David Patrick Kelly, a compact, feisty, and fierce character actor, was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Margaret Elizabeth Murphy and Robert Corby Kelly, Sr., an accountant. He burst onto the acting scene in 1979, playing the devious leader of the leather-clad gang "The Rogues" in Walter Hill's controversial New York City gang film, The Warriors.
Kelly's tight-lipped expressions and attitude made him appear like a grenade with the pin pulled, earning him a plethora of roles playing defiant young men, often in trouble with authority. He clashed with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in Walter Hill's fast-paced action film, 48 Hrs. (1982),and faced off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in the violent Commando (1985).
Kelly also appeared in David Lynch's Wild at Heart (1990),playing a member of a trio of killers alongside Harry Dean Stanton, and took on the role of T Bird, the leader of a gang of arsonist murderers in The Crow (1994). His impressive range of roles in a wide variety of genres has garnered him great respect in Hollywood, solidifying his reputation as a wonderfully captivating actor.
One of his most iconic and influential performances came with his debut on-screen role, where he famously declared, "Warriors, come out to plaaayyy!"
