Brian Kelly (actor)
Brian Kelly (February 14, 1931 – February 12, 2005) was an American actor and producer best known for playing Porter Ricks, the widowed father on the TV series Flipper.
He was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Harry F. Kelly, a former governor and chief justice of Michigan. Kelly served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War, then studied at the University of Notre Dame (graduating in 1953) and spent a year at the University of Michigan Law School before choosing acting. He did modeling and acted in radio and TV commercials in Detroit before moving to Hollywood in the late 1950s.
Kelly appeared in small roles on Adventures in Paradise, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Rifleman. He starred in NBC’s 21 Beacon Street (1959) and ABC’s Straightaway (1961–1962). In 1964, he took over the role of Porter Ricks in Flipper and also appeared in Flipper’s New Adventure. He continued with Flipper, which was filmed in Florida and the Bahamas.
The show’s success helped him move into film production. He starred in Around the World Under the Sea (1966) and later planned a comeback in The Love Machine, but a motorcycle accident just before filming left his right arm and leg paralyzed. The role was recast, and the accident effectively ended his acting career. He then focused on producing, serving as executive producer of Blade Runner (1982) and associate producer of Cities of the Wild (1996).
Kelly married actress Laura Devon from 1962 to 1966, and later married Valerie Ann Romero in 1973. He had two children, Hallie and Devon. Brian Kelly died of pneumonia in Voorhees, New Jersey, on February 12, 2005, at the age of 73. He was of Irish descent, and his nephew is actor Brian d’Arcy James.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:39 (CET).