James Martin Kelly

James Martin Kelly was born in 1954 in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. Within a few years he moved to suburban Valley Stream, Long Island where at the age of 11 he performed on stage as a musician singing, playing the guitar and drums. By the 1980s Jim was a published songwriter and performer working in the recording studios and nightclubs of New York in lower Manhattan. To supplement his income and now married to Mary-Ellen of Long Island and with children, Jim became a postman with the US Postal Service. He secured a transfer to Hudson, Florida, but once there he realized there were many less opportunities in the music industry that he loved so much. His wife saw an advertisement on the television for auditions for the community theater and encouraged Jim to go, where he soon learned the trade of rejection. But he didn't give up. He played Beadle in "Sweeny Todd" at the Richey Suncoast Theater. A director of another show saw Jim and booked him in his show, this led to one engagement after another including Alan Squire in "The Petrified Forest". Jim at this time had agents in the Tampa area and they were sending him out on several auditions landing him work in commercials. Being in constant demand he had to make the choice whether to take the risk and leave the Post Office or pursue his acting career full time. He chose the latter and has no regrets at all. He decided to go with the agent that got him the best and most consistent work, which was Melanie Hurt of the Hurt Agency, Orlando. He has attended workshops with Kathy Laughlin in Tampa, Lori Wyman in Miami and several others. He spent 3 years learning the Eric Morris Technique at the Performers Studio perfecting scene study. Recently he attended a Primetime Audition workshop in New York with 'Julie Tucker' who casts for the TV show _"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) _. Jim has appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) as mob boss Billy Bob Jackson in three episodes where his New York accent came in handy. He also appeared in Safe Harbor (1999). In Noah Knows Best (2000), shot at Universal, he played Big Frankie, Hanson's bodyguard. Jim played "Mack' the owner of the Big Ace Saloon on Dawson's Creek (1998). In between theater and television, he hosted his own show: "Kelly's Cellar", on public television, when he and his wife produced the series. His guests consisted of comedians, musicians and actors and ran for two years.Some of his films include Olive Juice (2001), which recently premiered in Orlando. In Animal Factory (2000) with Steve Buscemi and Willem Dafoe, he played a correctional guard who has a rough face-to-face confrontation with Davoe. His most recent film, shot in Miami, was Big Trouble (2002) directed by 'Barry Sonnerfeld', when he played a Geo Salesman trying to sell a car. He also has a film To Kill A Lawyer (2001) soon to be shown at the Tampa Bay Film Festival. The film was shot in Tarpon Springs.Jim is very proud of his eighteen-year-old daughter Amanda who was given a full scholarship to Southern Methodist University for vocal performance. Music seems to run in the family. His sixteen-year-old daughter, Vanessa, is interested in acting and film. Her fascination seems to be in continuity in films. Thirteen-year-old Jim Jr. is into painting, sculpting and now his historical interest is in building ancient medieval armaments. Colin, twelve, is into skateboarding. When not working as an actor, Jim spends all of his time with his family just hanging out together, living outside Los Angeles. Show less «