Jean Louisa Kelly

Last updated

Jean Louisa Kelly
Jeanlouisakelly.jpg
Kelly in October 2009
BornMarch 9, 1972 (1972-03-09) (age 52) [1] [2]
Education Columbia University (BA)
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1989–present
Notable work Uncle Buck (1989)
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
Yes, Dear (200006)
Spouse
(m. 1997)
Children2
Website jeanlouisakelly.com

Jean Louisa Kelly (born March 9, 1972) is an American actress and singer. After making her film debut as Tia Russell in Uncle Buck (1989) alongside John Candy, she appeared in a wide range of other films including The Fantasticks (1995) and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995). From 2000 to 2006, she portrayed Kim Warner on the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear . [3]

Contents

Career

Her first professional paying job was as a kid, starring in "Annie" at the Theater by the Sea in Mantunuck, Rhode Island. She reprised her "Annie" role the following summer at the Candlewood Playhouse in Fairfield, Connecticut. [4] Before attending college, she already had roles in the original Broadway cast of Sondheim's Into the Woods (as Snow White) at the age of 15 [4] and understudy to Rapunzel and Little Red Ridinghood, and as Tia Russell in the film Uncle Buck with John Candy. She also took roles in college productions, including with the Barnard College Gilbert and Sullivan Society. [5]

In the mid-1990s, after graduating from Columbia University, Kelly became well known for a series of television commercials she did for MCI long distance, [6] in which she played a telephone operator who challenged AT&T. In 1995, she starred as Luisa in the musical film The Fantasticks with Joey McIntyre and Joel Grey, although the film was shelved until 2000. The same year, she appeared as Rowena Morgan, the muse for the title character of Mr. Holland's Opus ; she was cast while the movie was already in production, replacing another actress [7] .

In the 1990s, other films followed, including "Origin of the Species," "The Day Lincoln was Shot" and Landfall (2001). Kelly appeared Off Broadway at the York Theatre in the title role in Paul McKibbins and B.T. McNicholl's The It Girl, based on the 1927 movie It. She also appeared in the York's "Musicals in Mufti" series as Lois Lane in It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman .

In 1996, Kelly voiced the title role in the second season of the animated series Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders . After several made-for-TV movies, Kelly's broadest exposure came from her roles in situation comedies, first guest starring in such shows as Mad About You , and then as a cast member of the short-lived NBC version of Cold Feet . From 2000 to 2006, she starred as Kim Warner on the long-running sitcom Yes, Dear . In 2006 she guest starred in the ABC drama Grey's Anatomy . After her series ended, she guest starred on numerous television shows and starred in movies of the week. She recurred as Bernice Pope in the Yahoo production of Sin City Saints .

She played opposite William Fichtner in the movie "The Neighbor" and opposite John Diehl in "Out of the Wild" in 2015. In 2019 she played opposite Bradley Whitford in "Call of the Wild," and played Jane Doe/Serena May in the James Wan movie "Malignant." [8]

She released an album of children's music called Color of Your Heart in 2013. [9] [10] In 2015, she released a five-song EP called Willing, [11] and in 2017 she released an album titled "For My Folks", which features a collection of standards. [12]

Kelly appears as Sarah Kazansky - wife of Val Kilmer's character Tom "Iceman" Kazansky - in the 2022 action drama movie Top Gun: Maverick . [13]

Personal life

Kelly was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, the daughter of J. Joseph Kelly III and Wendy Kelly. [5] [14] Her father was a high school English teacher, and her mother taught piano. She grew up on Linden Street, off Central Street, in Boylston, MA, [4] eventually moving to Maryland when she was a junior in high school, [15] and attended Easton High School in Easton, Maryland. [6] In 1994, Kelly graduated from Columbia University's Columbia College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. [5]

In 1997, she married James Pitaro. [14] They have two children.

She is close friends with Jennifer Garner, [16] having hosted the baby shower for Garner's daughter and interviewed Garner for Self magazine in 2005. [17] [18]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1989 Uncle Buck Tia Russell
1992 American Shaolin Maria
1995 The Fantasticks Luisa Bellamy
1995 Mr. Holland's Opus Rowena Morgan
1998Origin of the SpeciesLaura
1999 A Stranger in the Kingdom Athena Allen
2001LandfallMarguerite Harris
2003Little Red LightAmanda MeyerShort film
2010Locked AwayChloe
2010Public AccessNancyShort film
2011Lego Hero Factory: Savage PlanetWaspixVoice
2014 1000 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story Tina WeissmanVideo
2014Zoe GoneDetective Patricia Henderson
2015 Ant-Man Buyer
2017 The Neighbor Lisa
2017The BachelorsBarbara Weston
2019Out of the WildJessie King
2020 The Call of the Wild Katie Miller
2021 Malignant Serena May / Jane Doe
2022 Top Gun: Maverick Sarah Kazansky

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994 Breathing Lessons DaisyMovie
1994One More MountainMary GravesMovie
1995TadJulia TaftMovie
1996 Harvest of Fire RachelMovie
1996 Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders Princess Gwenevere (voice)Main role (10 episodes)
1997 Homicide: Life on the Street Sarah LangdonEpisode: "Kaddish"
1997 Stolen Women: Captured Hearts Sarah WhiteMovie
1998 Ruby Bridges Jane ColesMovie
1998 The Day Lincoln Was Shot Lucy Lambert Hale Movie
1998 Law & Order Coral GalvinEpisode: "Scrambled"
1998/99 Mad About You Diane Ellis3 episodes
1999The CyberstalkingHolly MoonMovie
1999 Cold Feet Shelley SullivanMain role (8 episodes)
2000–06 Yes, Dear Kim WarnerMain role (122 episodes)
2001 Ally McBeal LisaEpisode: "The Ex-Files"
2006 Grey's Anatomy Rose WardEpisode: "Blues for Sister Someone"
2008 Ghost Whisperer Jennifer Quinlan / Nora SutherlandEpisode: "First Do No Harm"
2008 Eli Stone Julie LazerEpisode: "Heal the Pain"
2008 Gary Unmarried BethEpisode: "Gary and Allison Brooks"
2009 Surviving Suburbia Melissa MannEpisode: "Desperate Housewife"
2009The Three GiftsCherie GreenMovie
2010 The Glades BeckyEpisode: "A Perfect Storm"
2010 Burn Notice EmilyEpisode: "Blind Spot"
2010–13 Hero Factory Natalie Breez / OperatorRecurring role; 6 episodes
2011Paul the Male MatchmakerDarla2 episodes
2011 CSI: Miami Amy WellsEpisode: "Stoned Cold"
2012 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Sheila DeMarcusEpisode: "Code Blue Plate Special"
2013Chance at RomanceRoz Hallmark Channel TV movie
2013 The Good Mother RachelTelevision movie
2014Zoe GoneDet. Patricia Henderson Lifetime television movie
2015 Sin City Saints Bernice Pope Yahoo Studios
2015 Scream Queens Delight UlrichEpisode:"The Final Girl(s)"
2017Can't Buy My LoveVeronicaMovie
2017 Major Crimes Tori DuncanEpisode;"Bad Blood"
2017 Outcast Therapist2 episodes
2017 Law & Order True Crime Marzi EisenbergEpisode: "The Menendez Murders: Episode 1"
2018 Wisdom of the Crowd Mrs. BullockEpisode: "The Tipping Point"
2018 The Fosters Pastor Nicole2 episodes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Garner</span> American actor (1928–2014)

James Scott Garner was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included The Great Escape (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's The Americanization of Emily (1964) with Julie Andrews; Cash McCall (1960) with Natalie Wood; The Wheeler Dealers (1963) with Lee Remick; Darby's Rangers (1958) with Stuart Whitman; Roald Dahl's 36 Hours (1965) with Eva Marie Saint; as a Formula 1 racing star in Grand Prix (1966); Raymond Chandler's Marlowe (1969) with Bruce Lee; Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) with Walter Brennan; Blake Edwards's Victor/Victoria (1982) with Julie Andrews; and Murphy's Romance (1985) with Sally Field, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He also starred in several television series, including popular roles such as Bret Maverick in the ABC 1950s Western series Maverick and as Jim Rockford in the NBC 1970s private detective show, The Rockford Files.

<i>Top Gun</i> 1986 film directed by Tony Scott

Top Gun is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired by an article titled "Top Guns", written by Ehud Yonay and published in California magazine three years earlier. It stars Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a young naval aviator aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. He and his radar intercept officer, Lieutenant Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, are given the chance to train at the United States Navy's Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer and Tom Skerritt also appear in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Kelly</span> American actress (1921–1995)

Nancy Kelly was an American actress in film, theater, and television. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's The March of Time, and appeared in several films in the late 1920s. She became a leading lady upon returning to the screen in the late 1930s, while still in her teens, and made two dozen movies between 1938 and 1946, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James (1939), which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone, later that same year. After turning to the stage in the late 1940s, she had her greatest success in a character role, the distraught mother in The Bad Seed, receiving a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the 1955 stage production and an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for the 1956 film adaptation, her last film role. Kelly then worked regularly in television until 1963, then took over the role of Martha in the original Broadway production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for several months. She returned to television for a handful of appearances in the mid-1970s.

<i>Maverick</i> (TV series) American TV series (1957–1962)

Maverick is an American Western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins and originally starring James Garner as an adroitly articulate poker player plying his trade on riverboats and in saloons while traveling incessantly through the 19th-century American frontier. The show ran for five seasons from September 22, 1957, to July 8, 1962 on ABC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivica A. Fox</span> American actress and producer (born 1964)

Vivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress, producer and television host. Fox began her career on Soul Train (1982–1983) and played roles on the daytime television soap operas Days of Our Lives (1988) and Generations (1989–1992). In prime time, she starred opposite Patti LaBelle in the NBC sitcom Out All Night (1992–1993). Fox's breakthrough came in 1996, with roles in two box-office hit films, Roland Emmerich's Independence Day and F. Gary Gray's Set It Off.

<i>Yes, Dear</i> American television sitcom (2000–2006)

Yes, Dear is an American sitcom created by Alan Kirschenbaum and Gregory Garcia that originally ran on CBS for six seasons, from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, with a total of 122 episodes. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mike O'Malley, and Liza Snyder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy McCay</span> American actress (1927-2018)

Margaret Ann "Peggy" McCay was an American actress whose career began in 1949, and includes theatre, television, soap operas, and feature films. McCay may be best known for originating the roles of Vanessa Dale on the CBS soap opera Love of Life, and Caroline Brady, which she played from 1983 to 2016 on NBC's Days of Our Lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mona Freeman</span> American actress (1926–2014)

Monica Elizabeth "Mona" Freeman was an American actress and painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Blanchard (actress)</span> American actress

Susan Blanchard is an American actress, who is known for playing Mary Kennicott Martin on the soap opera All My Children from 1971 to 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Grant</span> American actress (born 1949)

Beth Grant is an American character actress. Between 2012 and 2017, she was a series regular on the television comedy The Mindy Project in the role of Beverly Janoszewski. She is also known for her role as Gracie Leigh in the CBS post-apocalyptic drama Jericho and as Marianne Marie Beetle in Wonderfalls. She has also appeared on Pushing Daisies, and Mockingbird Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Kelly (actor)</span> American actor

John Augustus Kelly Jr. was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of Bart Maverick in the television series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Crowley</span> American actress (1929–2017)

Kathleen Crowley was an American actress. She appeared in over 100 movies and television series in the 1950s and 1960s, almost always as a leading lady.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Crowley</span> American actress

Patricia Crowley is an American actress. She was also frequently billed as Pat Crowley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adele Mara</span> American actress (1923–2010)

Adele Mara was an American actress, singer, and dancer, who appeared in films during the 1940s and 1950s and on television in the 1950s and 1960s.

Tammy Blanchard is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as teenage Judy Garland in the critically acclaimed television film Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her other notable film roles were in The Good Shepherd (2006), Sybil (2007), Into the Woods (2014) and The Invitation (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorna Tolentino</span> Filipino actress and film producer

Victoria Lorna Perez Aluquin-Fernandez, better known by her stage name Lorna Tolentino, sometimes known as L.T., an abbreviation of her screen name, is a Filipino actress, model, film producer and television personality. Dubbed as the "Prime Star", she is known for her dramatic roles in film and television and was the fourth actress to achieve the Grandslam status for her performance in the film Narito ang Puso Ko (1992). With a career spanning five decades, she has already appeared in 100 motion pictures and is cited by critics as one of the greatest Filipino actresses in Philippine cinema. She has received numerous accolades including seven FAMAS Awards, four Luna Awards, a Gawad Urian Award and two commendations from Asian Television Award.

<i>The Fantasticks</i> (film) 2000 American film

The Fantasticks is a 2000 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie. The screenplay by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt is based on their record-breaking off-Broadway production of the same name, which ran for 17,162 performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisa Krause</span> American actress

Louisa Noel Krause is an American actress. After studying drama in college, she appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions while also appearing in episodes of New York-based network television series. Her first film role was in The Babysitters (2007). In 2017, she appeared in the lead role of Anna Garner in the television series The Girlfriend Experience.

Kelly Fu Ka Lei is a Hong Kong-German actress and model. She is currently managed under the Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB).

The term TVB "fadan" (花旦) is used to describe the most popular and highest paid actresses at Hong Kong television station, TVB. This term was first coined in the 1970s with the first group of fadans, Louise Lee, Liza Wang, Gigi Wong, and Angie Chiu

References

  1. "Jean Louisa Kelly". www.encyclopedia.com. Editors, www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  2. "Jean Louisa Kelly". www.tcm.com. Editors, www.tcm.com. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  3. "Yes Woman". people.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Boylston native Jean Louisa Kelly takes Iceman's breath away in 'Top Gun: Maverick'". www.worcestermag.com. Craig S. Semon, Worcester Magazine. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "About Me". jeanlouisakelly.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "College Grad Is Someone to Watch", Columbia University Record, Vol. 21, No. 19, March 8, 1996. archived March 21, 2007
  7. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2190479714583980
  8. "A Life of Song: Jean Louisa Kelly on Her Career, Inspirations and New EP!". Icon vs. Icon. April 13, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  9. "iTunes - Music - Color of Your Heart by Jean Louisa Kelly". iTunes. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  10. "'Yes, Dear' Actress Jean Louisa Kelly Branches Into Music With Charming Children's Collection". yahoo.com. November 22, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  11. "iTunes - Music - Willing EP by Jean Louisa Kelly". iTunes. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  12. "iTunes Store for album". apple.com. October 27, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  13. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 2, 2018). "'Top Gun: Maverick' Sets Final Seven For Cast, Including Kara Wang As A Pilot". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Jean Louisa Kelly, James A. Pitaro". New York Times. May 25, 1997. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  15. "Interview with Actress Jean Louisa Kelly from 'Uncle Buck'". www.rediscoverthe80s.com. editors, www.rediscoverthe80s.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  16. Laura. "Actress Jean Louisa Kelly gives birth to second child – a daughter". People. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  17. "Jennifer Garner's Baby Shower" (PDF). US Weekly. November 7, 2005.
  18. "Jennifer Garner". Self Magazine. No. July 2005.