# Paula Kelly (actress)

Paula Alma Kelly (October 21, 1942 – February 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, dancer and choreographer in films, television and theatre. Kelly's career began during the mid–1960s in theatre, making her Broadway debut as Mrs. Veloz in the 1964 musical Something More!, alongside Barbara Cook. Kelly's other Broadway credits include The Dozens (1969), Paul Sills' Story Theatre (1971), Ovid's Metamorphoses (1971), and Sophisticated Ladies (1981), based on the music of Duke Ellington, appearing with Gregory Hines and Phyllis Hyman.

## Early life and education

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Kelly was one of three daughters born to Ruth and Lehman Kelly, a jazz musician. By age six, Kelly's family had relocated to Harlem neighborhood of New York City. For high school, Kelly attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, majoring in music. Kelly continued her studies at the Juilliard School of Music, where she majored in dance under Martha Hill. Graduating in 1964 with an M.S. degree, Kelly performed as a soloist with major modern dance companies such as Martha Graham, Donald McKayle, and Alvin Ailey.

## Career

Kelly performed as guest artist and sometimes assistant choreographer for numerous television musical specials, including Sammy and Friends (starring Sammy Davis Jr.); co-choreographer of the BBC production of Peter Pan, in which she also performed the role of Tiger-Lily; Quincy Jones' TV tribute to Duke Ellington, We Love You Madly; The Richard Pryor Show; and Gene Kelly's New York, New York, in which the two Kellys performed a duet.
Kelly performed a dance solo at the 41st Academy Awards for the nominated title song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). She appeared on the London stage in Sweet Charity with dancer and actress Juliet Prowse, for which Kelly won the London Variety Award for Best Supporting Actress. She starred in the record-breaking west coast premiere of Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope at the Mark Taper Forum, for which she was awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Variety, and the first of three NAACP Image Awards. Kelly posed for a pictorial in the August 1969 issue of Playboy magazine, photographed by Lawrence Schiller.
Kelly's film credits include the Bob Fosse-directed film Sweet Charity; Soylent Green; The Spook Who Sat by the Door; The Andromeda Strain; Uptown Saturday Night; Lost in the Stars; Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling; Drop Squad; and Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored.
Kelly had a regular role as Liz Williams on the first season of the sitcom Night Court, for which she received an Emmy Award nomination. Kelly also guest-starred in a variety of television movies and sitcoms, including Sanford and Son, Kojak, Police Woman, Golden Girls, Good Times, Any Day Now and in the Oprah Winfrey-produced TV mini-series The Women of Brewster Place (based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Gloria Naylor), in which she portrayed one half of a lesbian couple (with Lonette McKee) struggling against homophobia in an inner-city ghetto. Kelly was nominated for a second Emmy for her role in The Women of Brewster Place.

## Personal life and death

On September 15, 1985, Kelly married British film director Don Chaffey. Chaffey died in November 1990.
Her partner since 2003 was George Parkington.
Kelly died of heart failure on February 8, 2020, at age 77.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1969 | Sweet Charity | Helene |
| 1971 | The Andromeda Strain | Karen Anson |
| 1972 | Cool Breeze | Martha Harris |
| 1972 | Top of the Heap | Black Chick |
| 1972 | Trouble Man | Cleo |
| 1973 | Soylent Green | Martha |
| 1973 | The Spook Who Sat by the Door | Dahomey Queen |
| 1974 | Three Tough Guys | Fay |
| 1974 | Lost in the Stars | Rose |
| 1974 | Uptown Saturday Night | Leggy Peggy/Mrs. Lincoln |
| 1976 | Drum | Rachel |
| 1986 | Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling | Satin Doll |
| 1993 | Bank Robber | Mother |
| 1994 | Drop Squad | Aunt Tilly |
| 1995 | Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored | Ma Pearl |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1973 | The Carol Burnett Show | Dance Instructor | Episode: "6.22” |
| 1970 | The Young Lawyers | Wilma | Episode: "A Busload of Bishops" |
| 1970 | Medical Center | Ellie James | Episode: "The Rebel in White" |
| 1973 | Sanford and Son | Olayia | Episode: "Lamont Goes African" |
| 1974 | Medical Center | Ames | Episode: "Saturday's Child" |
| 1975 | Cannon | Cora Bloom | Episode: "The Wedding March" |
| 1975 | The Streets of San Francisco | Carol | Episode: "Men Will Die" |
| 1975–77 | Police Woman | Linda Summers | 3 episodes |
| 1976 | The Streets of San Francisco | A. Chamberlain | Episode: "The Thrill Killers: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1976 | Peter Pan | Tiger Lily | TV movie |
| 1976, 1981 | Insight | Grace (Holy Ghost), Vilma Johnson | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | The Richard Pryor Show | Betty 'Satin Doll' | Episode: "1.1" |
| 1977 | Kojak | Janet Carlisle | Episode: "The Queen of Hearts Is Wild" |
| 1979 | Good Times | Dr. Kelly | Episode: "Where Have All the Doctors Gone?" |
| 1980 | The Cheap Detective | Inez Krowder | TV short |
| 1981 | Trapper John, M.D. | Betty Simons | Episode: "Straight and Narrow" |
| 1983 | Chiefs | Liz Watts | Miniseries, episode: "Part 3" |
| 1983 | Feel the Heat | Sally Long | unsuccessful television pilot |
| 1984 | Night Court | Liz Williams | Main cast (season 1) |
| 1984 | Hot Pursuit | Connie | Episode: "Portrait of a Lady Killer" |
| 1984–85 | Santa Barbara | Ginger Jones | Recurring role |
| 1985 | Hill Street Blues | Mrs. Eagleton | Episode: "Davenport in a Storm" |
| 1985 | Finder of Lost Loves | Alice Taylor-Hancock | Episode: "Aftershocks" |
| 1986 | St. Elsewhere | Sylvia | Episode: "Cheek to Cheek" |
| 1986 | Amen | Leona | Episode: "Rolly Falls in Love" |
| 1987 | Uncle Tom's Cabin | Cassy | TV movie |
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Lt. Lois Poole | Episode: "Kung Fu: The Next Generation" |
| 1987 | The Golden Girls | Marguerite Brown | Episode: "The Housekeeper" |
| 1989 | The Women of Brewster Place | Theresa | Miniseries |
| 1989 | Mission: Impossible | Pepper Leveau | Episode: "Bayou" |
| 1990 | American Playhouse | unknown | Episode: "Zora Is My Name!" |
| 1991 | Baby Talk | Claire | 3 episodes |
| 1992 | Room for Two | Diahnn Boudreau | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | South Central | Sweets | 4 episodes |
| 1995 | University Hospital | Dr. Leslie Bauer | Episode: "Shadow of a Doubt" |
| 1996 | Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story | Mrs. Devers | TV movie |
| 1999 | Any Day Now | unknown | Episode: "Family Is Family" |