Nancy Kelly Biography

Nancy Kelly was an American stage and film actress best known for her role in the stage production and film adaptation of ‘The Bad Seed.’ Her portrayal of a suicidal mother in the play earned her prestigious awards while the reprisal of the same role in the film version gave her an Academy Award nomination. Born into an acting and modeling family, she was exposed to the show business as a small child. Her mother, Nan Kelly, was a silent film actress who coached her daughter and managed her career. Young Nancy was prolific as a child actress—she had already appeared in 52 films by the time she was 17. She also had an extensive modeling career as a child and worked in the radio as a teenager. As a young woman, she easily made the transition into an adult actress, leaving behind her teenage awkwardness. She emerged as a leading lady in the late 1930s and appeared in several films opposite stars like Henry Fonda and Spencer Tracy. Simultaneously she also built a successful career as a stage actress on the Broadway. With years, she evolved into a respectable character actress and gave some of her best known performances in dramatic and thriller films.