Claire Kelly
Kelly (right) with Leigh Snowden (left) and Mike Connors in a promotional picture for Tightrope
Born
Claire Ann Green

(1934-03-15)March 15, 1934
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 1, 1998(1998-07-01) (aged 64)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1955–1972
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1951; div. 1955)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1960; div. 1961)​
      Robert Kenaston
      ​
      ​
      (m. 1961; div. 1963)​
      • Robert Murphy
      Children2

      Claire Kelly (March 15, 1934 – July 1, 1998)[1] was an American actress and model.

      Early life

      Born Claire Ann Green, the daughter of a wealthy California rancher, she was trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York.[1]

      Kelly started out as a model in Miami, and appeared several times on the cover of McCall's, continuing her modelling career throughout the 1950s. She made the cover of Picture Week in 1956, and was a 1958 Deb Star.

      Career

      Kelly went on to roles in films such as Snowfire (1958), The Badlanders (1958), Party Girl (1958), Ask Any Girl (1959), and A Guide for the Married Man (1967). In The Badlanders, a Western remake of the film noir The Asphalt Jungle, she played "the Angela role immortalized by Marilyn Monroe" [2] in the original film. In 1959, she was publicized as "the screen's most exciting discovery since Rita Hayworth".[1] In 1964-65, she appeared in several episodes of the television series Burke's Law.

      Personal life

      From 1951 to 1955, Kelly was married to singer-comedian George DeWitt. She was credited as Claire DeWitt in Son of Sinbad. They had a son, Nicholas.[1]

      On November 6, 1954, Kelly's three-year-old son, Nicholas Christopher DeWitt, died after fighting for three days in an iron lung at Variety Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida, the victim of a rare anesthetic hazard, which happened after he was bitten on the lip by Duke, a cocker spaniel owned by former featherweight champion Willie Pep, and his heart stopped beating as doctors repaired the damage with 25 stitches.[1]

      On March 27, 1960, she married actor Perry Lopez in North Hollywood.[3] After they divorced, she married banking heir Robert Alan Kenaston, son of actress Billie Dove, on October 21, 1961, in Juarez, Mexico. They had a son, Robert Burns Kenaston. They divorced on July 22, 1963.[1][4] She later married Robert Murphy, and was married to him until her death.[5]

      Kelly has had relationships with Lance Reventlow and Conrad Hilton Jr.. She once dismissed Prince Aly Khan as "gauche" and Elvis Presley as "a mere child".[1]

      Filmography

      Film

      Year Title Role Notes
      1955 Son of Sinbad Tartar Girl Uncredited
      1956 The Best Things in Life Are Free Chorus Girl Uncredited
      1956 Scandal Incorporated June Trapping
      1958 Underwater Warrior Anne Winnmore
      1958 Snowfire Carol Hampton
      1958 The Badlanders Ada Winton
      1958 Party Girl Genevieve Farrell
      1959 Ask Any Girl Lisa
      1965 The Loved One Whispering Glades Hostess
      1967 A Guide for the Married Man Harriet Stander
      1969 Childish Things Sharon
      1969 What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? Elva
      1970 Up Your Teddy Bear Miss Boota, sculptress

      Television

      Year Title Role Notes
      1955 The Bob Cummings Show Miss Kelly Episode: "The Wolf Sitter"
      1956 The People's Choice Melinda Episode: "Aunt Gus Leaves Sock"
      1956 Kings Row Little Egypt Episode: "Carnival"
      1957 Richard Diamond, Private Detective Episode: "The Mickey Farmer Case"
      1957 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Episode: "Frontier Angel"
      1958 Love That Jill Episode: "Tonight's the Night"
      1959 Northwest Passage Lucy Episode: "The Killers"
      1960 Tightrope! Linda Costain Episode: "Three to Make Ready"
      1960 Bachelor Father Laura Evans Episode: "Kelly and the College Man"
      1960 The Texan Gail Henshaw Episode: "Lady Tenderfoot"
      1961 Surfside 6 Pat Wheeler Episode: "Ghost of a Chance"
      1964–1965 Burke's Law 2nd Model / Samantha 2 episodes
      1967 The Monkees Dr. Sisters S1:E29, "Monkees Get Out More Dirt"
      1969 The F.B.I. Secretary Episode: "Gamble with Death"
      1972 Love Story Landlady Episode: "Night of the Tanks"

      References

      1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Claire Kelly - The Private Life and Times of Claire Kelly". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
      2. ↑ Schwartz, Ronald (January 1, 2001). Noir, Now and Then: Film Noir Originals and Remakes, (1944-1999). Greenwood Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-313-30893-2.
      3. ↑ "Claire Kelly, Actress, Rewed". The New York Times. United Press International. March 30, 1960. p. 42. ProQuest 115018799. Retrieved January 4, 2021 – via ProQuest.
      4. ↑ "Actress granted divorce". Ames Daily Tribune. Iowa, Ames. United Press International. July 23, 1963. p. 2. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
      5. ↑ "Robert E. Murphy Obituary (2002) The Sacramento Bee". Legacy.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
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