Career Highlights: The Tall Stranger, Buchanan Rides Alone, Back at the Front
First Major Screen Credit: The Undercover Man (1949)
Biography
Trained at the Goodman Theatre in his hometown of Chicago, the 6'4", 230-pound Barry Kelley made his professional stage bow in 1930. Seventeen years later, he appeared in his first film, director Elia Kazan's Boomerang. Kelley was most often found in crime yarns and westerns, often cast as a corrupt law officer, e.g. Lieutenant Ditrich in John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle. Barry Kelley's hundreds of TV credits include the recurring roles of city editor Charlie Anderson in Big Town (1954) and Pete's boss Mr. Slocum in Pete and Gladys (1961). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Barry Kelley (August 19, 1908 – June 5, 1991) was a heavy-set actor in movies during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He often played cops in films, including Boomerang (his first film in 1947) and The Asphalt Jungle. The 6'4", 230-pound Chicago-born actor began acting on the stage in the 1930s. Kelley also appeared in dozens of television programs. Like in the movies, he usually was in westerns or crime shows. Kelley had an uncredited role as a police chief in the 1964 Frank Sinatra musical Robin and the Seven Hoods.