Brian Kelly, a talented actor, was born on Valentine's Day in Detroit, Michigan, to Anne Veronica (O'Brien) and Harry Francis Kelly, who served as the Governor of Michigan from 1943 to 1947 and a justice on the Michigan Supreme Court. With Irish descent, Brian joined the Marine Corps during the Korean War and later attended the University of Michigan Law School, intending to pursue a political career like his father. However, he only stayed for a year before finding work as a male model and eventually breaking into the business in Detroit with radio and TV commercials.
A talent agent spotted Brian, and in the late 1950s, he decided to try his luck in Hollywood. He secured some minor roles on TV series such as Adventures in Paradise, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Rifleman, but nothing significantly advanced his career. He appeared regularly on two short-lived TV series, 21 Beacon Street and Straightaway, before landing his most recognizable role as game life ranger Porter Ricks on the popular aquatic series Flipper in 1964.
Although Brian took a backseat to the scene-stealing antics of the titular dolphin and his sons on the show, fans admired his widower character, who provided strong moral fiber to his children. The success of the show, filmed in Miami and the Bahamas, led to a brief movie career, including a lead in Around the World Under the Sea in 1966, which seemed fitting given his underwater expertise.
In 1970, Brian was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that left his right arm and leg paralyzed. He won a legal settlement of $750,000 but the severe impairment ultimately cost him his on-camera career. Undeterred, he used his settlement money to produce films, serving as executive producer of the popular Harrison Ford starrer Blade Runner in 1982 and associate producer of Cities of the Wild in 1996.
Brian was married twice, first to gorgeous blonde actress Laura Devon in 1962, with whom he met while living in Detroit and married while climbing the Hollywood ladder. The union ended four years later. He then married Valerie Ann Romero in 1972, with whom he had a daughter Hallie in 1975 and a son Devin in 1980. Brian passed away from pneumonia in Voorhees, New Jersey, just a few days before his 74th birthday in 2005.
