Jack Kelly

Jack Kelly, born John Augustus Kelly Jr. on September 16, 1927, in Astoria, Queens, New York, was an American actor, television personality, and politician who worked across Broadway, film, and television over several decades. He died on November 7, 1992. One of four children born to Ann Mary (née Walsh) Kelly and John Augustus Kelly Sr., he grew up in a family with deep ties to the entertainment industry. His mother, known as "Nan," had worked as a stage actress and as a model for the John Robert Powers agency, while his father operated as a theater ticket broker before relocating the family to Hollywood and transitioning into real estate. His sister was actress Nancy Kelly, and his siblings Carole and William Clement also pursued careers in show business. During World War II, Kelly served as a weather observer in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was aboard the first B-29 to fly over the Arctic Circle.

Kelly's Broadway career spanned from 1936 to 1965 and included appearances in the productions The Family, Night Life, Schoolhouse on the Lot, The Ghost of Yankee Doodle, and St. Helena. His screen career began with an uncredited role in the 1939 biopic The Story of Alexander Graham Bell. In early 1954 he appeared in the film noir Drive a Crooked Road, written by Blake Edwards and Richard Quine, and on July 15 of that year portrayed gunfighter and cattleman Clay Allison in the television series Stories of the Century. During the 1955–1956 television season, Kelly starred in Kings Row, a series adaptation of the 1942 feature film, playing Dr. Parris Mitchell, a young psychiatrist navigating the narrow-minded atmosphere of a small town. The series formed one-third of the Warner Bros. Presents wheel, rotating on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 Eastern alongside television versions of Casablanca and the Western series Cheyenne, with Gig Young serving as host. Following the end of Kings Row in 1956, Kelly appeared in the films Forbidden Planet (1956) and She Devil (1957) and took guest roles on Fireside Theater, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Lux Video Theatre, and Gunsmoke.

Kelly became most widely recognized for his portrayal of Bart Maverick in the ABC television series Maverick, which ran from 1957 to 1962. He was introduced as Bart, a brother to James Garner's Bret Maverick, in the eighth episode of the series, titled "Hostage," after producers determined that a second lead character was needed to prevent the production from falling behind schedule. Kelly and Garner shared notable episodes including "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres," which the first half of the 1973 film The Sting is considered to resemble, and the "Pappy" episode in which Garner played both Bret and the brothers' father Beauregard "Pappy" Maverick through trick photography, while Kelly played both Bart and elderly Uncle Bentley "Bent" Maverick. Kelly also appeared in "Duel at Sundown," in which Garner's character faced guest star Clint Eastwood. Series creator Roy Huggins directed writers to compose scripts with Garner in mind regardless of which actor would ultimately be cast, with only one second-season episode, "Passage to Fort Doom," written specifically with Kelly in mind. Garner held first choice of roles in two-brother episodes, giving him a structural advantage throughout the early seasons. Kelly appeared in approximately 75 episodes across the full run of the series, more than Garner's 52, as Kelly remained for the entire five seasons while Garner departed following a contract dispute in 1960. After Garner's exit, Roger Moore joined as Bart's cousin Beau Maverick for 14 episodes, sharing scenes with Kelly in three of them, and Robert Colbert appeared in two installments as a third brother named Brent, one of which briefly included Kelly. In the fifth and final season, Kelly was the sole Maverick in new episodes, alternating with reruns from the Garner years, and received top billing above Garner for the first time. Kelly later stated that he learned of the series' cancellation through a newspaper article rather than through any notification from the studio.

Following Maverick's cancellation in 1962, Kelly continued working in film and television. That same year he played the lead in the Cold War film Red Nightmare, narrated by Jack Webb, in which his character awakens to find the United States under Communist control. On December 30, 1963, he appeared in "The Fenton Canaby Story" on ABC's Wagon Train, playing a former trailmaster with a concealed past who becomes drawn to a young woman with her own questionable history, portrayed by Barbara Bain. Throughout the 1960s he appeared on NBC programs including Chrysler Theatre and Suspense Theatre. He co-starred in Commandos (1968) and appeared in Young Billy Young (1969). From 1969 to 1971 he hosted the daytime game show Sale of the Century before being replaced by Joe Garagiola. He held brief series regular roles in Get Christie Love! (1974) and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1978) and performed television commercial voice-overs. In 1977 he appeared in two episodes of James Garner's series The Rockford Files, first in the season three episode "The Becker Connection" and then in the season four opener "Beamer's Last Case." In 1978 he briefly reprised the role of Bart Maverick in the television film The New Maverick alongside Garner, and appeared again in the final episode of Garner's series Bret Maverick in 1981.

Beyond his entertainment career, Kelly served as mayor of Huntington Beach, California from 1983 to 1986.