Frank Kelly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frank Kelly
Born	Francis Kelly (1938-12-28)28 December 1938 Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland
Died	28 February 2016(2016-02-28) (aged 77) Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1968–2015
Notable work	Father Ted (1995–1998) Evelyn (2002) Yu Ming is Ainm Dom (2003)
Spouse(s)	Bairbre Meldon ​ (m. 1964)​
Children	7
Parent(s)	Charles E. Kelly (father)

Francis Kelly (born December 28, 1938 – died February 28, 2016) was a very talented Irish actor, singer, and writer. He worked in many areas like TV, radio, theatre, music, and movies. Most people remember him best for playing the funny character Father Jack Hackett in the TV show Father Ted.

Frank Kelly's Early Life and Career

Frank Kelly was born in 1938 in Blackrock, a town near Dublin, Ireland. He lived there for most of his life. His dad, Charles E. Kelly, was a famous cartoonist and started a funny magazine called Dublin Opinion.

Frank went to Blackrock College for school. Later, he studied law at University College Dublin. Before becoming an actor, he worked as a journalist for a while, helping to edit Irish newspapers.

His first movie role was a small part in The Italian Job (1969). He played a prison officer.

Becoming a TV Star in Ireland

Frank Kelly became very well-known in Ireland for his work on TV. From 1968 to 1982, he starred in a popular children's show called Wanderly Wagon on RTÉ. He played many different characters and even wrote some of the scripts for the show.

He also became famous for his roles in Hall's Pictorial Weekly (1970–1982). In this show, he played a memorable character named Parnell Mooney, who was a funny take on a local politician from the countryside. In 1974, Frank won an award called the Jacob's Award for his great work on this series.

In the 1980s, he appeared in an RTÉ show called Anois is Aris that helped people learn the Irish language. He also acted in an Irish thriller movie called Taffin in 1988.

Playing Father Jack in Father Ted

Frank Kelly was most famous outside of Ireland for his role as Father Jack Hackett in the hilarious comedy show Father Ted. This show was on TV in the United Kingdom from 1995 to 1998.

To play Father Jack, Frank wore special contact lenses to make his eyes look like the character's. People on set sometimes avoided eating lunch with him when he was in his Father Jack makeup because the fake flaky skin he wore would fall into the food!

Even though Father Jack was a wild and grumpy character, Frank Kelly was very different in real life. A journalist who interviewed him in 1997 said he was polite, smart, thoughtful, and charming. He loved to tell stories and was known for being very well-liked by his co-workers.

Later Acting Roles

After Father Ted, Frank Kelly continued to act in many different shows and movies. From 1999 to 2001, he was in the TV show Glenroe. He also played Henry Doyle, the father of Pierce Brosnan's character, in the movie Evelyn (2002).

He appeared in the movie Rat in 2000 and played a priest named Father Pickle in the TV series Lexx in 2001. In 2003, he was in a short film called Yu Ming Is Ainm Dom. That same year, he had a big role as John Smith, a real-life political leader, in the UK TV drama The Deal.

In 2007, he acted in an Irish political drama called Running Mate and also in the series Paddywhackery. In 2010, Frank joined the TV soap opera Emmerdale in the UK, playing a character named Dermot. He left after five months because he missed his family in Ireland.

Frank was also a regular stage actor and toured in the United States and Canada. He did many voice-overs for commercials, including one with "Mr Tayto" for Tayto crisps. In 2014, he played a judge in the movie Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie.

In September 2015, Frank Kelly wrote a book about his life called The Next Gig. In his book, he shared stories about working with other actors like Pierce Brosnan and Michael Caine.

Radio Comedy and Music

Many of Frank Kelly's funny radio sketches came from his radio show called The Glen Abbey Show, which was on RTÉ from the 1970s to the 1990s. He often played a country character named "Gobnait O'Lúnasa". These sketches usually started with the sound of him putting coins into an old phone booth. When the phone rang, he would answer, "Hello! Guess who? Is that you Nuala?" He also played an English BBC reporter who interviewed people in the countryside about local traditions, like watching bacon being sliced.

Christmas Countdown Song

In 1982, Frank Kelly released a funny song called "Christmas Countdown". It was a comedy version of the famous Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas". He released it under the name Gobnait O’Lúnasa. The song became very popular, reaching number eight in the Irish music charts in 1982. It also did well in the UK and Australia in 1984. He even performed the song live on the famous TV show Top of the Pops.

In 2000, he released an album called Comedy Countdown, which included many of his funny sketches from The Glen Abbey Show.

Frank Kelly's Passing

Frank Kelly passed away on February 28, 2016, after having a heart attack. He had been dealing with some health issues in the months before.

His death happened exactly 18 years after his Father Ted co-star, Dermot Morgan, also passed away. At Frank Kelly's funeral, Michael D. Higgins, the President of Ireland, said that Frank would always be remembered for his roles in theatre and for his much-loved TV shows like Wanderly Wagon, Glenroe, and Hall's Pictorial Weekly.

Frank Kelly was married to Bairbre for 51 years. She was a drama teacher. They had five daughters and two sons together.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Short Films

Books Written by Frank Kelly

• 2015, The Next Gig, Dublin: Currach Press, ISBN: 978-1782-18840-7