Matthew Kelly
Encyclopedia
Matthew Kelly is an English television presenter and Olivier-award winning actor. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television presenter of ITV
light entertainment
shows such as You Bet!
and Stars in Their Eyes
. In the 2000s he returned to acting, appearing in several West End productions
, while also acting in some television roles.
. As a child, Kelly lived on Primrose Avenue in the town and became interested in acting when at the Urmston Musical Theatre
, most notably playing the role of Louis in a production of The King and I
in 1963. He continues to be President of the theatre group.
After 1961, Kelly went to Urmston Grammar School
. He trained as an actor at The Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre
(formerly Manchester Polytechnic) and joined in a theatre group which included Julie Walters
and Pete Postlethwaite
. After graduation, he made his professional debut at the Pavilion Theatre in Rhyl
. After this debut he appeared regularly at Liverpool
's Everyman Theatre
. He is a former member of the Workers' Revolutionary Party
.
hosted by Lennie Bennett
, (1980–1984) (ITV
) and in the ITV sitcom Holding The Fort (1980–1982) but he became famous as part of the original team on Game for a Laugh
for the same producers and network. For the next 14 years his work centred on light entertainment
shows such as You Bet!
(LWT
/ITV
) (1991–1995) and, most notably, Stars in Their Eyes
(Granada
/ITV
), which he took over from Leslie Crowther
– at first temporarily after Crowther had suffered serious head injuries in a car crash in October 1992. However, it later became apparent that Crowther would not be able to return. Thereafter, Kelly hosted the show until March 2004. He was also the first CITV
presenter and continued to act occasionally, notably in the Channel 4
comedy, Relative Strangers, and in the theatre production of The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari
.
On 15 January 2003, Kelly was arrested by Surrey Police over allegations that he sexually abused teenage boys. No charges were brought, and he was cleared a month later, but this caused him to be suspended by ITV until he was cleared. He subsequently returned as host of Stars in their Eyes for a time before declaring that he would leave light entertainment behind and return to acting full time. To this end he has appeared in a number of television and theatre productions. In 2005 he was a member of the cast in BBC One
's Bleak House as Mr. Turveydrop. He also played a serial killer
in 2005's Cold Blood
and its 2007 sequel, as well as the explorer Giovanni Belzoni in BBC One
's Egypt.
On the stage he won an Olivier Award in 2003 for his portrayal of Lenny in John Steinbeck
's Of Mice and Men
at the Savoy Theatre
. Other work includes Ripafratta in Mirandolina
at the Royal Exchange Theatre in August 2006 which he swiftly followed by appearing as a well-received Antonio Salieri
in Peter Shaffer
's play Amadeus
.
From December 2008 to January 2009, he joined Stefanie Powers
, Craig McLachlan
and Christopher Biggins
at the Mayflower Theatre
in Southampton
to play May, one of the Ugly sisters
, in the pantomime
Cinderella
alongside his son Matthew Rixon.
In 2009 he was on stage to high critical acclaim, in Howard Barker
's Victory: Choices in Reaction, at the Arcola Theatre, then as George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre, followed by a season at London's Trafalgar Studios. The summer was spent as Pandarus in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida
at The Globe in London. He opened in Comedians
at the Hammersmith Lyric in October 2009.
In January 2010 he replaced Simon Callow
as Pozzo in the revival of Waiting for Godot
at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, alongside Ian McKellen
(Estragon), Roger Rees
(Vladimir) and Ronald Pickup
(Lucky). He continued in the successful production of Waiting for Godot at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
in May 2010.
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
light entertainment
Light entertainment
Light entertainment is a term used to describe a broad range of usually televisual performances. These include comedies, variety shows, quiz/game shows, sketch shows and people/surprise shows.-Light entertainment in Britain:...
shows such as You Bet!
You Bet!
You Bet! was a British game show based around the format of the German show Wetten, dass..? developed by Frank Elstner. You Bet! ran on ITV, mostly on Saturday nights but sometimes on Fridays, between 20 February 1988 and 12 April 1997, initially hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1988 to 1990, then by...
and Stars in Their Eyes
Stars In Their Eyes
Stars in Their Eyes is a British television talent show that ran on Saturdays nights from 21 July 1990 until 23 December 2006 in which contestants impersonate showbiz stars...
. In the 2000s he returned to acting, appearing in several West End productions
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, while also acting in some television roles.
Early life
Kelly's father and grandfather both served in the NavyNavy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
. As a child, Kelly lived on Primrose Avenue in the town and became interested in acting when at the Urmston Musical Theatre
Urmston Musical Theatre
Urmston Musical Theatre is an amateur theatre company based in Urmston, Greater Manchester, UK.-History:The organisation was formed in 1911 as the Urmston and District Operatic Society, and produced H.M.S. Pinafore at the Urmston Public Hall...
, most notably playing the role of Louis in a production of The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
in 1963. He continues to be President of the theatre group.
After 1961, Kelly went to Urmston Grammar School
Urmston Grammar School
Urmston Grammar, known as Urmston Grammar School until September 2010, is a co-educational grammar school in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England. It is a state school within Trafford Local Authority. The school was assessed as "outstanding" in its 2008 Ofsted report...
. He trained as an actor at The Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre
The Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre
The Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre is a drama school, situated in the city of Manchester, UK. It is part of The Manchester Metropolitan University. The school is one of the 22 members of the Conference of Drama Schools...
(formerly Manchester Polytechnic) and joined in a theatre group which included Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
and Pete Postlethwaite
Pete Postlethwaite
Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
. After graduation, he made his professional debut at the Pavilion Theatre in Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
. After this debut he appeared regularly at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
's Everyman Theatre
Everyman Theatre
The Everyman Theatre stands at the north end of Hope Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Established in 1964 in a former cinema, it encouraged local talent and played a part in the development of new artistes and writers. The theatre was rebuilt between 1975 and 1977, and was closed again for...
. He is a former member of the Workers' Revolutionary Party
Workers' Revolutionary Party
There are several groups named the Workers' Revolutionary Party:*Workers' Revolutionary Party *Workers Revolutionary Party *Workers Revolutionary Party *Workers' Revolutionary Party *Workers Revolutionary Party...
.
Career
Kelly's first major TV appearances were as a panellist in the gameshow PunchlinesPunchlines
Punchlines was a comedy game show series that was produced by LWT and aired on the ITV network from January 3, 1981 until December 22, 1984...
hosted by Lennie Bennett
Lennie Bennett
Lennie Bennett was an English comedian and game show host.After attending the Palatine Secondary School in Blackpool, Bennett became a journalist for the West Lancashire Evening Gazette before becoming a professional entertainer and appearing on The Good Old Days in 1979. Bennett starred in the...
, (1980–1984) (ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
) and in the ITV sitcom Holding The Fort (1980–1982) but he became famous as part of the original team on Game for a Laugh
Game for a Laugh
Game For A Laugh was a popular British TV light entertainment show which ran for 56 editions and 4 specials between 26 September 1981 and 23 November 1985, made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network.- Origins :...
for the same producers and network. For the next 14 years his work centred on light entertainment
Light entertainment
Light entertainment is a term used to describe a broad range of usually televisual performances. These include comedies, variety shows, quiz/game shows, sketch shows and people/surprise shows.-Light entertainment in Britain:...
shows such as You Bet!
You Bet!
You Bet! was a British game show based around the format of the German show Wetten, dass..? developed by Frank Elstner. You Bet! ran on ITV, mostly on Saturday nights but sometimes on Fridays, between 20 February 1988 and 12 April 1997, initially hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1988 to 1990, then by...
(LWT
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
/ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
) (1991–1995) and, most notably, Stars in Their Eyes
Stars In Their Eyes
Stars in Their Eyes is a British television talent show that ran on Saturdays nights from 21 July 1990 until 23 December 2006 in which contestants impersonate showbiz stars...
(Granada
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
/ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
), which he took over from Leslie Crowther
Leslie Crowther
Leslie Crowther, CBE was an English comedian, actor and gameshow host.-Biography:Crowther was born in West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire. At the end of 1944 he moved to London with his parents, but was evacuated for a few months to Bute until just after the war ended.His father, Leslie Frederick...
– at first temporarily after Crowther had suffered serious head injuries in a car crash in October 1992. However, it later became apparent that Crowther would not be able to return. Thereafter, Kelly hosted the show until March 2004. He was also the first CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
presenter and continued to act occasionally, notably in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
comedy, Relative Strangers, and in the theatre production of The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 1920 silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene from a screenplay by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. It is one of the most influential of German Expressionist films and is often considered one of the greatest horror movies of the silent era. This movie is cited as...
.
On 15 January 2003, Kelly was arrested by Surrey Police over allegations that he sexually abused teenage boys. No charges were brought, and he was cleared a month later, but this caused him to be suspended by ITV until he was cleared. He subsequently returned as host of Stars in their Eyes for a time before declaring that he would leave light entertainment behind and return to acting full time. To this end he has appeared in a number of television and theatre productions. In 2005 he was a member of the cast in BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's Bleak House as Mr. Turveydrop. He also played a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
in 2005's Cold Blood
Cold Blood
Cold Blood is a long-standing soul-rock-jazz band founded by Larry Field in 1968 and originally based in the San Francisco East Bay area. They have also gone by the name Lydia Pense and Cold Blood due to the popularity of their lead singer, Lydia Pense....
and its 2007 sequel, as well as the explorer Giovanni Belzoni in BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's Egypt.
On the stage he won an Olivier Award in 2003 for his portrayal of Lenny in John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
's Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
. Other work includes Ripafratta in Mirandolina
Mirandolina
Mirandolina is a comic opera in three acts by Bohuslav Martinů, with a libretto by the composer after Carlo Goldoni's comedy The Mistress of the Inn ....
at the Royal Exchange Theatre in August 2006 which he swiftly followed by appearing as a well-received Antonio Salieri
Antonio Salieri
Antonio Salieri was a Venetian classical composer, conductor and teacher born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, but who spent his adult life and career as a faithful subject of the Habsburg monarchy....
in Peter Shaffer
Peter Shaffer
Sir Peter Levin Shaffer is an English dramatist and playwright, screenwriter and author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed.-Early life:...
's play Amadeus
Amadeus
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
.
From December 2008 to January 2009, he joined Stefanie Powers
Stefanie Powers
Stefanie Powers is an American actress best known for her role as Jennifer Hart in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart.-Early life:...
, Craig McLachlan
Craig McLachlan
Craig McLachlan is an Australian actor and singer. He appeared in shows such as Sons and Daughters, Neighbours, Bugs and Home and Away.-Biography:...
and Christopher Biggins
Christopher Biggins
Christopher Kenneth Biggins is an English actor and media personality.-Career:Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England and brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where he took elocution lessons and participated in local drama groups...
at the Mayflower Theatre
Mayflower Theatre
The Mayflower is a Grade II listed theatre, in the city centre of Southampton, United Kingdom, with a capacity of 2,300. It features West End theatre shows when they tour the UK. The theatre opened on the 22 December 1928, as The Empire Theatre, part of the Moss Empire theatre group...
in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to play May, one of the Ugly sisters
Ugly sisters
The ugly sisters are characters in the fairy tale and pantomime, Cinderella. They are the daughters of Cinderella's cruel stepmother, who treat her poorly...
, in the pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
alongside his son Matthew Rixon.
In 2009 he was on stage to high critical acclaim, in Howard Barker
Howard Barker
Howard E. Barker is a British playwright.-The Theatre of Catastrophe :Barker has coined the term "Theatre of Catastrophe" to describe his work...
's Victory: Choices in Reaction, at the Arcola Theatre, then as George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre, followed by a season at London's Trafalgar Studios. The summer was spent as Pandarus in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
at The Globe in London. He opened in Comedians
Comedians (play)
Comedians is a play by Trevor Griffiths, set in a Manchester evening class for aspiring working-class comedians. It was first performed at the Nottingham Playhouse on 20 February 1975, in a production directed by Richard Eyre. The cast included Jonathan Pryce as the main character, Gethin Price,...
at the Hammersmith Lyric in October 2009.
In January 2010 he replaced Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
as Pozzo in the revival of Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, alongside Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
(Estragon), Roger Rees
Roger Rees
Roger Rees is a Welsh actor. He is best known to American audiences for playing the characters Robin Colcord on the American television sitcom show Cheers and Lord John Marbury on the American television drama The West Wing...
(Vladimir) and Ronald Pickup
Ronald Pickup
-Life and career:Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy and Eric Pickup, who was a lecturer. Pickup was educated at The King's School, Chester, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and became an Associate Member of RADA.His television work began with an episode...
(Lucky). He continued in the successful production of Waiting for Godot at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
The Comedy Theatre is a 997 seat theatre in Melbourne. It was built in 1928, and was built in the Spanish style, with a Florentine-style exterior and wrought-iron balconies. It is located at 240 Exhibition Street, and diagonally opposite Her Majesty's Theatre, it is a part of the Marriner Theatre...
in May 2010.