Devin Kelley Biography
Devin Kelley was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. At the age of two, her family packed up and relocated to Brussels, Belgium, where they stayed for four years. It's here where Kelley's acting career really began. When she was four years old, Kelley got her first taste of the spotlight, playing the Virgin Mary in a nativity play. The family returned to Minnesota when she was six, but her acting aspirations didn't end there.
After graduating from Eastview High School in 2004, Kelley moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California's School of Theatre BFA acting program, where she won the David Dukes memorial scholarship and Ava Greenwald memorial award for being an outstanding graduating actor. Kelley crossed the pond once more to attend the British American Drama Academy for a semester in London, before moving on to the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts after graduation. It's there that she met her manager and credits it as the place where her career turned around.
In 2009, she made her television debut with a three episode spot on the television show Tease, but it would be another year before she booked her first major role.
In 2010, Kelley was getting by as a waitress, like many struggling actors in Los Angeles, when she decided to try out for her first pilot season. For weeks Kelley ran around the city auditioning for various pilots before she landed a regular role as Vonda Wysocki on the gritty police drama The Chicago Code, created by The Shield's Shawn Ryan and starring Jennifer Beals. Kelley played an up-and-coming cop looking to prove herself and break free from the legacy of her father and uncle.
Wanting the performances to be as authentic as possible, much preparation went into the roles. Aside from interviewing local police officers, Kelley went on ride-alongs and even visited a shooting range with some of Chicago's finest. Despite an overwhelmingly positive response from critics, the drama wasn't able to bring in viewers and was cancelled after its first season.
During hiatus from The Chicago Code, Kelley focused on enriching her life, getting her teacher's certificate in yoga and volunteering with Hollywood Arts, an organization that helps kids who have been kicked out of the foster care system.
Kelley followed up her acclaimed television role with a three-episode arc on the spy thriller, Covert Affairs.
She made her feature film debut in the horror film Chernobyl Diaries. Based on a real-life tragedy, Kelley plays a tourist stranded at the site of the nuclear disaster. She's also scheduled to star in the indie drama Anchors.
Filmography
Chernobyl Diaries (2012)
Anchors (2012)