Photo: Al Adamson / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jim Kelly is one of those figures who makes you realize how rare it is to be genuinely great at two completely different things. A karate champion out of Paris, Kentucky — not exactly a martial arts hotbed — he competed at the highest levels and then walked onto a movie set like he owned it. His breakout in Enter the Dragon alongside Bruce Lee in 1973 is the stuff of legend: charismatic, cool under pressure, and moving like nobody else on screen. He wasn't just a fighter playing dress-up as an actor; he had real screen presence, and the blaxploitation era found in him something it genuinely needed. He passed away in June 2013, and the loss still stings for fans of that whole era of unapologetically fun, physically electrifying cinema. A real original.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jim Kelly
- Name (Japanese)
- ジム・ケリー
- Reading
- じむ・けりー
- Born
- May 5, 1946 – June 29, 2013
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Dog
- Origin
- Paris, Kentucky, United States
- Occupation
- actor / film actor / television actor / karateka / taekwondo athlete
2. Background
- High school
- Bourbon County High School
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Jim Kelly born?
May 5, 1946 – June 29, 2013.
Where is Jim Kelly from?
Jim Kelly is from Paris, Kentucky, United States.
What does Jim Kelly do?
Jim Kelly works as actor, film actor, television actor, karateka, taekwondo athlete.
Actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.