Paula Kelly (actress)

Paula Alma Kelly
Kelly in c. 1977
Born	(1942-10-21)October 21, 1942 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Died	February 8, 2020(2020-02-08) (aged 76) Whittier, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Juilliard School of Music
Occupation(s)	Actress, dancer, singer
Years active	1964–1999
Spouse(s)	Don Chaffey (m. 1985; died 1990)
Children	1

Paula Alma Kelly (October 21, 1942 – February 8, 2020) was an American dancer, singer, and actress. She appeared on stage and on screen in movies and television. Her first Broadway role was as Mrs. Veloz in the 1964 musical Something More!, sharing the stage with Barbara Cook. Her other Broadway credits include The Dozens (1969), Paul Sills' Story Theatre (1971), Ovid's Metamorphoses (1971) and Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies (1981) with Gregory Hines and Phyllis Hyman.

Kelly's movie credits include 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. She also had a recurring role as Liz Williams on the first season of the sitcom Night Court. She had an Emmy Award nomination. She was nominated for a second Emmy for her role in The Women of Brewster Place.

Kelly was born in Jacksonville, Florida. She grew up in Harlem, Manhattan, New York. She married British director Don Chaffey in 1985. They had one child together before Chaffey died in 1990. Kelly died on February 8, 2020 at a nursing home in Whittier, California, at the age of 77. The cause of death was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related problems.

Other websites

• Paula Kelly on IMDb 
• Paula Kelly at the Internet Broadway Database