Claire Kelly
Claire Kelly (March 15, 1934 – July 1, 1998)[1] was an American actress and model.
Claire Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | Claire Ann Green March 15, 1934 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 1, 1998 (aged 64) Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1955–1972 |
| Spouses | Robert Kenaston (m. 1961; div. 1963)
|
| Children | 2 |
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (February 2022) |
Early life edit
Born Claire Ann Green, the daughter of a wealthy California rancher, she was trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York.[1]
Kelly started out as a model in Miami, and appeared several times on the cover of McCall's, continuing her modelling career throughout the 1950s. She made the cover of Picture Week in 1956, and was a 1958 Deb Star.[citation needed]
Career edit
Kelly went on to roles in films such as Snowfire (1958), The Badlanders (1958), Party Girl (1958), Ask Any Girl (1959), and A Guide for the Married Man (1967). In The Badlanders, a Western remake of the film noir The Asphalt Jungle, she played "the Angela role immortalized by Marilyn Monroe" [2] in the original film. In 1959, she was publicized as "the screen's most exciting discovery since Rita Hayworth".[1] In 1964-65, she appeared in several episodes of the television series Burke's Law.
Personal life edit
From 1951 to 1955, Kelly was married to singer-comedian George DeWitt. She was credited as Claire DeWitt in Son of Sinbad. They had a son, Nicholas.[1]
On November 6, 1954, Kelly's three-year-old son, Nicholas Christopher DeWitt, died after fighting for three days in an iron lung at Variety Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida, the victim of a rare anesthetic hazard, which happened after he was bitten on the lip by Duke, a cocker spaniel owned by former featherweight champion Willie Pep, and his heart stopped beating as doctors repaired the damage with 25 stitches.[1]
On March 27, 1960, she married actor Perry Lopez in North Hollywood.[3] After they divorced, she married banking heir Robert Alan Kenaston, son of actress Billie Dove, on October 21, 1961, in Juarez, Mexico. They had a son, Robert Burns Kenaston. They divorced on July 22, 1963.[1][4] She later married Robert Murphy, and was married to him until her death.[5]
Kelly has had relationships with Lance Reventlow and Conrad Hilton Jr.. She once dismissed Prince Aly Khan as "gauche" and Elvis Presley as "a mere child".[1]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Son of Sinbad | Tartar Girl | Uncredited |
| 1956 | The Best Things in Life Are Free | Chorus Girl | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Scandal Incorporated | June Trapping | |
| 1958 | Underwater Warrior | Anne Winnmore | |
| 1958 | Snowfire | Carol Hampton | |
| 1958 | The Badlanders | Ada Winton | |
| 1958 | Party Girl | Genevieve Farrell | |
| 1959 | Ask Any Girl | Lisa | |
| 1965 | The Loved One | Whispering Glades Hostess | |
| 1967 | A Guide for the Married Man | Harriet Stander | |
| 1969 | Childish Things | Sharon | |
| 1969 | What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? | Elva | |
| 1970 | Up Your Teddy Bear | Miss Boota, sculptress |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | The Bob Cummings Show | Miss Kelly | Episode: "The Wolf Sitter" |
| 1956 | The People's Choice | Melinda | Episode: "Aunt Gus Leaves Sock" |
| 1956 | Kings Row | Little Egypt | Episode: "Carnival" |
| 1957 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Episode: "The Mickey Farmer Case" | |
| 1957 | The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin | Episode: "Frontier Angel" | |
| 1958 | Love That Jill | Episode: "Tonight's the Night" | |
| 1959 | Northwest Passage | Lucy | Episode: "The Killers" |
| 1960 | Tightrope! | Linda Costain | Episode: "Three to Make Ready" |
| 1960 | Bachelor Father | Laura Evans | Episode: "Kelly and the College Man" |
| 1960 | The Texan | Gail Henshaw | Episode: "Lady Tenderfoot" |
| 1961 | Surfside 6 | Pat Wheeler | Episode: "Ghost of a Chance" |
| 1964–1965 | Burke's Law | 2nd Model / Samantha | 2 episodes |
| 1967 | The Monkees | Dr. Sisters | S1:E29, "Monkees Get Out More Dirt" |
| 1969 | The F.B.I. | Secretary | Episode: "Gamble with Death" |
| 1972 | Love Story | Landlady | Episode: "Night of the Tanks" |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g "Claire Kelly - The Private Life and Times of Claire Kelly". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ Schwartz, Ronald (January 1, 2001). Noir, Now and Then: Film Noir Originals and Remakes, (1944-1999). Greenwood Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-313-30893-2.
- ^ "Claire Kelly, Actress, Rewed". The New York Times. United Press International. March 30, 1960. p. 42. ProQuest 115018799. Retrieved January 4, 2021 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Actress granted divorce". Ames Daily Tribune. Iowa, Ames. United Press International. July 23, 1963. p. 2. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ "Robert E. Murphy Obituary (2002) The Sacramento Bee". Legacy.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
External links edit
- Claire Kelly at IMDb