Sheila was born on October 9th in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Trained in classical dance, she often soloed with the Westmoreland Ballet Company. After winning a dance competition, she was accepted into New York University's Tisch School of Arts. Suffering a hip injury, in her second year she renewed a latent interest in acting and transferred to NYU's Theater and Film Department. Kelley transferred again and graduated from NYU's Film School.
An assortment of theatrical and student film productions ultimately led Kelley to form her own theater company called, The Elephant Group. While with the group, she appeared on stage in The Seagull, Lovers:Winners, The Taming of the Shrew, and Am I Blue. She also directed and wrote several small films. Her acting performances, combined with reviews praising the actress's remarkable depth, quickly established her within the N.Y. theater community.Sheila Kelley has an unmistakable presence, a sensual honesty which inspired critic Sheila Benson to hail her as "extraordinary and luminous." This quality has shaped her career and continues to propel her forward. Kelley has been busy donning many hats since she left her regular roles on NBC's L.A. Law in 1993 and Sister's in 1996. She has also appeared in television, film and theater. She co-starred with Nick Cage in Matchstick Men. This year Sheila will be seen acting opposite Josh Hartnett in the independent film, Mozart and the Whale. She also costarred in Nurse Betty with Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock, had a recurring guest role on the NBC series ER, as well as several other guest parts on various other series. She also co-wrote, produced and acted in, Dancing at the Blue Iguana.
In between producing, acting and pet projects, Sheila even found time for her most passionate endeavor - founding 'The S Factor', stripping workout classes. She started a class four years ago for fellow moms and friends and it has spawned a world wide trend.
She spent three years as Gwen Taylor, Arnie Becker's secretary on NBC's L.A. Law. Sheila then made several films including, The Secretary, and Rules of Obsession. Sheila made her Broadway debut in a short running play called, My Thing of Love, with Tom Irwin and Laurie Metcalf. In the summer of 1995 Sheila signed on for the final season of Sisters playing long-lost sister, Charlie Bennett. She then returned triumphantly to the stage to play Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire at A.C.T. in San Francisco.
Sheila's film career also included co-starring in Warner Brothers' romantic comedy Singles. Her work can also be seen in Universal's Pure Luck with Martin Short and Danny Glover.
Sheila Kelley appeared in John Sayles' critically acclaimed Passion Fish. She also co- starred in One Fine Day with George Clooney and SoapDish, with Keven Kline and Robert Downey,Jr.
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