Daniel Hugh Kelly was born on August 10, 1952, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the middle child of five siblings. His father was a dedicated police officer/detective, and his mother was a compassionate social worker. Kelly's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and a Master of Fine Arts degree, which he earned on a full scholarship at the prestigious Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Kelly's impressive career in the performing arts began with numerous off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions, primarily at the esteemed Public Theater and the Second Stage. As a product of regional national theater, he has had the privilege of being a company member of the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Folger Theater, Arena Stage, and the Actors Theater of Louisville, among others. He has also toured with the National Players, the oldest classical touring company in the United States.
On Broadway, Kelly has starred in iconic productions such as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opposite Kathleen Turner and "Born Yesterday" opposite Madeline Kahn. In 2003, he originated the role of Richard in "Living Out" by Lisa Loomer at the Mark Taper Theater Forum.
Kelly's extensive television credits include starring roles in the daytime soap opera "Ryan's Hope" (1975) and the ABC series "Hardcastle and McCormick" (1983) opposite Brian Keith. He has also been a series regular in various television productions, such as the NBC series "Chicago Story" (1982),the ABC sitcom "I Married Dora" (1987),the ABC series "Second Noah" (1996),the PAX series "Ponderosa" (2001) as Ben Cartwright, and the NBC series "The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage" (1991).
In addition to his television work, Kelly has appeared in a wide range of feature films, including "Cujo" (1983),"Someone to Watch Over Me" (1987),"The Good Son" (1993),"Bad Company" (1995),and "Star Trek: Insurrection" (1998).
Kelly has also made notable appearances in miniseries and television films, including "Citizen Cohn" (1992),"The Tuskegee Airmen" (1995),"From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) as Gene Cernan, "Passing Glory" (1999),"Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot" (2001) as President John F. Kennedy, and "Joe and Max" (2002) among others.
Throughout his illustrious career, Kelly has made guest appearances on numerous television series, including "Law & Order" (1990),"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999),"Law & Order: LA" (2010),"Walker, Texas Ranger" (1993),"The West Wing" (1999),"Las Vegas" (2003),"Boston Legal" (2004),"Supernatural" (2005),"NCIS: Los Angeles" (2009),and "Memphis Beat" (2010).
