David Kelly

David Kelly (11 July 1929 – 12 February 2012) was an Irish actor, entertainer, and dancer 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, he was known for his roles as Rashers Tierney in Strumpet City, Cousin Enda in Me Mammy, the builder Mr. O'Reilly in Fawlty Towers, Albert Riddle in Robin's Nest, and Grandpa Joe in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Another notable role was as Michael O'Sullivan in Waking Ned.

Early life and career Kelly was born 11 July 1929 in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, and educated at Dublin's Synge Street CBS Christian Brothers school. He began acting at age eight at the city's Gaiety Theatre, and went on to train at the Abbey School of Acting. By then, Kelly had made his screen debut in a small part in director John Pomeroy's 1958 film noir Dublin Nightmare.

In Ireland, Kelly may be most famous for his portrayal of the character "Rashers" Tierney in the 1980 RTÉ miniseries Strumpet City,

Later life and death Kelly was married to actress Laurie Morton, who survived him, along with children David and Miriam. He died after a short illness on 12 February 2012 at age 82. The Irish Times referred to Kelly as the "grand old man of Irish acting". A Catholic funeral mass took place on 16 February at the Church of the Miraculous Medal in his hometown of Dublin. Kelly was cremated at Mount Jerome Cemetery and Crematorium.

Awards and honours Kelly won a 1991 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production, for a Kennedy Center revival of The Playboy of the Western World. He also earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the 1998 film Waking Ned.

In 2005, Kelly won the Irish Film & Television Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, in addition to earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Filmography and television

The Wrong Man (1956) – Policeman (uncredited) Dublin Nightmare (1958) – 1st Customer The Quare Fellow (1962) – Reception Clerk Girl with Green Eyes (1964) – ticket collector Young Cassidy (1965) – O'Brien Ulysses (1967) – Garrett Deasy Me Mammy (1968–71) – Cousin Enda The Italian Job (1969) – Vicar (funeral scene) Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970) – Tom Maguire The McKenzie Break (1970) – Adjutant (uncredited) Tales From the Lazy Acre (1972) – Dead Man Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1973) – Murphy Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow (1973) – Hugo Mooney Fawlty Towers (1975) – O'Reilly (episode "The Builders") Philadelphia, Here I Come! (1975) – Canon O'Byrne The Next Man (1976) – Chauffeur in Ireland The Purple Taxi (1977) – Little Person A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1977) – Dean of Studies Citizen Smith (1978) – Paddy Robin's Nest (1977–1981) – Albert Riddle Cowboys (1980–1981) – Wobbly Ron Strumpet City (1980) – Rashers Tierney Whoops Apocalypse (1982) – Abdab The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) – Tavernkeeper The Jigsaw Man (1983) – Cameron Red Monarch (1983) – Sergo Glenroe (1983) – Sylvie Dolan Anne Devlin (1984) – Dr. Trevor Stryker's War (1985) Slinger's Day (1986) – Fred Pirates (1986) – Ship's Surgeon Joyriders (1988) – Daniel Into the West (1992) – Grandfather Reilly Tales of the Tooth Fairies (1992) – Arthur (voice) A Man of No Importance (1994) – Christy Ward Moondance (1994) – Mr Dunwoody The Run of the Country (1995) – Father Gaynor Upwardly Mobile (1995–1997) – Barman The Matchmaker (1997) – O'Connor Heartbeat (1997) – Pa Deighton Waking Ned (1998) – Michael O'Sullivan Ballykissangel (1998) – Mr O'Reilly Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000) – Fr Grogan Greenfingers (2000) – Fergus Wilks Rough for Theatre I (2000) – A Mean Machine (2001) – Doc Puckoon (2002) – O'Toole Mystics (2003) – Dave Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004) – Trival Laws of Attraction (2004) – Priest / Michael The Calcium Kid (2004) – Paddy O'Flannagan Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) – Grandpa Joe The Kovak Box (2006) – Frank Kovak Conversations with God (2006) – Job Interviewer Who's Your Caddy? (2007) – Robert "Bobby" Hawkins Stardust (2007) – Guard at The Wall