Trivia

The famous "Warriors come out to play" scene was improvised by him in collaboration with Walter Hill who told him to just "come up with something" when he felt the scripted scene wasn't working. He then gathered up some empty beer bottles he found under the board walk and created the taunting dialogue based on a neighbor who used to intimidate him.

He is an avid martial artist with a Second Degree Black Belt (Nidan Rank) in Seido Karate and a practitioner of three forms of Tai Chi (Chen, Yang, Palm).

He received an 1998 OBIE award for Sustained Excellence for his work in classic, avant garde, and new plays.

He is a skilled mandolin and guitar player and appears accompanying himself in Spike Lee's Crooklyn (1994) singing a song he improvised for the film and on the CDs for two Broadway shows, "Twelfth Night" and "Working". He also sang and played mandolin on the 2012 Grammy Award winning soundtrack of ONCE, the Broadway musical.

Plays ukulele and sings "Banks of the Ohio" on the soundtrack to John Turturro's "Romance and Cigarettes".

Plays a character with the name "Luther" in two Walter Hill movies, The Warriors (1979) and 48 Hrs. (1982).

Graduated Cum Laude Bachelor of Fine Arts from University Of Detroit. He was also a student of Marcel Marceau and Mira Rostova.

He is of Irish descent. His grandfather is from the village of Lisnashershane near Cork. His great-grand-uncle, Father William Corby, was the third President of Notre Dame University and Chaplain to New York's Fighting 69th Irish Brigade at Gettysburg.

He is one of seven children. His sister Susan Kelly, is an author and expert in child protective services. His brother Robert Corby Kelly III is a Vietnam Veteran and energy company-executive. His brother John F. Kelly, was a State Senator in Michigan for 16 years. His sister Margaret Kelly, is an award-winning graphic designer. His sisters Maureen and Kathleen are grade school teachers.

Graduated from Bishop Gallagher High School in Harper Woods, Michigan.

Daughter, Margarethe Jane Kelly, born November 26, 2008.

He is a vegetarian inspired by George Bernard Shaw, Tolstoy, and the Beat Poets.

Has the same full name as David Kelly.