His career survived a manslaughter conviction, tied to an affair he was having with the victim's wife, that caused him to spend time in prison in the late 1920s.

In the course of his career, and relatively short life, it has been estimated that Kelly worked on stage, screen, and television in over four hundred roles.

[2] Kelly found working as a clerk untenable, and convinced the supervisors of his parole to allow him to return to acting on Broadway, with the condition that he continued to be limited to an income of $30 per week.

Kelly shared the award with Henry Fonda for Mister Roberts and Basil Rathbone for The Heiress.

Her doctor, however, insisted that she go to a hospital, where she died three days later due to a ruptured bladder she suffered in the accident.