Minka Kelly

Minka Kelly Headshot

Actress

Birth Date: June 24, 1980

Age: 43 years old

Birth Place: Los Angeles, California

Partners: Trevor Noah

Emerging as one of the brighter young stars on television in the mid-2000s, actress Minka Kelly parlayed strong supporting work into starring roles on screens both large and small. The daughter of former Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay, she first made headway with guest-starring roles on shows like "What I Like About You" (The WB, 2000-06), prior to landing a regular spot on the critically-acclaimed football drama series "Friday Night Lights" (NBC/DirecTV, 2006-11). Kelly's heartfelt portrayal of high school cheerleader Lyla Garrity not only earned her kudos, but film work in such projects as director Peter Berg's action-adventure "The Kingdom" (2007). Possibly less welcome was the press coverage of the young actress' romantic liaisons with such high-profile figures as musician John Mayer, New York Yankee superstar Derek Jeter and actor Jesse Williams. Following a season on "Parenthood" (NBC, 2010-15) and a lead role in the collegiate thriller "The Roommate" (2011), she went on to lead the casts of short-lived revamped action-crime series "Charlie's Angels" (ABC, 2011) and science fiction thriller "Almost Human" (Fox 2013-14).

Born on June 24, 1980 in Los Angeles, Kelly was raised in a show business family, thanks to her father, Rick Dufay, guitarist for the legendary rockers Aerosmith on their 1982 album Rock in a Hard Place and her mother, Maureen, a former Las Vegas showgirl. Kelly's entertainment lineage stretched back even further; her grandparents were actor Richard Ney and actress Greer Garson, who won the Academy Award for her performance in "Mrs. Miniver" (1942). Growing up with a musician father also had its unique perks. Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler put time in as one of Kelly's babysitters. "He used to blow up his cheeks really big for me and I used to get a kick out of it," she told Entertainment Weekly. But that went away soon after her father abandoned the family, leaving Kelly's mother to raise her only child on her own.

When she was 17, Kelly finally reconciled with her estranged father and joined him in Los Angeles two years later. Meanwhile, she went to school to become a surgical technician, but also took an acting class primarily as a hobby. Kelly said she got hooked on performing after just one class and decided to pursue it as a full time career. Stardom did not happen overnight for the hardworking actress, who took on small roles in shows such as "Drake & Josh" (Nickelodeon, 2004-07) and "American Dreams" (NBC, 2002-05) early in her career. In 2005, Kelly booked a short recurring role in the comedy "What I Like About You" (The WB, 2002-06), acting alongside Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth. The actress also appeared in a couple of independent movies, including "Devil's Highway" (2005) and "State's Evidence" (2006), prior to landing her breakout role.

Kelly's hard work finally paid off when she got cast in "Friday Night Lights," a television drama based on writer-director Peter Berg's 2004 film of the same name, about a small Texas town that lives for its high school football games. Kelly played Lyla Garrity, a cheerleader and fiancée of the school's star quarterback who was paralyzed from the chest down after the opening game of his senior year. To prepare for the role, Kelly trained with the Pflugerville High School cheer squad. Meanwhile, her character raised eyebrows during the show's first season when she slept with the best friend (Taylor Kitsch) of her paralyzed boyfriend. By the end of the series' third season, Kelly's character had graduated high school and went off to college. While "Friday Night Lights" was favored by critics, low ratings often made the series a candidate for cancellation. But NBC was set to air the show's fourth season in 2009-2010, with the actress returning only as a recurring character."
Friday Night Lights" creator Peter Berg was so impressed by Kelly's performance that he cast her in his feature film, "The Kingdom," about a counter terrorism unit investigating a bombing at a Western compound in Saudi Arabia. Kelly's first big budget film production saw her acting alongside an impressive ensemble cast that included Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner. "The Kingdom" received mixed critical reviews, however, and managed less than $50 million at the box office. In 2009, Kelly had a minor role in the romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer" opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, a romantic comedy about a hopeless romantic falling in love with a woman who refuses to believe in true love. She next picked up a recurring role on the first season of the dramedy "Parenthood" (NBC, 2010-15) as Gaby, a behavioral aide working with the Braverman's young son, Max (Max Burkholder), a boy recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Kelly returned to the big screen alongside "Gossip Girl" (The CW, 2007-12) star Leighton Meester in the thriller "The Roommate" (2011), playing a college student terrorized by her obsessive roomie (Meester). Following a small turn in the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy "Just Go With It" (2011), the actress co-starred as Eve French, one of "Charlie's Angels" (ABC, 2011) in the highly-publicized but short-lived reboot of the iconic 1970s crime show.

After starring in indie mystery "Searching for Sonny" (2011) and appearing in writer-director Lee Daniels' "The Butler" (2013) as Jackie Kennedy, Kelly took on the female lead of science fiction thriller "Almost Human" (Fox 2013-14) for its sole season. The little-seen films "The World Made Straight" (2014) and "Papa: Hemingway in Cuba" (2015) followed, along with arcs in the spiritual drama "The Path" (Hulu 2016- ) and romantic comedy "Jane the Virgin" (CW 2014- ). Kelly next appeared in the recurring role of Dawn Granger in the streaming series "Titans" (2018).

Credits

Blackwater Lane

Actor
Cass
Movie
2024

Live with Kelly and MarkStream

Guest
Talk
2023

Lansky

Actor
Maureen
Movie
2021

She's in Portland

Actor
Sarah
Movie
2020

TitansStream

Actor
Dawn Granger/Dove
Series
2018
89%

TitansStream

Guest Star
Dawn Granger/Dove
Series
2018
89%

GMA Day

Guest
News
2018

The Beach HouseStream

Actor
Cara Rudland
Movie
2018

Nomis

Actor
Angie
Movie
2018

BullStream

Guest Star
Kara Clayton
Series
2016

The PathStream

Guest Star
Series
2016
77%

The Late Late Show With James CordenStream

Guest
Talk
2015

Man Seeking WomanStream

Guest Star
Series
2015
94%

The World Made Straight

Actor
Dena
Movie
2015

Away & Back

Actor
Ginny Newsom
Movie
2015

Papa

Actor
Debbie Hunt
Movie
2015

Jane The VirginStream

Guest Star
Abbey
Series
2014
100%

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream

Guest
Talk
2014

Almost HumanStream

Actor
Valerie Stahl
Series
2013
69%

Full Circle

Actor
Series
2013

Full Circle

Actor
Show
2013

Almost Human: Extras

Actor
Show
2013

Lee Daniels' The ButlerStream

Actor
Jackie Kennedy
Movie
2013
72%

Live! With Kelly and Michael

Guest
Talk
2012

Charlie's AngelsStream

Actor
Eve French
Series
2011
0%

Just Go With ItStream

Actor
Joanna Damon
Movie
2011
19%

The Roommate

Actor
Sara Matthews
Movie
2011

Searching for Sonny

Actor
Eden Mercer
Movie
2011

ParenthoodStream

Guest Star
Series
2010
88%

Lopez Tonight

Guest
Show
2009

ES.TV

Guest
Show
2009

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Guest
Talk
2009

500 Days Of SummerStream

Actor
Girl
Movie
2009
85%

The Bonnie Hunt Show

Guest
Talk
2008

Teen Choice 2008

Guest
Show
2008

The Kingdom

Actor
Miss Ross
Movie
2007

Friday Night LightsStream

Actor
Lyla Garrity
Series
2006
97%

Friday Night LightsStream

Guest Star
Lyla Garrity
Series
2006
97%

The Pumpkin Karver

Actor
Tammy Boyles
Movie
2006

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Guest
Talk
2005

EntourageStream

Guest Star
Minka Kelly
Series
2004
65%

Cracking Up

Guest Star
Show
2004

Drake & JoshStream

Guest Star
Stacey
Series
2004

State's Evidence

Actor
Movie
2004

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

What I Like About YouStream

Guest Star
Ricki
Series
2002

Live With Regis and Kelly

Guest
Show
2001

The Early Show

Guest
Show
1999

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

Access Hollywood

Guest
News
1996

Entertainers: With Byron Allen

Guest
Show
1994

Late Show With David Letterman

Guest
Talk
1993

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

News aboutMinka Kelly