George Kelly

George Edward Kelly was an American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He began his career in vaudeville as an actor and sketch writer. He became best known for his satiric comedies, including The Torch-Bearers (1922) and The Show-Off (1924).

Kelly was born in Philadelphia on January 16, 1887. He was the second youngest of ten children born to Mary Ann (née Costello) and John Henry Kelly, an Irish immigrant. He was the brother of American businessman and Olympic champion sculler John B. Kelly Sr. and the uncle of actress Grace Kelly, who became Princess consort of Monaco, and Olympic rower John B. Kelly Jr.

Not much is known about his early life, but he was an actor in his early years. He did not like the dramatic material available during the turn of the century, and wanted to change that. He served in France during World War I and after he came home starting writing.

George Kelly, a "life-long bachelor," maintained a 55-year relationship with his lover William Eldon Weagley (27 November 1896 – 16 October 1975), the son of John Adams Weagley and Ella Frances Weagley, up until his death. Weagley was often referred to as his valet. That Kelly was gay was a closely guarded secret and went unacknowledged by his family to the point of not inviting Weagley to his funeral; he instead slipped in and sat quietly on a back seat.

Kelly died on June 18, 1974, at the Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, after several years of living in Sun City, a desert retirement village in Riverside, California.