She was raised by her mother Mary, her grandparents and various aunts and uncles after her father was killed in a car accident when she was four years old.
Actress Tall, graceful, supremely accomplished American actress, singer, dancer and choreographer Paula Kelly was born in Jacksonville, Florida, one of three daughters, to Ruth and Lehman Kelly.
She graduated from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke with the Class of 1980.