Eamon Kelly (actor)

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Eamon Kelly
A statue of Eamon Kelly in Gneevguilla, County Kerry
Born(1914-03-30)30 March 1914
Died24 October 2001(2001-10-24) (aged 87)
OccupationActor & Playwright

Eamon Kelly (30 March 1914 – 24 October 2001) was an Irish actor and playwright. In 1966, he received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the 1964 play Philadelphia, Here I Come!.

Childhood[edit]

Kelly was born in Gneeveguilla, Sliabh Luachra, County Kerry, Ireland. The son of Ned Kelly and Johanna Cashman, Kelly left school at age 14 to become an apprentice carpenter to his father, a wheelwright. He first became interested in acting after viewing a production of Juno and the Paycock.[1]

Career[edit]

Kelly was an actor and storyteller who became a member of the RTÉ actors group, the Radio Éireann Players, in 1952. He is best known for his performances of storytelling on stage, radio, and television. He was discovered as a story-teller by Mícheál Ó hAodha, then Director of Drama and Variety, following an informal performance at a Radio Éireann Players' party.[2]

As an actor, he worked extensively with both the Gate Theatre and Abbey Theatre in Dublin. He was nominated for a 1966 Tony Award in the category Actor, Supporting, or Featured (Dramatic) for his role in Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come.[3] He appeared on film in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1977).[2]

He recorded Legends of Ireland with Rosaleen Linehan in 1985.[2]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1965 Young Cassidy Feeney
1978 On a Paving Stone Mounted
1981 Excalibur Abbot
1999 White Pony Uafas (final film role)

Bibliography[edit]

Ireland's Master Storyteller: The Collected Stories of Eamon Kelly[4]

In My Father's Time: An Evening of Storytelling[5]

The rub of a relic[6]

Bless me father[7]

Autobiography[edit]

Eamon Kelly: The Storyteller: An Autobiography [8]

See also[edit]

  • Seanchaí - Traditional Irish storyteller, which Kelly often portrayed

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ricorso. Retrieved: 2013-01-21.
  2. ^ a b c The Irish Times (Obituary): 27 October 2001
  3. ^ "Eamon Kelly – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
  4. ^ Kelly, Éamon (12 January 1998). Ireland's Master Storyteller: The Collected Stories of Eamon Kelly. Mercier Press. ISBN 9781860230806. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ^ Kelly, Éamon (1 October 1998). In My Father's Time: An Evening of Storytelling (3 ed.). Irish Amer Book Co. ISBN 9780853429289.
  6. ^ Kelly, Éamon (1 January 1978). The rub of a relic. Dublin: Mercier Press. ISBN 9780853425434. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ^ Kelly, Éamon (1 January 1977). Bless me father. Mercier Press. ISBN 9780853424895. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  8. ^ Kelly, Éamon (30 June 2004). Eamon Kelly: The Storyteller: An Autobiography. Mercier Press. ISBN 9781856354394. Retrieved 27 May 2024.

External links[edit]