Bad Santa

Background:

Canadian young actor Brett Kelly won a Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for his performance in the film “Bad Santa” (2003), starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character. He also received a Young Artist nomination for “Unaccompanied Minors” (2006), which he shared with co-stars Tyler James Williams, Dyllan Christopher, Dominique Saldaña, Gia Mantegna and Quinn Shephard, and a Leo nomination in the short film “Birthdays and Other Traumas” (2006). More recent movie credits include “Trick 'r Treat” (2007), “What Goes Up” (2009) and “High School” (2010). Kelly has appeared in television series such as “Dead Like Me” and “Masters of Horror.”

Vancouver Native

Childhood and Family:

Brett Edward Kelly was born on October 30, 1993, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He attends St. Thomas More Collegiate and lives in Surrey, British Columbia.

Unaccompanied Minors

Career:

Brett Kelly began his professional acting career in 2001, when he was 8 years old. He had featured roles in the Dana Lustig thriller/crime movie “Kill Me Later,” starring Selma Blair, Max Beesley and O'Neal Compton, and the comedy film “Out Cold,” starring Jason London, A.J. Cook, Lee Majors, Zach Galifianakis, Derek Hamilton, Willie Garson and Caroline Dhavernas. He also played the role of Ted Slatske in the ABC made for television film “Ladies and the Champ,” starring Olympia Dukakis, Marion Ross and David DeLuise.

Kelly landed the role of Sammy, 2nd grade and kindergarten, in “Cheats” (2002), a comedy film starring Martin Starr, Trevor Fehrman, Matthew Lawrence, Elden Henson and Mary Tyler Moore and directed and written by Andrew Gurland, but it was his role as Thurman Merman in the 2003 Billy Bob Thornton hit film “Bad Santa” that made the young actor popular. He picked up a 2004 Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) in the category of Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Male for his role. The comedy film, which was directed by Terry Zwigoff, grossed over $60 million at U.S. box offices and over $76 million worldwide. The budget was $18 million.

In 2004, Kelly played the recurring role of Francis Bischetti in the Showtime television series “Dead Like Me,” starring Ellen Muth, Laura Harris, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson and Mandy Patinkin. He appeared in the episodes “ The Escape Artist,” “ Be Still My Heart” and “Forget Me Not.”

Next, Kelly appeared as Mac in the direct to video film “The Sandlot 2” (2005), a sequel to the 1993 film “The Sandlot,” as Jackson in a TV pilot, “Just a Phase” (2006), opposite Mitchel David Federan, Seana Kofoed and James Michael McCauley, as Rodney in the direct to video “Like Mike 2: Streetball” (2006), a sequel to the 2002 film “Like Mike,” and as Oscar Pitt in the short film “Birthdays and Other Traumas,” opposite Beverley Elliott and Peter Anderson. He was nominated for a 2007 Leo award in the category of Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Short Drama for his performance in the latter. Kelly also starred as Timothy 'Beef' Wellington in the comedy film “Unaccompanied Minors” (2006), opposite Dyllan Christopher, Lewis Black, Wilmer Valderrama, Tyler James Williams, Gina Mantegna, and Quinn Shephard. Directed by Paul Feig, the film received generally negative to mixed reviews from critics, and was not an initial success at the box office. It made $21,994,214 worldwide against a budget of $26 million. Kelly shared a 2007 Young Artist nomination for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film for his work in the film.

Kelly guest starred as Young Joe in an episode of Showtime's “ Masters of Horror” called “ We All Scream for Ice Cream” (2007). He portrayed Charlie in the horror film “Trick 'r Treat” (2007), which was written and directed by Michael Dougherty, and based on his short film “Season's Greetings.” He went on to have uncredited parts in the crime film “Pathology,” starring Alyssa Milano, Milo Ventimiglia and Keir O'Donnell, and in the direct to video sequel “Slap Shot 3: The Junior League” (both 2008). In 2009, he appeared in “What Goes Up,” a drama film starring Steve Coogan, Hilary Duff and Olivia Thirlby. He played Martin Gordon in “High School,” the feature length directorial debut of John Stalberg, Jr.. The comedy film, starring Adrien Brody, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010.

Awards:

• Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS): Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Male, “Bad Santa,” 2004