Elijah Kelley

Elijah Kelley
Elijah Kelley, January 2008
Born	August 1, 1986 LaGrange, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, singer, dancer
Years active	1998–present

Elijah Kelley (born August 1, 1986) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He appeared in films such as 28 Days (2000), Take the Lead (2006), Hairspray (2007), Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) and in NBC's live-musical event The Wiz Live! in December 2015.

Early life

Kelley was born and raised in LaGrange, Georgia. He attended Long Cane Middle School and Troup County High School, where he participated in the school's show choir for years.^[1][2] As a child, he starred in Coca-Cola commercials and played a role in the film Mamma Flora's Family. He also performed in a church choir and gospel band with his family.^[3] His parents, determined to keep their son down to earth, went with him when he moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school.^[4]

Career

In 2007, Kelley starred in the film adaptation of Hairspray.^[5] Both his performance and the film received positive reviews.^[6] On December 2, 2011, Kelley sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

In 2015, Kelley was cast in the role of the Scarecrow in NBC's production of The Wiz Live!^[7]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	28 Days	Darnell
2000	Heavens Fall	Leroy Wright
2000	Rome & Jewel	Ben	Direct-to-video
2006	Take the Lead	Danjou
2007	Hairspray	Seaweed J. Stubbs	Hollywood Film Award for Ensemble Of The Year Young Hollywood Award for One to Watch Nominated – Critics Choice Award
2012	Red Tails	Samuel "Joker" George
2012	Boys of Abu Ghraib	Tunde
2013	The Butler	Charlie Gaines
2015	Strange Magic	Sunny	Voice

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Mama Flora's Family	Young Willie	Television film
1999	A Lesson Before Dying	Clarence	Television film
2005	The Shield	Jaymon	Episode: "Grave"
2005	Everybody Hates Chris	Waiter	Episode: "Everybody Hates the Babysitter"
2006	Numb3rs	Anthony	Episode: "The OG"
2009	Dirty Sexy Money	Elon Elder	Episode: "The Facts"
2015	The Wiz Live!	Scarecrow	NBC live TV musical

Discography

Soundtracks

• 2007: Hairspray Soundtrack - July 10, 2007
• 2008: DisneyMania 6
• 2008: Sex and the City: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Vol. 2

Hairspray singles

• "Run and Tell That"
• "Come So Far"
• "Without Love"
• "You Can't Stop the Beat"

DisneyMania 6 singles

• "He Lives in You"

Semi-Pro

• "Shining Star"

References

1. Barnes, Brad (July 20, 2007). "LaGrange to honor local 'Hairspray' star". Ledger-Enquirer. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
2. Eisner, Ken (July 19, 2007). "Hairspray's Kelley energized by cast". Straight.com. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
3. "Elijah Kelley: Whoa, Who's That Kid?". Time. July 19, 2007.
4. Philadelphia, Desa (July 15, 2007). "Elijah Kelley has the total package". USA Weekend.
5. "Elijah Kelley to Play Seaweed in Hairspray Film". BroadwayWorld.com. July 3, 2006. Retrieved July 2, 2007.
6. VH1.com
7. Prudom, Laura (August 13, 2015). "‘The Wiz’: Common, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley Join NBC Live Musical". Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2015.

External links

• Elijah Kelley at the Internet Movie Database