Minka Kelly Biography
Summary
"Minka Dumont Kelly" (born June 24, 1980) is an American actress. She stars in the NBC series "Friday Night Lights" as Lyla Garrity.
Early life
Kelly was born in Los Angeles, California. She is an only child and the daughter of former Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay and the late Maureen Kelly, a former Vegas showgirl. According to Kelly, her childhood was 'pretty rough', and she resented Dufay, as he had abandoned her and her mother. However, at seventeen, she decided to try and reconcile by inviting him out to New Mexico.
Career
After graduating from high school, Kelly returned to Los Angeles with her father to pursue acting as a hobby while she went to school to become a surgical technician. However, after her first acting class she got 'hooked' and began pursuing acting as a career. Success came slowly, and she began her career with small roles in various movies and shows, including the film "State's Evidence", and a recurring-guest role on the TV program "What I Like About You".
In the spring she was cast as Lyla Garrity on the show "Friday Night Lights". In preparation for the role, she trained with the Pflugerville High School cheerleading squad. Kelly has received praise for her acting on "Friday Night Lights", with the "New York Times" calling her performance 'heartbreaking'.
She shot a cameo for "The Kingdom", alongside Jamie Foxx. Peter Berg, the creator and pilot director of "Friday Night Lights", directed the film. Kelly is the lead actor on the CW's new pilot "Body Politic".
Personal life
Kelly dated Donald Faison in 2005, and had a relationship with actor Chris Evans, as well. In September 2007, she began dating musician John Mayer. Their break-up was reported by People.com on January 9, 2008. She has been dating New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter since 2008.
External links
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Minka Kelly.
