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Minka Kelly (born June 24, 1980) is an American actress. She received wide recognition for her role as Lyla Garrity on the NBC drama Television show Friday Night Lights (2006–2009). Kelly appeared as Autumn in the film 500 Days of Summer (2009). She starred in the films The Roommate and Searching for Sonny (2011). She had a recurring role as Gaby on the NBC family drama series Parenthood (2010–2011). She was in the ABC action series revival of Charlie's Angels (2011). Kelly is one of few actresses who portrayed First Lady of the U.S., Jackie Kennedy, in Lee Daniels's The Butler alongside Oprah Winfrey (2013). Kelly played Dawn Granger / Dove in the DC Universe series Titans on Max (2018–2021). Kelly appeared in the recurring role of Samantha in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2022).
Kelly is also the author of her memoir (2023), which became a New York Times Best Seller.
Her mother worked various jobs, including as a stripper and bartender, and often struggled to make ends meet throughout Kelly's childhood. At one point, they lived in a storage shed at an apartment complex after losing their apartment unit. To earn extra money, her mother tried to smuggle drugs across the Mexico–United States border, but was caught and jailed for a period of time. While her mother was incarcerated, Kelly was sent to live in the homes of various friends and acquaintances of her mother. In one home, Kelly was physically abused.
Before Kelly began junior high school, she and her mother relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be near her father figure, David Gonzalez's, extended family. When she was 16, her mother and Gonzalez fled New Mexico in an attempt to escape drug charges. Kelly moved in with a boyfriend who was five years her senior, and had an abortion at 17. She attended two high schools, before graduating from Valley High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
After graduation, Kelly reconnected with her biological father and moved to Los Angeles to live with him. Kelly held various jobs, working in sales for VoiceStream wireless (T-Mobile) and then AT&T. While in Los Angeles she wanted to pursue acting as a hobby while she went to school to become a surgical technician. Kelly's mother Maureen died in 2008, at age 51, from colon cancer.
In 2003, Kelly made her acting debut as an extra in the short film The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious, a six-minute introduction to the action film 2 Fast 2 Furious. This was followed by a special guest appearance on Cracking Up. She has since appeared in a number of television shows such as Entourage, Drake & Josh, and American Dreams. In 2005, Kelly landed a three-episode recurring role in The WB comedy series What I Like About You.
In 2006, Kelly starred in the horror slasher film The Pumpkin Karver as Tammy Boyles, and had a bit role in State's Evidence. In 2007, she reunited with Friday Night Lights creator Peter Berg in the film The Kingdom in a cameo role as Ms. Ross alongside Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner.Heffernan, Virginia (December 29, 2006), "You Can Find 'Friday Night Light' on Monday, Tuesday ... Even Friday Night". The New York Times. 156 (53808):E37 In 2009, she also appeared in the final scene of the film 500 Days of Summer as Autumn, a potential new love interest to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character.
In August 2008, Kelly had been cast as the protagonist in The CW pilot series Body Politic. She played the role of Francesca "Frankie" Foster, who moves to Washington, D.C. to work for a senator and befriends a group of eager up-and-comers. Despite acclaim from critics who viewed the pilot, The CW did not pick up the series. Kelly also appeared in the pilot for the short-lived CBS comedy series Mad Love playing the role of Kate, a Midwestern girl who falls in love with Henry at the top of the Empire State Building. When the series was picked up, Kelly was replaced by Sarah Chalke. In April 2010, Kelly appeared on the NBC drama series Parenthood. She played the role of a behavioral aide to the child character Max who is diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Kelly went on to appear in nine episodes of the show before making her final appearance in the episode "Taking the Leap" which aired on March 29, 2011.
Kelly starred in the thriller film The Roommate (2011) as a college freshman whose roommate, portrayed by Leighton Meester, has an obsession with her that turns violent. Although released to generally negative reviews, the film went on to make over $15.6 million in its opening weekend and over $40 million worldwide.
She accepted a role in the Off Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore for an April 27–May 29, 2011, run with Conchata Ferrell, AnnaLynne McCord, Anne Meara, and B. Smith. Variety announced that Kelly was cast as the lead in the mystery comedy film Searching for Sonny (2011). The film follows two reunited friends who are suspects in a murder mystery that is similar to a play in which they appeared during high school. Production took place in May and June 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. The film won the "Best Narrative Feature" Award at the Festivus Film Festival. In February 2012, she was one of the celebrities who modeled in red dresses for The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection show, part of New York Fashion Week. She wore a Diane von Fürstenberg dress. In June 2012, she appeared in the music video for "One More Night" by Maroon 5.
In 2013, Kelly portrayed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the film The Butler directed by Lee Daniels alongside James Marsden, Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker. The Butler had a worldwide box office gross of over $177 million
In September 2017, it was announced that Kelly had been cast on the DC Universe series Titans in a recurring role as Dawn Granger / Dove. The series premiered on October 12, 2018. Kelly was promoted to a series regular for the second season in September 2019. In May 2018, Kelly appeared in the video game as North, the right-hand woman and potential love interest of protagonist Markus.
Kelly's book entitled was released on May 2, 2023 by Henry Holt and Company. Her memoir is a tribute to her mother and all Working class Single parent "who were dealt a bad hand." Publishers Weekly called it "an immensely moving story of one woman’s unconquerable spirit." Kirkus Reviews wrote in a favorable book review: "The author is not shy about discussing difficult topics, and this candid text will appeal to Kelly’s fans and to readers seeking a courageous story of self-acceptance. A generous and humane memoir." Actress Drew Barrymore called it "incredible and "powerful." The book was a major best-seller, debuting at number 12 on The New York Times non-fiction best-seller list for the week ending May 21, 2023. The book appeared on numerous lists as one of the best memoirs of 2023 such as Elle and The Washington Post.
On December 5, 2023, Forbes announced that Kelly will play concert pianist Quinn, opposite Josh Duhamel, in Netflix's upcoming drama series Ransom Canyon. Created and executive produced by April Blair, the show follows the lives of three ranching families in rural Texas. Filming for the show concluded in June 2024 after six months in Kelly's hometown Albuquerque and Las Vegas, New Mexico. Kelly worked with a piano teacher in Albuquerque and learned the piano parts for the role by memory/rote repetition, as she does not read music. Her boyfriend, Dan Reynolds (of Imagine Dragons), also helped her learn the piano parts by translating the music and showing her hand placements.
In July 2024, Kelly was cast in Netflix's original romantic comedy film Champagne Problems (2024), where she plays an executive, who travels to Paris and finds an unexpected romance.
Since 2009, Kelly has worked with retailer ABLE, which is dedicated to creating sustainable jobs for vulnerable women in Africa. ABLE started by employing and training women in Ethiopia who were former sex workers. In 2015, Kelly teamed up with ABLE to create a pouch in honor of International Women's Day. Kelly designed the clutch herself, including leather, color, stitching, size and color of the zipper. "I was affected on such a deep and profound level when I heard that one woman chose to go into the sex industry because she had to pay for sister's breast cancer treatment," Kelly said in a 2015 People interview. In 2019, she designed a jewelry collection "The Barbara Collection" for ABLE, which was named after one of ABLE's first jewelry designers, Barbara. The collection features rings, necklaces and hoop earrings, priced between $28 and $88.
Kelly has appeared in print ads and commercials throughout her career. She has been a brand ambassador for Dove chocolate, and modeled in ads for Madge Cosmetics. She has appeared in commercials for Johnson & Johnson, Guaifenesin. and Bud Light's Super Bowl commercial. In 2016, Kelly became a spokesperson for online real estate marketplace Trulia to launch their "Best Neighborhoods in America" tool. She has appeared on the cover of numerous fashion and lifestyle magazines, including Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Self and Health.
Kelly has been in a relationship with singer/songwriter Dan Reynolds, frontman of Imagine Dragons since 2022.
Kelly enjoys cooking and baking. She graduated from the New School of Cooking in Culver City, California, in June 2015. She has expressed an interest in launching a traveling cooking television show. In 2016, she appeared in Food Network's cooking show Star Plates, in which celebrities work as line cooks alongside top chefs in a restaurant kitchen .
| 2003 | The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious | Girl | Short film; Uncredited |
| 2005 | Devil's Highway | River | |
| 2006 | The Pumpkin Karver | Tammy Boyles | |
| State's Evidence | Girl #3 | ||
| 2007 | The Kingdom | Miss Ross | |
| 2009 | 500 Days of Summer | Autumn | |
| 2011 | The Roommate | Sara Matthews | |
| Just Go with It | Joanna Damon | ||
| Searching for Sonny | Eden Mercer | ||
| 2013 | The Butler | Jackie Kennedy | |
| 2015 | The World Made Straight | Dena | |
| Debbie Hunt | |||
| 2017 | Naked | Callie | Uncredited |
| 2018 | Night Hunter | Angie | |
| 2019 | Shady Friend | Kara | Short film |
| 2020 | She's in Portland | Sarah Hill | |
| 2021 | Lansky | Maureen Duffy | |
| 2024 | Blackwater Lane | Cassandra "Cass" Anderson | |
| Champagne Problems | N/A | Netflix original film |
| 2004 | Cracking Up | Monica | Episode: "Panic House" |
| Drake & Josh | Stacey | Episode: "Movie Job" | |
| 2005 | American Dreams | Bonnie | Episode: "Home Again" |
| What I Like About You | Ricki | 3 episodes | |
| 2006–2009 | Friday Night Lights | Lyla Garrity | Main role (seasons 1–3); Guest role (season 4); 52 episodes |
| 2009 | Body Politic | Francesca "Frankie" Foster | Unaired television pilot (The CW) |
| 2010–2011 | Parenthood | Gaby | Recurring role; 9 episodes |
| 2010 | Entourage | Herself | Episode: "Lose Yourself" |
| 2011 | Charlie's Angels | Eve French | Main role; 8 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Almost Human | Valerie Stahl | Main role |
| 2015 | Away & Back | Jennie Newsom | Television film (Hallmark Channel) |
| Man Seeking Woman | Whitney | Episode: "Sizzurp" | |
| 2016 | The Path | Miranda Frank | 4 episodes |
| Food Network | Herself | 2 episodes | |
| 2017 | Jane the Virgin | Abbey Whitman | 3 episodes |
| Bull | Kara Clayton | Episode: "School for Scandal" | |
| 2018 | The Beach House | Cara Rudland | Television film (Hallmark Channel) |
| 2018–2021 | Titans | Dawn Granger / Dove | Recurring role (season 1); Main role (seasons 2–3); 19 episodes |
| 2019 | Drunk History | Maurine Dallas Watkins / Florence Nightingale | 2 episodes |
| Ludo Lefebvre | Herself | Web series; Episode: "Quiche Lorraine by Chef Ludo Lefebvre and Minka Kelly" | |
| 2020 | Robot Chicken | Arya Stark, Mascot Judge | Voice role; Episode: "Petless M in: Cars Are Couches On The Road" |
| 2022 | Euphoria | Samantha | 4 episodes |
| 2025 | Ransom Canyon | Quinn O'Grady | 10 episodes |
| 2002 | "She Hates Me" | Puddle of Mudd | |
| "If You C Jordan" | Something Corporate | ||
| 2012 | "One More Night" | Maroon 5 |
| 2018 | North | Voice acting and motion capture |
| 2011 | Love, Loss, and What I Wore | N/A | Westside Theatre (April 27–May 29, 2011) |
| +List of awards and nominations received by Minka Kelly !Year !Ceremony !Award !Work !Result | ||||
| 2007 | Spike Guys' Choice Awards | Gift from the Gods | Friday Night Lights | |
| Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble of the Year (shared with cast) | |||
| 2009 | ||||
| Teen Choice Awards | ||||
| 2011 | Gold's Gym Annual Hollywood's Hottest Bodies Awards | The Fittest Female | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Drama | The Roommate | ||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Scared-As-Shit Performance | |||
| Spike Guys' Choice Awards | Best Girl on Girl Scene (shared with Leighton Meester) | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Female Hottie | |||
| 2012 | Phoenix Film Festival | Best Ensemble | Searching for Sonny | |
| 2014 | Acapulco Black Film Festival | Best Ensemble Cast (shared with cast) | The Butler | |
| 2020 | Fashion Scholarship Fund | Social Impact Trailblazer of the Year | ||
| 2023 | Goodreads Choice Awards | Best Memoir & Autobiography | Tell Me Everything |
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