David Kelly

David Kelly was an Irish actor who had regular roles in several film and television works from the 1950s onwards. One of the most recognisable voices and faces of Irish stage and screen, Kelly was known for his roles as Rashers Tierney in Strumpet City, Cousin Enda in Me Mammy, the builder Mr O'Reilly in Fawlty Towers, Albert Riddle in Robin's Nest, and Grandpa Joe in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Another notable role was as Michael O'Sullivan in Waking Ned. Kelly was born on 11 July 1929 in Dublin, Ireland, and educated at Dublin's Synge Street CBS Christian Brothers school. He began acting at the age of eight at the city's Gaiety Theatre, encouraged by a teacher at school he also performed with the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society and went on to train at The Abbey School of Acting. As a backup career, he additionally trained as a draughtsman and calligrapher, and also learned watercolour art. He appeared onstage in the original production of Brendan Behan's The Quare Fellow, and gained his first major career attention in Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape at the Dublin's Abbey Theatre in 1959. By then he had made his screen debut in a small part in director John Pomeroy's 1958 film noir Dublin Nightmare. One of his first television appearances was on RTÉ in O'Dea's your Man (1964) in which he played the part of Ignatius opposite Jimmy O'Dea. He went on to become a familiar face on British television with the BBC comedy Me Mammy, opposite Milo O'Shea and Anna Manahan. He went on to often-memorable guest roles on such series as Oh Father! and Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width, and particularly during the 1970s with a long-running role as the one-armed dishwasher Albert Riddle in the Man About the House spin-off Robin's Nest. He also had a regular long running role alongside Bruce Forsyth in both series of the comedy Slinger's Day from 1986 to 1987, and, in 1991, he appeared in the first series of the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children as the cafe-owner Paddy. He gained some of his greatest recognition in 1975, playing inept builder Mr O'Reilly on the second episode of Fawlty Towers ("The Builders"). Kelly was in the voice cast of The Light Princess, a partly animated, hour-long family fantasy that aired on the BBC in 1978. In 1980, he played the role of Lionel Powers in the ITV series Cowboys, and appeared in the 1983 Irish comedy film The Irishman. He also had a role in the 1984 comedy film The Jigsaw Man. In 1989, he appeared as a butler in an episode of the comedy series After Henry. In 1992, he played a Catholic priest in the film Into the West. In 1997, he appeared as a retired bookmaker in the film The Matchmaker. In 1998, he played the role of Michael O'Sullivan in the comedy film Waking Ned, for which he earned a Screen Actors' Guild nomination. He also appeared in the 1999 film The Ambassador. In 2005, he received a lifetime achievement award at the Irish Film and Television Awards. The same year, he was seen by cinema audiences as Grandpa Joe Bucket in Tim Burton's adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, opposite Johnny Depp. Kelly's final film role was in the 2007 British fantasy film Stardust, as a deceptively nimble, high-kicking wall guard. Kelly was married to actor Laurie Morton and had two children, David and Miriam. He died on 12 February 2012 following a short illness. He was 82 years old.