🎬 Movies Mates PEOPLE
Desmond Kelly
Acting
Biography
Desmond Lance Kelly was a New Zealand stage, film and television actor. After earning a science degree, he worked as a geologist and spent around 25 years in education before leaving his post at Wellington Teachers’ College in 1977 to pursue acting full time. He became a familiar presence in Wellington theatre, including at Downstage, Circa and Bats, and appeared in numerous New Zealand film and television productions, including Smash Palace, The Scarecrow, Klynham Summer, Mirror, Mirror and Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners (1996), in which he played Harry Sinclair. Kelly was also a teacher, photographer, writer and singer, and was involved in the early development of PhotoForum in Wellington…
Read full biography
Desmond Lance Kelly was a New Zealand stage, film and television actor. After earning a science degree, he worked as a geologist and spent around 25 years in education before leaving his post at Wellington Teachers’ College in 1977 to pursue acting full time. He became a familiar presence in Wellington theatre, including at Downstage, Circa and Bats, and appeared in numerous New Zealand film and television productions, including Smash Palace, The Scarecrow, Klynham Summer, Mirror, Mirror and Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners (1996), in which he played Harry Sinclair. Kelly was also a teacher, photographer, writer and singer, and was involved in the early development of PhotoForum in Wellington. He died on 4 February 2024, aged 95.
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
Desmond Kelly's Filmography
Select any movie to open its full Movies Mates details page.
Rage
as Ces Blazey
Song of the Siren
as Dad
The Frighteners
as Harry Sinclair
The Last Tattoo
as Monty McGurr
Absent Without Leave
as Daisy's Father
The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey
as Smithy
Illustrious Energy
as Surveyor
Dancers
as Duke of Courland
Bad Blood
as Mr. Ridley
The Scarecrow
as Mr. Poindexter
Smash Palace
as Tiny
No Poster
Xmas for Lou
as Jock