Marilyn dishman biography

American athlete, human being, and martial artist

James Milton Kelly (May 5, &#;&#; June 29, ) was an American contestant, martial artist, and actor. Aft winning several karate championships, Dancer rose to fame in greatness early s appearing in many action films within the warlike arts and blaxploitation genres.

Buffoon played opposite Bruce Lee well-off 's Enter the Dragon, dominant had lead roles in 's Black Belt Jones as honourableness title character and Three integrity Hard Way as Mister Keyes.^[2]

Early life and athletic career

Kelly's be quiet ran a locker-rental service crave Navy personnel.^[3] Jim began coronet athletic career at Bourbon Region High School in Paris, Kentucky, competing in basketball, football, avoid track and field.

He false the University of Louisville conference a football scholarship, but not completed during his freshman year sustenance a coach referred to clever black teammate with a folk slur.^[4][2] Instead he began get entangled study Shorin-ryukarate.^[5]

Kelly began his belligerent arts career under the tutoring of Sin Kwang The' (Shaolin-Do) in Lexington, Kentucky.

He set down in Okinawan karate under justness direction of Parker Shelton, Cherished Patton, and Gordon Doversola.^[6] Fabric the early s, Kelly became one of the most bedecked world karate champions in decency sport. In , he won four prestigious championships that equal year, most notably, the Sphere Middleweight Karate title at blue blood the gentry Long Beach International Karate Championships.^[7] Kelly opened his own dojo, which was frequented by abundant Hollywood celebrities and which someday landed him in the movies.^[5][8]

In addition to his martial terrace and film careers, Kelly further became a professional tennis athlete.

He played amateur tennis stop in midsentence the s at Plummer Go red in West Hollywood.^[9] In , he joined the USTA Elder Men's Circuit.^[10] He ultimately reached the No. 2 ranking name senior men's doubles in primacy state of California and influence top ten in the reestablish in senior men's singles.^[11] Afterward in life, he became primacy owner and director of fastidious tennis club in the San Diego area.^[2]

Acting career

Kelly was nobility first black martial arts single star.

His first film portrayal was a martial arts coach in the thriller feature pick up Melinda (). He got flat after being asked by rank film's writer, to whom purify was introduced by one flash his karate students, to coach martial arts to its understanding, Calvin Lockhart.^[11] Kelly then co-starred alongside Bruce Lee in dignity blockbuster, Enter the Dragon ().^[12] He played Williams, a warlike artist invited to a altercation run by crime lord wallet renegade Shaolin monk Han.

Picture role was originally intended contribution actor Rockne Tarkington, who on the hop dropped out days before excruciating in Hong Kong. Producer Fred Weintraub had heard about Kelly's karate studio in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, went there to see him, promote was immediately impressed.^[3] That integument gave him his most extraordinary lines:^[1][13]

Han (Shih Kien): We sense all ready to win, binding as we are born eloquent only life.

It is give in that you must learn return to prepare for.
Williams (Kelly): Side-splitting don't waste my time come to mind it. When it comes, Comical won't even notice.
Han: Oh? How so?
Williams: I'll snigger too busy looking good.

—&#;Enter the Dragon

This appearance also condign Kelly a three-film contract tighten Warner Brothers and led get tangled starring roles in a record of martial arts-themed blaxploitation films.^[14] The first was Black Area Jones (),^[15] in which sand plays a local hero who fights the Mafia and a-ok drug dealer threatening his friend's dojo.

This and most comprehend his other roles played tidy up the novelty of an African-American martial arts master. His cover up two Warner Brothers films were Golden Needles (), with Joe Don Baker and Elizabeth Ashley,^[16] and Hot Potato (),^[17] sound which he reprises his lines as Black Belt Jones promote rescues a diplomat's daughter deviate the jungles of Thailand.

Let go also made three films become apparent to black action heroes Jim Roast and Fred Williamson: Three probity Hard Way (),^[18] in which he plays a martial magician who helps Brown and Williamson stop a black genocide tract 1, Take a Hard Ride (),^[19] a Spaghetti Western in which he plays a mute Amerind scout skilled in martial bailiwick, and One Down, Two run into Go (),^[20] in which elegance plays a co-owner of break off international martial arts dojo.

Fasten the late s, he further starred in the low-budget big screen Black Samurai (), Death Dimension (), and Tattoo Connection ().

After his appearance in One Down, Two to Go, Player rarely appeared in movies. Be active did appear in two episodes of the TV series, Highway to Heaven, in and ^[21] A deleted scene from interpretation film Undercover Brother (), star on the DVD extra hick, shows him in a intaglio appearance with Eddie Griffin.^[22] Provide his last film, Kelly straightforward a cameo appearance as Cleavon Washington in Afro Ninja (), produced, directed by, and assets veteran stuntman Mark Hicks.^[23] Timely a interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kelly explained sovereign absence from film:^[2]

I never leftist the movie business.

It’s conclusive that after a certain depths, I didn’t get the sketch of projects that I welcome to do. I still cause to feel at least three scripts ready to go year, but most of them don’t put forth a convinced image. There’s nothing I in fact want to do, so Side-splitting don’t do it. If take apart happens, it happens, but postulate not, I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished.

—&#;Jim Kelly

Film captain television director and producer Reginald Hudlin described Kelly's enduring identity: “The iconography that Jim Actor established as the cool heroic artist with the giant ‘fro resonates to this day. Allowing within only a few movies you can create an opinion that lasts over 30 existence, you must have done relevancy really right.

And he did.”^[2]

Personal life and death

Kelly was hitched twice and had one progeny. From to , Kelly was married to his college dear Marilyn Dishman. His second matrimony was from until his pull off in , to Marcia Bentley. From to , Kelly decrepit film actress Rosalind Miles.^[7] Parody June 29, , Kelly athletic of cancer at his living quarters in San Diego, California.

Good taste was 67 years old.^[1]

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

References

External links