Fred Kelsey

Actor: Fred Kelsey

Born: Aug 20, 1884 in Sandusky, Ohio
Died: Sep 02, 1961 in Hollywood, California
Occupation: Actor, Director
Active: '20s-'40s
Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
Career Highlights: Paths to Paradise, Counter-Espionage, People's Choice
First Major Screen Credit: Over the Ledge (1914)

Biography

Ohio-born Fred Kelsey was so firmly typed as a comedy cop in Hollywood films that in the 1944 MGM cartoon classic Who Killed Who?, animator Tex Avery deliberately designed his detective protagonist to look like Kelsey -- mustache, heavy eyebrows, derby hat and all. In films from 1909, Kelsey started out as a director (frequently billed as" Fred A. Kelcey"), but by the '20s he was well into his established characterization as the beat cop or detective who was forever falling asleep on the job or jumping to the wrong conclusion. Often Kelsey's dialogue was confined to one word: "Sayyyyy....!" He seemed to be busiest at Warner Bros. and Columbia, appearing in fleeting bits at the former studio (butchers, bartenders, house detectives), and enjoying more sizeable roles in the B-films, short subjects and serials at the latter studio. From 1940 through 1943, Kelsey had a continuing role as dim-witted police sergeant Dickens in Columbia's Lone Wolf B-picture series. Seldom given a screen credit, Fred Kelsey was curiously afforded prominent featured billing in 20th Century-Fox's O. Henry's Full House (1952), in which he was barely recognizable as a street-corner Santa Claus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Filmography: Fred Kelsey

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Fred Kelsey
Born	Frederick Alvin Kelsey August 20, 1884(1884-08-20) Sandusky, Ohio
Died	September 2, 1961 (aged 77) Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Other name(s)	Fred A. Kelsey H. Kelsley
Occupation	Actor, director, screenwriter
Years active	1911-1958
Spouse(s)	Katharine Miller (? - September 2, 1961)

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1917	Blood Money	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Bad Man of Cheyenne	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Outlaw and the Lady	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Drifter	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	Goin' Straight	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Fighting Gringo	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	Hair-Trigger Burke	-	Scenario Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Honor of an Outlaw		Director, scenario Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	A 44-Calibre Mystery	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Almost Good Man	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Mysterious Outlaw	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Golden Bullet	-	Director
	The Wrong Man	-	Director
	Six-Shooter Justice	-	Director Credited as Fred A. Kelsey
	The Texas Sphinx	-	Director
1924	The Night Hawk
1926	Cruise of the Jasper B	Bailiff	Uncredited
1927	Soft Cushions	The Police
1927	The Gorilla
1929	Wrong Again
1930	The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case	Chief of Detectives
1931	Young Donovan's Kid	Collins	Alternative title: Donovan's Kid
1932	The Loud Mouth	Max, Manager of Blue Sox
1935	Horses' Collars	Detective Hyden Zeke	Uncredited
1939	Tiny Troubles	The Judge
1942	My Favorite Blonde	Sam - Policeman
1942	Yankee Doodle Dandy	Irish cop in "Pecks Bad Boy"	Uncredited
1945	Micro-Phonies	Boss	Uncredited
1945	If a Body Meets a Body	Detective
1946	Monkey Businessmen	Smiling Sam McGann	Uncredited
1952	Hans Christian Andersen	First Gendarme
1952	O. Henry's Full House	Mr. Schultz/Santa Claus
1955	The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell	Courtroom Extra	Uncredited
1958	Auntie Mame	Front Row Audience at Play	Uncredited
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952-1955	The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok	Various roles	4 episodes
1958	Perry Mason	Courtroom Spectator	1 episode, uncredited

Persondata
NAME	Kelsey, Fred
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Kelsey, Frederick Alvin; Kelsey, Fred A.; Kelsley, H.
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Actor, director, screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH	August 20, 1884
PLACE OF BIRTH	Sandusky, Ohio
DATE OF DEATH	September 2, 1961
PLACE OF DEATH	Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

	People's Choice (1946 Comedy Film)
	Held by the Law (1927 Crime Film)
	The Moth (1934 Crime Film)

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Fred Kelsey

Biography

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