Minka Kelly
Minka Dumont Kelly (born June 24, 1980)[1] is an American actress. She rose to fame for her role as Lyla Garrity on the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights (2006–2009). In 2011, Kelly starred in the films The Roommate and Searching for Sonny, had a recurring role as Gaby on NBC's family drama series Parenthood (2010–2011) and a main role as Eve French in the revival of ABC's action series Charlie's Angels (2011).[2] Kelly portrayed Dawn Granger / Dove on the first three seasons of the DC Universe/Max superhero series Titans (2018–2021).
Minka Kelly
Actress
2002–present
Kelly is also the author of her memoir Tell Me Everything: A Memoir (2023), which became a New York Times Best Seller.[3][4] Since 2015, she has designed numerous charity jewelry products for Able.[5]
Early life[edit]
Kelly was born in Los Angeles.[6] She is the only child of Maureen Dumont Kelly and former Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay.[1][7] She has French, Irish, and Dutch-Indonesian ancestry.[8][9] She was raised primarily by her mother and her mother's on-and-off boyfriend David Gonzalez.[10][11]
Her mother worked various jobs, including as a stripper and bartender, and often struggled to make ends meet throughout Kelly's childhood.[12][13][14] At one point, they lived in a storage shed at an apartment complex after losing their apartment unit.[14] To earn extra money, her mother tried to smuggle drugs across the Mexico–United States border, but was caught and jailed for a period of time. While her mother was incarcerated, Kelly was sent to live in the homes of various friends and acquaintances of her mother.[15] In one home, Kelly was physically abused.[16]
Before Kelly began junior high school, she and her mother relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico to be near her father figure, David Gonzalez's, extended family.[15][17] When she was 16 her mother and Gonzalez fled New Mexico in an attempt to escape drug charges.[18] Kelly moved in with a boyfriend who was five years her senior, and had an abortion at 17 when she became pregnant with his child.[16]
She attended two high schools, before graduating from Valley High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[19] After graduation, Kelly reconnected with her biological father and moved back to Los Angeles.[17] Kelly's mother Maureen died in 2008, at age 51, from colon cancer.[20]
Career[edit]
2002–2005: Career beginnings[edit]
While on a test shoot for a modeling agency in Los Angeles, she was approached by a former Playboy Playmate who was interested in managing her. She helped Kelly find work as a receptionist at a surgeon's office who would provide Kelly breast augmentation in exchange for hours worked. Kelly decided against getting the surgery and was fired.[17] Her exposure to the medical field spurred her to attend school for a year studying to become a surgeon's assistant; afterwards she worked as a scrub nurse. During the four years she spent in the vocation she continued auditioning for film and television roles and appeared in commercials for Old Navy and Clearasil.[17]
In 2003, Kelly made her acting debut as an extra in the short film The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious, a six-minute introduction to the action film 2 Fast 2 Furious. This was followed by a special guest appearance on Cracking Up. She has since appeared in a number of television shows such as Entourage, Drake & Josh, and American Dreams. In 2005, Kelly landed a three-episode recurring role in The WB comedy series What I Like About You.
2006–2010: Breakthrough with Friday Night Lights[edit]
In April 2006, Kelly was cast as a series regular on the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights. The show was based on the high school football film of the same name; it follows a high school football team in the fictional small town of Dillon. Kelly played the role of high school student and cheerleader Lyla Garrity. In preparation for her role as a cheerleader she trained with the Pflugerville High School cheerleading squad. The series premiered on October 3, 2006, with Kelly receiving praise for her performance with The New York Times calling her performance "heartbreaking." At the end of the show's third season Kelly left the series as her character left for college.[21]
In 2006, Kelly starred in the horror slasher film The Pumpkin Karver as Tammy Boyles, and had a bit role in State's Evidence. In 2007, she reunited with Friday Night Lights creator Peter Berg in the film The Kingdom in a cameo role as Ms. Ross alongside Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner.[22] In 2009, she also appeared in the final scene of the film 500 Days of Summer as Autumn, a potential new love interest to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character.
In August 2008, Kelly had been cast as the protagonist in The CW pilot series Body Politic. She played the role of Francesca "Frankie" Foster, who moves to Washington, D.C. to work for a senator and befriends a group of eager up-and-comers. Despite acclaim from critics who viewed the pilot,[23] The CW did not pick up the series. Kelly also appeared in the pilot for the short-lived CBS comedy series Mad Love playing the role of Kate, a Midwestern girl who falls in love with Henry at the top of the Empire State Building. When the series was picked up, Kelly was replaced by Sarah Chalke.[24]
In the media[edit]
Public image[edit]
Kelly has been included in various magazine lists of the world's most beautiful women.[17][46] She appeared on People magazine's annual list of 100 Most Beautiful People in 2008.[46] In 2011, Kelly was named "Sexiest Woman Alive" in the annual Esquire magazine feature.[17] She has been a regular on Maxim's Hot 100 list since 2007, ranking at number 42 in 2007,[47] at number 54 in 2008,[48] at number 84 in 2009[49] and at number 51 in 2011.[50] Kelly was chosen as the fittest woman at the Gold's Gym 2nd Annual Hollywood’s Hottest Bodies Awards.[51][52]
Kelly has appeared in print ads and commercials throughout her career. She has been a brand ambassador for Dove chocolate,[53] and modeled in ads for Madge Cosmetics.[54] She has appeared in commercials for Johnson & Johnson,[54] Mucinex.[55] and Bud Light's Super Bowl commercial.[56] In 2016, Kelly became a spokesperson for online real estate marketplace Trulia to launch their "Best Neighborhoods in America" tool.[57][58][59] She has graced the cover of numerous fashion and lifestyle magazines, including Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Self and Health.[60]