Dorothy Dupre Kelly (February 12, 1894 - May 31, 1966) was an American motion picture actress of the early

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era.

Personal life

Dorothy Dupre Kelly was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

to Bessie Irene Kelly (née. Smith) and Thomas Kelly, descendants of Irish

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

. She had a sister, Marguerite Kelly. In August 1916, she married wealthy lumber dealer Harvey Hevenor. In 1922, she gave birth to twin daughters, Ann and Bessie, who later became a portrait painter. She died of a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

in 1966.

Career

After attending the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

and earning a position in a publishing firm, Kelly decided to give up her career as an illustrator. Seeking more lucrative work, she decided to become a performer and, despite having no previous acting experience, applied for a position in the stock company at

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

, "She went to the Vitagraph studio at Flatbush and made application for a position in a stock company. The first question fired at her was: 'Have you had any experience?' 'I have not.' replied Dorothy Kelly." signing a contract in the early teens. Her first film was a bit part in a 30-minute version of ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long impr ...

'' in 1911, which also featured future silent stars

Norma Talmadge Norma Marie Talmadge (May 2, 1894 – December 24, 1957) was an American actress and film producer of the silent film, silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among ...

and

Mabel Normand Amabel Ethelreid Normand (November 9, 1893 – February 23, 1930), better known as Mabel Normand, was an American silent film actress, comedienne, director and screenwriter. She was a popular star and collaborator of Mack Sennett in their K ...

. She continued to make 70 films with

and during these years she played opposite almost all of the

comedians, including

John Bunny John Bunny (September 21, 1863 – April 26, 1915) was an American actor. Bunny began his career as a stage actor, but transitioned to a film career after joining Vitagraph Studios around 1910. At Vitagraph, Bunny made over 150 short films – m ...

and his successor

Hughie Mack Hughie Mack (November 26, 1884 – October 13, 1927) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 190 films between 1910 and 1928. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was working as a mortician when he paid a casual ...

, as well as child star

Bobby Connelly Robert Joseph Connelly (April 4, 1909 – July 5, 1922) was an American child actor of silent films. He is one of the first male child stars of American motion pictures beginning his career in 1913 at the age of four. Career Connelly's parents w ...

. Like many stars of early film, Kelly's career dwindled with the popularity of two-reelers. She would leave film altogether after the filming of

serial ''

The Secret Kingdom The Secret Kingdom may refer to: * ''The Secret Kingdom'' (children's book), 2018 book by Barb Rosenstock * ''The Secret Kingdom'' (film), a 1925 British silent fantasy and science fiction film * ''The Secret Kingdom'' (novel), a 1938 novel by W ...

'' in 1917.

Filmography

* ''

The Awakening The Awakening may refer to: Religion * Awakening (Finnish religious movement), a Lutheran movement in Finland * Great Awakening, several periods of Anglo-American Christian revival Film and television Film * ''The Awakening'', a 1913 film starring ...

'' (1917) .... Marguerite *The Maelstrom (1917) .... Peggy Greye-Stratton... aka Millionaire Hallets' Adventure (USA) * ''

The Money Mill ''The Money Mill'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by John S. Robertson and starring Dorothy Kelly, Evart Overton and Gordon Gray.Slide p.147 Cast * Dorothy Kelly as Helen Ogden * Evart Overton as Jack Burton * Gordon Gray ...

'' (1917) .... Helen Ogden *The Secret Kingdom (1916) .... Madame Savatz *''

The Scarlet Runner ''The Scarlet Runner'' is a 1916 American drama film serial directed by William P. S. Earle and Wally Van. The film is considered lost. Plot A series of 12 two-reel episodes, each a separate story related to the adventures of Christopher Ra ...

'' (1916) .... Miss Collingwood *The Law Decides (1916) .... Florence Wharton *Artie, the Millionaire Kid (1916) .... Annabelle Willowby *''

Salvation Joan ''Salvation Joan'' is a lost 1916 silent film directed by Wilfrid North and starring Edna May. It was produced by the Vitagraph Company of America and released by V-L-S-E(Vitagraph, Lubin, Selig, Essanay). Though an original screen story, it bear ...

'' (1916) .... Madeline Elliston *The Supreme Temptation (1916) .... Annette *From Out of the Big Snows (1915) *'' The Wheels of Justice'' (1915) .... Julia Dean *Four Grains of Rice (1915) *The Awakening (1915) *A Wireless Rescue (1915) *''

The Battle of Frenchman's Run ''The Battle of Frenchman's Run'' is a 1915 American comedy film featuring Harry Carey. Cast * Harry Carey * George Cooper * Frank Currier * J. Herbert Frank * Dorothy Kelly * Albert Roccardi * Charles Wellesley * Charles West (credit ...

'' (1915) *Twice Rescued (1915) *Mother's Roses (1915) .... Helen Morrison *In the Days of Fanny (1915) *My Lost One (1915) *Pawns of Mars (1915) *Forcing Dad's Consent (1914) *The Greater Love (1914) *Within an Ace (1914) *A Double Error (1914) *The Unwritten Play (1914) *The Wheat and the Tares (1914) *The Greater Motive (1914) *The Apple (1914) *The Toll (1914) *Two Stepchildren (1914) *The Crime of Cain (1914) *The Antique Engagement Ring (1914) *Sonny Jim at the North Pole (1914) *The Vanity Case (1914) *An Easter Lily (1914) *'Fraid Cat (1914) *The Drudge (1914) *The First Endorsement (1914) *Sonny Jim in Search of a Mother (1914) *The Flirt (1913) *The Tables Turned (1913) *The Glove (1913) .... The Wife *An Unwritten Chapter (1913) *The Snare of Fate (1913) .... Marion Marbury *An Infernal Tangle (1913) *A Modern Psyche (1913) .... June *Tricks of the Trade (1913) *Disciplining Daisy (1913) .... Daisy *Bunny Versus Cutey (1913) *Playing with Fire (1913) .... Marion Harrington *Bunny's Honeymoon (1913) .... Dorothy *O'Hara's Godchild (1913) .... Mrs. Tom O'Grady *The Weapon (1913) *The Skull (1913) *Ma's Apron Strings (1913) .... Molly Bush *My Lady of Idleness (1913) * All for a Girl (1912) .... Claire Taylor *O'Hara, Squatter and Philosopher (1912) .... Aileen Sullivan *The Model for St. John (1912) *Bettina's Substitute; or, There's No Fool Like an Old Fool (1912) *None But the Brave Deserve the Fair (1912) *The Counts (1912) .... Gladys *Popular Betty (1912) .... A Jealous Rival *The Lovesick Maidens of Cuddleton (1912) .... One of the Lovesick Maidens *Rip Van Winkle (1912/I) .... Steenie As An Adult *Suing Susan (1912) .... The Maid *Aunty's Romance (1912) .... A Stenographer *The Troublesome Step-Daughters (1912) .... A Step-Daughter *On the Pupil of His Eye (1912) .... The Senator's Ward *Pseudo Sultan (1912) .... A Dancer *''

'' (1911)

References

External links

*
Photo at Silent Ladies

Small Biography at Allmovie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Dorothy 1894 births 1966 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Philadelphia 20th-century American actresses National Academy of Design alumni