David Kelly (11 July 1929 – 12 February 2012) was an Irish actor who had regular roles in several film and television works from the 1950s onwards. One of the most recognisable voices and faces of Irish stage and screen, Kelly was known for his roles as Rashers Tierney in ''
Strumpet City'', Cousin Enda in ''
Me Mammy
''Me Mammy'' is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1968 to 1971. Starring Milo O'Shea, it was written by Hugh Leonard.
Background
''Me Mammy'' first aired as pilot within the seventh series of the BBC's ''Comedy Playhouse''. The pilot and ...
'', the builder Mr O'Reilly in ''
Fawlty Towers
''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Television ...
'', Albert Riddle in ''
Robin's Nest'', and Grandpa Joe in the film ''
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.
The story was originally ...
'' (2005). Another notable role was as Michael O'Sullivan in ''
Waking Ned
''Waking Ned'' (titled ''Waking Ned Devine'' in North America) is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Kirk Jones and starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly, and Fionnula Flanagan. Kelly was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his ...
''.
Early life and career
Kelly was born 11 July 1929 in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Ireland,
and educated at Dublin's
Synge Street CBS
Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Can ...
Christian Brothers school.
[''Irish Independent'', 2005] He began acting at the age of eight at the city's
Gaiety Theatre,
encouraged by a teacher at school he also performed with the
Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022
Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society, known as the R&R, is an amateur musical society founded in 1913 in the Rathmines and Rathgar, area of Dublin. They have hosted performances in venues such as the Gaiety Theatre, ...
and went on to train at
The Abbey School of Acting.
As a backup career, he additionally trained as a
draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to:
* An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century
* An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...
and
calligrapher
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
,
and also learned
watercolour
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
art.
He appeared onstage in the original production of
Brendan Behan
Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...
's ''
The Quare Fellow ''The Quare Fellow'' is Brendan Behan's first play, first produced in 1954. The title is taken from a Hiberno-English pronunciation of ''queer''.
Plot
The play is set in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin. The anti-hero of the play, The Quare Fellow, is never ...
'', and gained his first major career attention in
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...
's ''
Krapp's Last Tape
''Krapp's Last Tape'' is a 1958 one-act play, in English, by Samuel Beckett. With a cast of one man, it was written for Northern Irish actor Patrick Magee (actor), Patrick Magee and first titled "Magee monologue". It was inspired by Beckett's e ...
'' at the Dublin's
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...
in 1959.
By then he had made his screen debut in a small part in director John Pomeroy's 1958
film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
''
Dublin Nightmare''.
One of his first television appearances was on
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
in ''O'Dea's your Man'' (1964) in which he played the part of Ignatius opposite
Jimmy O'Dea
James Augustine O'Dea (26 April 1899 – 7 January 1965) was an Irish actor and comedian.
Life
Jimmy O'Dea was born at 11 Lower Bridge Street, Dublin, to James O'Dea, an ironmonger, and Martha O'Gorman, who kept a small toy shop. He was one ...
. He went on to become a familiar face on British television with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. He went on to often-memorable guest roles on such series as ''
'', and particularly during the 1970s with a long-running role as the one-armed dishwasher Albert Riddle in the ''
''.
He also had a regular long running role alongside Bruce Forsyth in both series of the comedy ''
'' from 1986 to 1987, and, in 1991, he appeared in the first series of the BBC sitcom ''
'' as the cafe-owner Paddy.
He gained some of his greatest recognition in 1975, playing inept builder Mr O'Reilly on the second episode of ''
").
...