Tommy Kelly

Thomas Francis Kelly (April 6, 1925 – January 26, 2016), professionally known as Tommy Kelly, was an American child actor. He played the title role in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1938 based on Mark Twain's novel of the same name.

Early life and career Kelly was born in the Bronx, the son of Nora and Michael Kelly, a fireman, in humble circumstances. He had twelve siblings. Kelly's grandparents, all four, were from Ireland. Despite Kelly's earning good critical reviews for his performance, the film was only a poor financial success. He also played the lead role in Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus later that year as Bill Peck.

In 1939, Tommy Kelly had a small but memorable part in Gone with the Wind as the boy crying in a band playing "Dixie" in Atlanta while the death lists are given out. He played the notable supporting role of Willie in Archie Mayo's musical film They Shall Have Music (1939) followed by a leading role as a young cadet in the B movie Military Academy (1940). As he reached adulthood, Kelly's roles in movies were minor and he was often uncredited. He appeared in The Magnificent Yankee in 1950, which turned out to be his last of 19 films before ending his acting career. He eventually returned to the United States and worked in an important position at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington. Ever conscious of the value of education, in his thesis he focused, among other things, on the relative advantages of children who were educated in U.S. military dependent schools abroad. "Dr. Kelly" served as an International Relations Advisor in the International Organization Affairs (IOA) unit of the Office of International Cooperation and Development (OICD) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he prepared positions for the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, with personal responsibility for OECD, and United States delegations to the governing boards of United Nations Organizations concerned with Food and Agriculture, a position he held until his retirement from federal service.

Kelly was generally reticent about his years as an actor after retiring from Hollywood at the age of 25. Kelly died on January 26, 2016, in Greensboro, North Carolina, at age 90 from congestive heart failure. Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus Bill Peck

They Shall Have Music Willie Musical film directed by Archie Mayo. Gone with the Wind Boy in band

Curtain Call Fred "Freddy" Middleton Comedy film directed by Frank Woodruff. Irene Michael Military Academy Tommy Lewis Gallant Sons Harwood "Woody" Hollister

Nice Girl? Ken Atkins American musical film directed by William A. Seiter. Double Date Hodges Life Begins for Andy Hardy Chuck Curss 1942 Mug Town Steve Directed by Ray Taylor.

The Beginning or the End Mack The Fabulous Texan Lee Kilrain 1948 He Walked by Night Young hoodlum aka Redhead

Adventure in Baltimore Student Drama directed by Richard Wallace. Battleground Casualty American war film that follows a company in the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division as they cope with the Siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

The West Point Story Cadet The Magnificent Yankee Secretary American biographical film adapted by Emmet Lavery from his play of the same title, which was in turn adapted from the book Mr. Justice Holmes by Francis Biddle.