Deasy
• Me Mammy (1968–71) – Cousin Enda
• The Italian Job (1969) – Vicar (funeral scene)
• Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970) – Tom Maguire
• The McKenzie Break (1970) – Adjutant (uncredited)
• Tales From the Lazy Acre (1972) – Dead Man
• Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1973) – Murphy
• Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow (1973) – Hugo Mooney
• Fawlty Towers (1975) – O'Reilly (episode "The Builders")
• Philadelphia, Here I Come (1975) – Canon O'Byrne
• The Next Man (1976) – Chauffeur in Ireland
• The Purple Taxi (1977) – Little Person
• A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1977) – Dean of Studies
• Citizen Smith (1978) – Paddy
• Robin's Nest (1977–1981) – Albert Riddle
• Cowboys (1980–1981) – Wobbly Ron
• Strumpet City (1980) – Rashers Tierney
• Whoops Apocalypse (1982) – Abdab
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) – Tavernkeeper
• The Jigsaw Man (1983) – Cameron
• Red Monarch (1983) – Sergo
• Glenroe (1983) – Sylvie Dolan
• Anne Devlin (1984) – Dr. Trevor
• Stryker's War (1985)
• Slinger's Day (1986) – Fred
• Pirates (1986) – Ship's Surgeon
• Joyriders (1988) – Daniel
• Into the West (1992) – Grandfather Reilly
• Tales of the Tooth Fairies (1992) – Arthur (voice)
• A Man of No Importance (1994) – Christy Ward
• Moondance (1994) – Mr Dunwoody
• The Run of the Country (1995) – Father Gaynor
• Upwardly Mobile (1995–1997) – Barman
• The Matchmaker (1997) – O'Connor
• Heartbeat (1997) – Pa Deighton
• Waking Ned (1998) – Michael O'Sullivan
• Ballykissangel (1998) – Mr O'Reilly
• Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000) – Fr Grogan
• Greenfingers (2000) – Fergus Wilks
• Rough for Theatre I (2000) – A
• Mean Machine (2001) – Doc
• Puckoon (2002) – O'Toole
• Mystics (2003) – Dave
• Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004) – Trival
• Laws of Attraction (2004) – Priest / Michael
• The Calcium Kid (2004) – Paddy O'Flannagan
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) – Grandpa Joe
• The Kovak Box (2006) – Frank Kovak
• Conversations with God (2006) – Job Interviewer
• Who's Your Caddy? (2007) – Robert "Bobby" Hawkins
• Stardust (2007) – Guard at The Wall

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• {{IMDb name|446303|David Kelly}}
• {{Find a Grave|84896824}}

{{IFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Film}}

{{Satellite Award Best Actor Motion Picture}}

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Category:1929 births

Category:2012 deaths

Category:20th-century Irish male actors

Category:21st-century Irish male actors

Category:Burials at Mount Jerome Cemetery and Crematorium

Category:Disease-related deaths in the Republic of Ireland

Category:Irish male film actors

Category:Irish male radio actors

Category:Irish male soap opera actors

Category:Irish male stage actors

Category:Irish male television actors

Category:Male actors from Dublin (city)

Category:People educated at Synge Street CBS