PAUL KELLY

Paul Kelly was an actor from the 1910s to the 1950s. He had one of the most remarkable lives of any Hollywood actor ever! He was a successful juvenile actor in the 1910s, and unlike almost every other juvenile of that time period, he successfully transitioned to adult roles. But he became best friends with a married couple Ray Raymond and Dorothy Mackaye in 1927, and he began an affair with Mackaye, and after a night of much drinking, Raymond began beating Mackaye, and Kelly beat Raymond so badly, he went in the hospital, and later died! Kelly was convicted of manslaughter, but the judge and jury were obviously sympathetic to him, and while he served in San Quentin prison, he only served 25 months. He got out in 1930, and surprisingly, he was easily able to resume his film career, and he married Mackaye, who had waited for him. He moved to Broadway after World War II, and won a Tony Award for "Command Decision", and originated the role of the alcoholic actor in "The Country Girl", but the film versions of both of these went to other actors, because Kelly was not a big enough draw. He never became a major star, but he remained active throughout his long career. Kelly passed away in 1956 at the age of 57.