[citation needed] He attended Colgate University, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated cum laude in 1969.
[8] His WPA Theatre production of Key Exchange introduced playwright Kevin Wade and moved to the Orpheum Theatre for a year-long run, while his acclaimed Circle Rep production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea introduced playwright John Patrick Shanley and actor John Turturro.
His Hudson Guild production of Lee Kalcheim's Breakfast with Les and Bess had a long run at the Lambs Theatre.
[1] He directed the Showtime adaptation of the long-running Broadway play Gemini and the CBS special Orphans, Waifs and Wards.
He made his feature film directorial debut with the 20th Century Fox screen adaptation of Key Exchange, which starred Brooke Adams.
[1][6] Kellman directed fifty pilots, half of which went to series, launching long runs such as NBC's Mad About You, Suddenly Susan, and George Lopez.
[1][6] He went on to direct Disney's 1992's Straight Talk starring Dolly Parton as a sultry, wise-cracking DJ, and the Tri-Star release Slappy and the Stinkers for Sony Pictures[6] in 1998.