Paul Kelly
Toronto Daily Star, May 17 1927
Paul Kelly (1899-1956) started his career as a child actor, appearing in starring roles in Vitagraph silent films starting in 1911. He was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Ray Raymond after the two had gotten into a drunken argument over Kelly's affair with Raymond's wife, Dorothy Mackaye.
Kelly was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, serving 25 months. Ms. Mackaye, who had attempted to conceal evidence of the affair, was sentenced to one to three years and served 10 months.
One of the conditions of Kelly's release was that he not get married for 18 months after being let out. After this period expired, he and Ms. Mackaye married. They remained together until she died in a car crash in 1940.
Kelly's film career survived his time in prison (and an initial condition of his release that demanded that he work as a clerk for $30 per week). It was estimated that he had performed in over four hundred roles in his lifetime. One of his roles was playing Clinton Duffy, the warden of San Quentin prison; this was where Kelly had served his time.
Created September 20, 2025.