Robert Kelker-Kelly (born April 18, 1964) is a former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and current professional

aircraft pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

, best known for playing

Bo Brady Beauregard Aurelius "Bo" Brady is a fictional character from the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. The role has been most notably portrayed by Peter Reckell, who originated the role on May 3, 1983. Creation and Casting Created unde ...

on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

'' from 1992 to 1995. He is also known for his portrayals of Sam Fowler (originating the role) from 1987 to 1990 and Dr. Shane Roberts from 1996 to 1998 on '' Another World'', and for the role of Stavros Cassadine on ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' from 2001 to 2003 and 2013 to 2014.

Early life

He was born to Jonetta Kelker, a nurse, and Robert Kelly, a pathologist. He has 3 sisters. His parents divorced when he was 7 years old, and he moved in with his dad. At 11, when his father remarried, Kelker-Kelly, moved back with his mother. Three months later his dad died at 42 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. Kelker-Kelly attended

Wichita Collegiate School Wichita Collegiate School, known locally as Collegiate, is a private, co-educational, non-denominational, and non-profit college preparatory day school founded in 1963 currently enrolling 966 students from preschool through 12th grade located in ...

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

from 1977 to 1980, where he was active in the theatre and had major roles in several plays, including Rusty in ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'',

Bill Sikes William "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. Sikes is a malicious criminal in Fagin's gang, and a vicious robber and murderer. Throughout much of the novel Sikes i ...

in ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...

'' and

Sir Lionel Sir Lionel is the younger son of King Bors of Gaunnes (or Gaul) and Evaine and brother of Bors the Younger in Arthurian legend since the Lancelot-Grail cycle. He is a double cousin of Lancelot and cousin of Lancelot's younger half-brother Hecto ...

in ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...

''. He briefly attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

but decided to forgo college in favor of pursuing his acting career. In 1988, he married Linda Rattner; the couple divorced in 1992. After dating actress Miriam Parrish for years, the couple married in 1997. The same year he left Los Angeles and his acting career briefly behind. He earned a certification in airframe and powerplant mechanics. From 2002 to 2003 he was an acting teacher at the

Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School (PVPA) is a public charter school in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1996 as part of the Massachusetts Educational Reform. It was originally located in Hadley ...

South Hadley, Massachusetts South Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke Colleg ...

. Kelker-Kelly became a professional pilot, working in that field from 2003 to 2015. He is type rated in the GIV, LR60, LR45, CE560 and CE500. He is still an active pilot and teaches people how to fly.

Career

Kelker made his acting debut in 1987 as Sam Fowler on the

'' Another World'', a role he originally played from 1987 to 1990. The character of Sam was involved in a front-burner story with socialite Amanda Cory. In 1992, Kelker-Kelly was chosen to portray

, an established role on ''

'' that was being vacated by the creator of the role, actor

Peter Reckell Peter Paul Reckell (born May 7, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Bo Brady, a role he originated in 1983 on the NBC drama ''Days of Our Lives''. Reckell has played Bo Brady on ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1983 to 1987, 19 ...

. Although Kelker-Kelly was a recast, fans accepted his portrayal of Bo. The character's pairing with

Hope Brady Hope Williams Brady is a fictional character from '' Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by writer William J. Bell, she was portrayed by Kristian Alfonso on and off from April 1983 to October 2020. Hope is a mem ...

(

Kristian Alfonso Kristian-Joy Alfonso (born September 5, 1963) is an American actress, former figure skater and fashion model. She is recognized for her portrayal of Hope Williams Brady on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. Early life Alfonso was bor ...

) and reformed bad girl

Billie Reed Billie Reed is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', created by writer Sheri Anderson and most prominently portrayed by Lisa Rinna. Casting The role of Billie Reed was originally played by Lisa Rinna on Septem ...

(

Lisa Rinna Lisa D. Rinna (born Elizabeth Deann Rinna; July 11, 1963) is an American actress and television personality. As an actress, she is best known for her roles as Billie Reed on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' and Taylor McBride o ...

) was a popular storyline and garnered Kelker-Kelly his widest audience. He was replaced by

in August 1995. In 1996 he returned to ''Another World'' playing a new role, that of professional race car driver Bobby Reno, who was later discovered to actually be Dr. Shane Roberts. He played the role until 1998. He portrayed

Stavros Cassadine ''General Hospital'' is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a District General Hospital, general hospital (hence the ti ...

on ''

'' in 2001, with guest spots in 2002, 2003, 2013 and 2014.

Select filmography

* 2001–03, 2013–14: ''

'' as Stavros Cassadine * 1999: ''

Rescue 77 ''Rescue 77'' is an American medical drama television series about the professional and personal lives of paramedics in Los Angeles, California. The series created by Gregory Widen and aired from March 15 to May 3, 1999 on The WB. The creator an ...

'' (episode "Career Day"; 1999) * 1996: ''

Dream for an Insomniac ''Dream for an Insomniac'' is a 1995 (released in 1996) romantic comedy film written and directed by Tiffanie DeBartolo and starring Ione Skye, Jennifer Aniston, Mackenzie Astin and Michael Landes. Plot synopsis Frankie ( Ione Skye) works at her ...

'' as Trent * 1995: '' Maybe This Time'' (episode "Julia's Day Off; 1995) * 1995: ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced b ...

'' as Matt Duncan * 1992–95: ''

'' as Bo Brady * 1987–90: '' Another World'' as Sam Fowler * 1996–98: '' Another World'' Shane Roberts / Bobby Reno * 1992: ''Jack's Place (TV series)'' (episode "I See Cupid, I See France"; 1992)

References

External links

Stavros Cassadine character profile from SoapCentralBo Brady character profile from SoapCentral
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelker-Kelly, Robert 1964 births Living people American male soap opera actors American male television actors Male actors from Kansas People from Wichita, Kansas