Nancy Kelly

Kelly did pretty well for herself for a time, performing delightfully in Robert Siodmak's "B" adventure gem, "Fly by Night" (1942). Other good films included the charmingly nostalgic musical "Show Business" (1944) and the unjustly neglected mystery "The Woman Who Came Back" (1945), but she saw the writing on the wall when she took a back seat to skater Vera Hruba Ralston in "Murder at the Music Hall" (1946). The stage provided Kelly with much meatier roles in "The Big Knife" and "Season in the Sun," and she won a Tony for her excellent performance as a distraught, disbelieving mother who discovers that her young daughter is genuinely evil in "The Bad Seed" (1955). Contrary to custom, Kelly managed to recreate the role in the slightly compromised but still powerful 1956 film version. She preferred theater work, though, but did make sporadic TV appearances through the late 1970s. Married briefly to actor Edmond O'Brien (1941-42), she is the elder sister of actor Jack Kelly of "Maverick" fame.