Matthew Kelly

Matthew trained as an actor at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre before going on to work in repertory, major regional theatres across the country, the West End and television.  He has received wide recognition for his work, winning a Royal Television Society award for Best Performer in Drama, a Silver Medal in the New York International Programming Awards - both for COLD BLOOD - and an Olivier Best Actor Award for his role as Lennie in Birmingham Rep's production of OF MICE AND MEN. 

Later this spring Matthew plays Hector in THE HISTORY BOYS directed by Michael Longhurst at the Crucible in Sheffield, and his other most recent work includes Michel in GOD OF CARNAGE at Southampton, Dorn in a new version of THE SEAGULL by Anya Reiss at the Southwark Playhouse, EDUCATING RITA directed by Tamara Harvey for the Menier Chocolate Factory and Theatre Royal Bath in London and at Edinburgh, Professor Callahan in the U.K tour of LEGALLY BLOND, Dodge in Sam Shepherd's BURIED CHILD at Curve Leicester, BENIDORM, Pozzo in WAITING FOR GODOT with Ian McKellan and Roger Rees at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and on a tour of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, King Arthur in the Monty Python musical SPAMALOT, West End seasons of Tim Firth's SIGN OF THE TIMES at the Duchess and LEND ME A TENOR - The Musical at the Gielgud, Eddie Waters in COMEDIANS at the Lyric Hammersmith, George in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF at the Trafalgar Studios, Pandarus in TROILUS AND CRESSIDA at Shakespeare's Globe, Howard Barker's VICTORY at the Arcola Theatre and Salieri in AMADEUS for John Doyle at Wilton's Music Hall.

Matthew has appeared in several major television dramas - as serial killer Brian Wicklow in the ITV crime thriller series COLD BLOOD, the dancing master Old Mr Turveydrop in the BBC's epic adaptation of BLEAK HOUSE, Belzoni in EGYPT: THE PHARAOH AND THE SHOWMAN and THE TEMPLE OF THE SANDS which were both shot on location in North Africa - as well as guest starring in WHERE THE HEART IS, Agatha Christie's MARPLE and most recently as psychiatrist Andrew Brookfield in CASUALTY.  He has also presented a look at the history of forensic medicine in ITV's FORENSIC CASEBOOK and was featured in MY FAMILY AT WAR which was shown as part of the BBC's 90th anniversary commemoration. 

Other notable theatre credits include MIRANDOLINA at Manchester's Royal Exchange, Kidder Harris in the poignant World War One play FORGOTTEN VOICES at the Riverside Studios and the Edinburgh Festival and the Wicked Witched of the West in the RSC adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ at Southampton. In 2008 he joined forces with his son actor Matthew Rixon to appear in OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR at the Octagon Theatre Bolton, Samuel Beckett's ENDGAME at the Liverpool Everyman and they completed a hat-trick as the ugly sisters in CINDERELLA that Christmas. He has played the title role in DON QUIXOTE with George Costigan at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Malvolio in TWELTH NIGHT on a national tour, SEASON'S GREETINGS with Alan Ayckbourn himself directing, Petruchio in the Stafford Festival's production of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, Hermann K. in Alan Bennett's KAFTA'S DICK at York Theatre Royal, Turai in Tom Stoppard's ROUGH CROSSINGat Salisbury and Watford, and the Doktor in THE CABINET OF DOKTOR CALIGARI at the Nottingham Playhouse and the Lyric Hammersmith.  He has also played Vladimir in WAITING FOR GODOT at the Oxford Playhouse and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in TWELTH NIGHTat the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. 

His earlier work includes Stanley in FUNNY PECULIAR in the West End - a role he originally created at the Liverpool Everyman - Dennis Potter's BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS at the Octagon Theatre Bolton, THE SURPRISE PARTY at the Nuffield Southampton, Lennie in an earlier production of OF MICE AND MEN at the Crucible Theatre Sheffield, a double bill of Peter Shaffer's BLACK COMEDYand THE PRIVATE EAR, the Rodgers and Hart musical BABES IN ARMS, the title role in a tour of the National Theatre's THE PIED PIPER and the Cardinal in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME for the Young Vic Company.  Earlier acting credits on television range from Sheridan's THE CRITIC and FUNNY MAN with Jimmy Jewel, BOON and THE LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE to the successful eighties series HOLDING THE FORT with Patricia Hodge and two series of Channel 4's sitcom RELATIVE STRANGERS which was nominated for an American Emmy Award.

Matthew's film credits include SHOWREEL, GABRIELLE AND THE DOODLEMAN, TRIBUTE and SNOT - and he is also a regular voice-over artist narrating many documentary programmes, among them the AFTER THEY WERE FAMOUS and THE FUNNY SIDE series.  He has a wide range of credits as a television presenter, with two series of ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME filmed in Nepal and Kenya, CITY HOSPITAL and STARS IN THEIR EYES amongst the best known.