Elijah Kelley

Infobox actor
name = Elijah Kelley

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imagesize =
caption = Elijah Kelley, January 2008
birthdate = birth date and age|1986|8|1
birthplace = LaGrange, Georgia, U.S.

Elijah Kelley (born August 1, 1986) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. Kelley has appeared in the films "Take the Lead" (2006) and "28 Days" (2000), and co-starred in the musical film re-adaptation of "Hairspray" (2007), in which he portrayed the character Seaweed J. Stubbs.

Life and career

Kelley was born and raised in LaGrange, Georgia, graduating from Troup County High School.cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brad|coauthors=|title=LaGrange to honor local 'Hairspray' star|pages=|publisher=Ledger-Enquirer|date=2007-07-20|url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/breaking_news/story/89011.html|accessdate=2007-07-21] cite news|last=Eisner|first=Ken|coauthors=|title=Hairspray's Kelley energized by cast|pages=|publisher=Straight.com|date=2007-07-19|url=http://www.straight.com/article-102053/hairsprays-kelley-energized-by-cast|accessdate=2007-07-21]

As a child, Kelley starred in Coca-Cola commercials, and played a short role in the film, "Mamma Flora's Family." He also performed in a gospel band with his family as a child. Kelley's parents, determined to keep their son down to earth, moved with him when he set out for Los Angeles after graduating from high school. [ Everytime he comes to LaGrange Georgia he loves to eat his Aunt Judy's sweet potato pie and he says he will be at his Family Reunion this year in Savannah Georgia [http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070715/070715elijah_kelley.html USA WEEKEND] ]

In 2006, Kelley was cast in a film version of "Hairspray" released on July 20, 2007. Both Kelley's performance and the film have received positive reviews. He will next be seen in an upcoming biopic of Sammy Davis, Jr., in which he was chosen to portray the legendary title character. [ [http://www.vh1.com/movies/news/articles/1564676/20070712/story.jhtml VH1.com] ] The film will focus on the younger days of Davis, Jr., tackling many racial issues (including his relationship with white actress Kim Novak) and his days in The Rat Pack.

He is the first choice to play Bobby Brown in the "Untitled New Edition Biopic".

Filmography

* "Burning Sands" (2009) (pre-production)
* "Hairspray" (2007) .... Seaweed
* "Heavens Fall" (2006) .... Leroy Wright
* "Take the Lead" (2006) .... Danjou
* "Rome & Jewel" (2006) .... Ben
* "Numb3rs" .... Anthony (1 episode, 2006)
* "The OG" (2006) TV episode .... Anthony
* "Everybody Hates Chris" .... Guy (1 episode, 2005)
*: "Everybody Hates the Babysitter" (2005) TV episode .... Guy
* "The Shield" .... Jaymon (1 episode, 2005)
*: "Grave" (2005) TV episode .... Jaymon
* "28 Days" (2000) .... Darnell
* "A Lesson Before Dying" (1999) (TV) .... Clarence
* "Mama Flora's Family" (1998) (TV) .... Young Willie

Discography

oundtracks

*2007: "Hairspray" Soundtrack - July 10, 2007
*2008: "DisneyMania 6"

"Hairspray" singles

*"Run and Tell That"
*"Come So Far"
*"Without Love"
*"You Can't Stop the Beat"

"DisneyMania 6" singles

*"He Lives in You"

"Semi-Pro"

*"Shining Star"

Awards and nominations

Awards

*2007 - [http://www.hollywoodawards.com/ Hollywood Film Award] : Ensemble of the Year (shared with the rest of the "Hairspray" cast)
*2007 - [http://www.movieline.com/ Young Hollywood Award] : One to Watch in "Hairspray"

Nominations

*2008 - Critics Choice Award: Best Song for Hairspray (2007) Shared With: Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron-For the song "Come So Far".

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0445903
*(July 3, 2006). " [http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=532808 Elijah Kelley to Play Seaweed in "Hairspray" Film] ". "BroadwayWorld.com." Retrieved July 2, 2007.
* [http://www.oregonherald.com/reviews/mark-sells/interviews/elijah_kelley.html Interview with Elijah Kelley] The Oregon Herald