Erin Kelly mini-bio: I was born in Point Loma, San Diego, California, on August 21st. I spent most of my early years with my brother and parents on a 44' Peterson sailboat. If we weren't sailing we were at my grandfathers mountain house, riding horses and playing outside.
When I was nine my family moved to Boulder, Colorado. I learned later that the deciding factor for the move was based on my question, "What's a boulder?", which I asked my parents at the time. The memories of my childhood are colored with camping, tubing, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, wake-boarding, caving, canoeing, and any and all other out door activities you can imagine... we did not have a TV...
I am often asked what made me want to become an actress. I'm sure the answer is a combination of my very supportive and musical family, my education in Waldorf schools, and my desire to leave a lasting effect on people. I do however remember the first moment I had the actual thought, that acting was what I wanted to do when I grew up. We had gone to see a family friend in a play when I was about three. He died in the play and I remember being terrified that he had actually died. After the play, it was explained to me he was just acting, and I was hooked. I wanted to be able to have that emotional effect on people.
I was in every school play that I could get into from the age of 6 and beyond. In 7th grade I joined a youth community theatre and performed my first real play, Englebert Humperdink's Hansel and Gretel, I played the part of Gretel.
I graduated high school after 3 years at the age of 16. As it was important to my parents that I go to college, I moved to NY to attend Mary-mount Manhattan College under the condition that I would try it for a year and if it didn't work I could move to LA and pursue a carrier in acting. One year later I was in LA.
Upon arriving in LA, I became a student of a small 2 year Meisner Technique School. I started doing commercials which gave me the financial freedom and time to start a theatre company with the group of actors I was in class with. We founded the Ruskin Group Theatre where I produced and acted in several productions. While there, I co-created the critically acclaimed LA Cafe Plays with friends Mike Myers and Michael Laurie and with my mentor Markus Flanagan.
I did my first feature film, "Loving Annabelle", in '05 with writer/director Katherine Brooks. I had met Katherine 4 years earlier when she walked up to me in the audience of a play and said, "Please tell me you're an actress!" In the six years I have know her she has become a wonderful friend. I would not be where I am today without her.
I have been incredibly blessed since my move to LA. I have a flawless support system of friends and family as well as my wonderfully hardworking manager/agent/lawyer team. I am grateful to each and every one of them.
Written by Erin Rose Kelly. Go to www.erinrosekelly.com
