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Tommy Kelly
Tommy Kelly
90 years (Apr 6, 1925 – Jan 26, 2016)
Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
12 Movies
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He Walked by Night
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He Walked by Night
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tommy Kelly still alive?
Tommy Kelly passed away on January 26, 2016 at age 90.
What are the most famous roles of Tommy Kelly?
Tommy Kelly is best known for roles in Gone with the Wind, He Walked by Night, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
How many movies has Tommy Kelly been in?
Over a 78-year career (since 1938), Tommy Kelly has appeared in 12 movies and 0 TV shows.
What was Tommy Kelly's first movie?
The career of Tommy Kelly began with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938).
What is Tommy Kelly's most recent movie or series?
Tommy Kelly's most recent release is He Walked by Night, which premiered on February 6, 1949.
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Tommy Kelly
Tommy Kelly
1925-04-06 · Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

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

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. He began his acting career at the age of twelve when he was selected to play the role of Tom Sawyer in the 1938 movie The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, an adaption of Mark Twain's classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Approximately 25,000 boys had auditioned for that role and it is said that famous producer David O. Selznick handpicked Kelly for the role. 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 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.

As with many other stars, the war years found Tommy in the U.S. Army; he served in the infantry rather than the USO, as did some other child stars. He fought in the European theater, participating in the critical campaign for the bridge at Remagen.

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