Nancy Kelly was an American actress who had a successful career in film, theater, and television. She was best known for her role as the mother of a murderous child in The Bad Seed, for which she received a Tony Award and an Oscar nomination. However, her life was not as glamorous as it seemed on screen. She suffered from diabetes and died at the age of 73 in 1995. What was the cause of her death and what led to her downfall? Here are some facts you need to know about Nancy Kelly’s cause of death.
Early Life and Career
Nancy Kelly was born on March 25, 1921, in Lowell, Massachusetts, into a theatrical family. Her mother was a silent film actress who coached and managed her career. Her younger brother was Jack Kelly, who starred in the TV series Maverick. Nancy Kelly started acting as a child and appeared in 52 films by the age of 17. She also worked extensively in radio, playing Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz.
She moved to Hollywood as a teenager and became a leading lady in the late 1930s and 1940s. She starred in several movies under her contract with 20th Century Fox, such as Jesse James, Show Business, Stanley and Livingstone, and Tarzan’s Desert Mystery. She worked with some of the biggest stars of the time, such as Tyrone Power, Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, and Errol Flynn.
The Bad Seed and Beyond
In the late 1940s, Kelly turned to the stage and had her greatest success in The Bad Seed, a play by Maxwell Anderson based on a novel by William March. She played Christine Penmark, a woman who discovers that her daughter Rhoda is a psychopath who kills anyone who stands in her way. The play was a hit on Broadway and earned Kelly a Sarah Siddons Award and a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Kelly reprised her role in the 1956 film adaptation of The Bad Seed, directed by Mervyn LeRoy. She received critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance. However, she lost to Ingrid Bergman for Anastasia. The film was also controversial for its ending, which differed from the original play and novel.
After The Bad Seed, Kelly’s film career declined. She focused on television and appeared in several shows, such as Studio One, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller, and The Twilight Zone. She also returned to Broadway in 1963 to take over the role of Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? from Uta Hagen.
Personal Life and Death
Kelly was married three times: to actor Edmond O’Brien from 1941 to 1942; to cameraman Fred Jackman Jr. from 1946 to 1950; and to director Warren Caro from 1955 to 1968. She had one daughter with Jackman, Kelly Caro Rosenberg, who survived her.
Kelly suffered from diabetes for many years and had to undergo several surgeries. She died on January 2, 1995, at her home in Bel Air, California, from apparent complications from diabetes. She was 73 years old. Her husband Caro had died the day before at the age of 87.
Nancy Kelly was buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, next to Caro. She left behind a legacy of memorable performances and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
