Elijah Kelley

{{short description|American actor, singer, and dancer (born 1986)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Elijah Kelley

| image = ElijahKelley.png

| imagesize =

| caption = Elijah Kelley, January 2008

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|8|1}}

| birth_place = LaGrange, Georgia, U.S.

| partner =

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Actor
singer
dancer}}

| years_active = 1998–present

}}

Elijah Kelley (born August 1, 1986) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He appeared in films such as 28 Days (2000), Take the Lead (2006), Hairspray (2007), Red Tails (2012), Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013), NBC's live-musical event The Wiz Live! (2015), as Ricky Bell in The New Edition Story (2017), and Star (2017).

Early life

Kelley was born and raised in LaGrange, Georgia. He attended Long Cane Middle School and Troup County High School, where he participated in the school's show choir for years.{{cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brad|url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/breaking_news/story/89011.html|title=LaGrange to honor local 'Hairspray' star|work=Ledger-Enquirer|date=July 20, 2007|access-date=July 21, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127154530/http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/breaking_news/story/89011.html|archive-date=January 27, 2013|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news|last=Eisner|first=Ken|url=https://www.straight.com/article-102053/hairsprays-kelley-energized-by-cast|title=Hairspray's Kelley energized by cast|website=Straight.com|date=July 19, 2007|access-date=July 21, 2007}} As a child, he starred in Coca-Cola commercials and played a role in the film Mama Flora's Family. He also performed in a church choir and gospel band with his family.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1645142,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111180840/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1645142,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 11, 2007 |title=Elijah Kelley: Whoa, Who's That Kid? |magazine=Time |date=July 19, 2007}} His parents, determined to keep their son down to earth, went with him when he moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school.{{cite journal |first=Desa|last=Philadelphia |url=http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070715/070715elijah_kelley.html |title=Elijah Kelley has the total package |journal=USA Weekend |date=July 15, 2007 }}{{dead link|date=December 2015}}

Career

In 2007, Kelley starred in the film adaptation of Hairspray."[http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=532808 Elijah Kelley to Play Seaweed in Hairspray Film]". BroadwayWorld.com. July 3, 2006. Retrieved July 2, 2007. Both his performance and the film received positive reviews.[http://www.vh1.com/movies/news/articles/1564676/20070712/story.jhtml VH1.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917093449/http://www.vh1.com/movies/news/articles/1564676/20070712/story.jhtml |date=September 17, 2007 }} On December 2, 2011, Kelley sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

In 2015, Kelley was cast in the role of the Scarecrow in NBC's production of The Wiz Live!{{cite journal |first=Laura|last=Prudom |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/the-wiz-ne-yo-tin-man-elijah-kelley-scarecrow-common-nbc-live-musical-1201569424/ |title='The Wiz': Common, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley Join NBC Live Musical |journal=Variety |date=August 13, 2015 |access-date=November 19, 2015}}

He was cast as singer Ricky Bell for the 2017 BET Biographical miniseries The New Edition Story. He was credited for his help in considering Luke James, who is a long-time musical associate of his to audition for the producers of the miniseries to be cast as the bandmate Johnny Gill.{{Citation|last=Wendy Williams|title=New Edition Story|date=2017-01-17|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEEMYOYWc3g |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/dEEMYOYWc3g |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=2017-10-20}}{{cbignore}}

In 2017, Kelley was cast alongside Luke James as a recurring role for the 2nd season of Lee Daniels musical drama Star on FOX.

Kelley also played a role as Sunny the elf from the animated George Lucas film “Strange Magic” from 2015

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
2000 \| 28 Days \| Darnell \|
rowspan="2" \| 2006 \| Take the Lead \| Danjou \|
Heavens Fall \| Leroy Wright \|
2007 \| Hairspray \| Seaweed J. Stubbs \| Hollywood Film Award for Ensemble Of The Year Young Hollywood Award for One to Watch Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008 \| Rome & Jewel \| Ben \| Direct-to-video
2012 \| Red Tails \| Samuel "Joker" George \|
2013 \|The Butler \| Charlie Gaines \|
2014 \| Boys of Abu Ghraib \| Tunde \|
2015 \| Strange Magic \| Sunny \| Voice

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2000

| 28 Days

| Darnell

rowspan="2" | 2006

| Take the Lead

| Danjou

Heavens Fall

| Leroy Wright

2007

| Hairspray

| Seaweed J. Stubbs

| Hollywood Film Award for Ensemble Of The Year
Young Hollywood Award for One to Watch
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

2008

| Rome & Jewel

| Ben

| Direct-to-video

2012

| Red Tails

| Samuel "Joker" George

2013

|The Butler

| Charlie Gaines

2014

| Boys of Abu Ghraib

| Tunde

2015

| Strange Magic

| Sunny

| Voice

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1998 \| Mama Flora's Family \| Young Willie \| rowspan="2" \| Television film
1999 \| A Lesson Before Dying \| Clarence
rowspan="2" \| 2005 \| The Shield \| Jaymon \| Episode: "Grave"
Everybody Hates Chris \| Waiter \| Episode: "Everybody Hates the Babysitter"
2006 \| Numb3rs \| Anthony \| Episode: "The OG"
2009 \| Dirty Sexy Money \| Elon Elder \| Episode: "The Facts"
2015 \| The Wiz Live! \| Scarecrow / Sticks The Farmhand Man #3 \| NBC live TV musical
2017 \| The New Edition Story \| Ricky Bell \| BET 3-part Miniseries
2017–2018 \| Star \| Andy \| Recurring Role
2018 \| The Bobby Brown Story \| Ricky Bell \| BET 2-part Miniseries
2019 \| Tales \| Paul \| Episode: “Brothers”

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1998

| Mama Flora's Family

| Young Willie

| rowspan="2" | Television film

1999

| A Lesson Before Dying

| Clarence