
Fred Kelsey
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- 20 August 1884 · Sandusky, Ohio, USA
- Died
- 2 September 1961
Frederick Alvin Kelsey (August 20, 1884 – September 2, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. Kelsey directed one- and two-reel films for Universal Film Manufacturing Company. He appeared in more than 400 films between 1911 and 1958, often playing policemen or detectives. He also directed 37 films between 1914 and 1920. Kelsey was caricatured as the detective in the 1943 MGM cartoon Who Killed Who? directed by Tex Avery. He was born in Sandusky, Ohio and died at the Motion Picture Country Home in Hollywood, California, aged 77.
Known for
Acting 293
- 1959Westbound as Townsman (uncredited)
- 1958Auntie Mame as Front Row Audience at Play (uncredited)
- 1957The Helen Morgan Story as Night Club Patron (uncredited)
- 1957Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend as Barfly (uncredited)
- 1956The Opposite Sex as Club Patron (uncredited)
- 1956Serenade as Opera Attendee (uncredited)
- 1955Illegal as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
- 1955To Catch a Thief as Party Guest (uncredited)
- 1955Tall Man Riding as Townsman (uncredited)
- 1954Outlaw's Son
- 1954The Silver Chalice as Silversmith (uncredited)
- 1954So You Want to Know Your Relatives as Mr. Watson (uncredited)
- 1954A Star Is Born as Audience Member (uncredited)
- 1954Lucky Me as Passerby on Street (uncredited)
- 1954Riding Shotgun as Townsman (uncredited)
- 1954Phantom of the Rue Morgue as Crowd Spectator (uncredited)
- 1954Racing Blood as Smithy
- 1953So You Think You Can't Sleep as Sleeping patient in waiting room
- 1953Crime Wave as Old Man Crossing Street (uncredited)
- 1953Murder Without Tears as Sergeant-at-Arms
- 1953So You Want to Be a Musician as Restaurant diner
- 1952Hans Christian Andersen as Gendarme #1
- 1952Strop, Look and Listen as Pierpont Alloy
- 1952Springfield Rifle as Barfly (uncredited)
- 1952O. Henry's Full House as Mr. Schultz (segment "The Gift of the Magi")
- 1952Carson City as Townsman (uncredited)
- 1952So You Want to Enjoy Life as Boat Salesman / Flugleman's Assistant (uncredited)
- 1952My Six Convicts as Store Detective
- 1952Room for One More
- 1951Strangers on a Train as Tennis Match Spectator / Carnival Attendee (uncredited)
- 1951Goodbye, My Fancy as Party Guest (Uncredited)
- 1951The Enforcer
- 1951Storm Warning as Townsman (uncredited)
- 1950Revenue Agent as Sgt. Wallace
- 1950So You Want a Raise
- 1950The Flame and the Arrow as Guard (uncredited)
- 1950So You Want to Hold Your Husband as Lamb - Curry's Partner
- 1950The Damned Don't Cry as Man on Dock (uncredited)
- 1950So You Think You're Not Guilty as Police Turnkey (uncredited)
- 1950Backfire as Fight Fan (uncredited)
- 1949The Inspector General as Villager (uncredited)
- 1949So You Want to Be an Actor as Counter Man
- 1949Dancing in the Dark as Deputy
- 1949So You Want to Be a Muscle Man as Delivery Man
- 1949The Fountainhead as Old Watchman (uncredited)
- 1949Colorado Territory as Train Engineer (uncredited)
- 1949Flamingo Road as Train Conductor (uncredited)
- 1949Homicide as Officer O'Brien
- 1948Silver River as Townsman (uncredited)
- 1948The Noose Hangs High as Cop (uncredited)
- 1948So You Want an Apartment as Apartment Manager with a Vacancy (uncredited)
- 1947The Unfaithful as Courtroom Spectator
- 1947Nora Prentiss as Turnkey (uncredited)
- 1946So You Think You're a Nervous Wreck as Fred
- 1946The Man I Love as Mac the Doorman (uncredited)
- 1946Andy Plays Hookey as Policeman
- 1946The People's Choice
- 1946Never Say Goodbye as Policeman (uncredited)
- 1946So You Want to Play the Horses as Detective (uncredited)
- 1946Night and Day as First-Nighter (uncredited)
- 1946Monkey Businessmen as Smiling Sam McGann (uncredited)
- 1946A Stolen Life as Bartender (uncredited)
- 1946Hiss and Yell as Policeman (uncredited)
- 1946Three Strangers as Man on the Street / Man in Pub (uncredited)
- 1946Detour to Danger as Det. Kelsey
- 1945How DOooo You Do as Detective
- 1945Frontier Days as Mayor Stone (uncredited)
- 1945Saratoga Trunk as Train Conductor (uncredited)
- 1945Mildred Pierce as Bumped First Night Diner (uncredited)
- 1945Come Out Fighting as Mr. McGinnis, Sr. (as Fred Kelsy)
- 1945If a Body Meets a Body as Detective
- 1945Christmas in Connecticut as Harper (uncredited)
- 1945Snooper Service
- 1945The Strange Mr. Gregory as Lefert
- 1944Crime by Night as Dad Martin (uncredited)
- 1944Make Your Own Bed as Turnkey
- 1944Trial by Trigger as Jerry (uncredited)
- 1944Mr. Skeffington as Cop in Raid (uncredited)
- 1944Shine on Harvest Moon as Policeman in patrol car (uncredited)
- 1944Roaring Guns
- 1943A Gem of a Jam as Police Chief
- 1943True to Life as Cop (uncredited)
- 1943Old Acquaintance as Train Conductor / Man at Radio Broadcast (uncredited)
- 1943Food and Magic
- 1943Northern Pursuit as Train Conductor (uncredited)
- 1943Thank Your Lucky Stars as Pub Waiter in Errol Flynn Number (uncredited)
- 1943Murder on the Waterfront as Capt. Beal
- 1943Here Comes Mr. Zerk as Policeman
- 1943Action in the North Atlantic as Joe (uncredited)
- 1943One Dangerous Night as Detective Dickens
- 1942Gentleman Jim as Sutro (uncredited)
- 1942X Marks the Spot as Police Officer Martin
- 1942Dear! Deer! as Policeman
- 1942Counter-Espionage as Dickens
- 1942The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady as Policeman (uncredited)
- 1942Spy Ship as Night Watchman
- 1942In This Our Life as Jailer (uncredited)
- 1942Larceny, Inc. as Bronson
- 1942Murder in the Big House as "Screw"
- 1942I Was Framed as Drunk
- 1942My Favorite Blonde as Sam - Policeman
- 1942Lady Gangster as Policeman (uncredited)
- 1942Bullet Scars as Police Chief Hansen
- 1942Wild Bill Hickok Rides as Jailer
- 1941Pacific Blackout as Cop
- 1941The Man Who Came to Dinner as Detective (uncredited)
- 1941They Died with Their Boots On as Ft. Lincoln Bartender (uncredited)
- 1941At the Stroke of Twelve as Police Sergeant
- 1941Secrets of the Lone Wolf as Wesley Dickens
- 1941One Foot in Heaven as Train Conductor (uncredited)
- 1941Invisible Ghost as Detective Ryan
- 1941Mr. District Attorney as Officer McCloskey
- 1941The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance as Detective Dickens
- 1940Misbehaving Husbands as Sgt. Murphy
- 1940The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date as Dickens
- 1940Mexican Spitfire Out West as Jim - Detective
- 1940The Green Archer as Capt. Thompson
- 1940The Golden Fleecing as Cop (uncredited)
- 1940Deadwood Dick as Bottles
- 1940The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady as Dickens
- 1940Mutiny in the County as Policeman
- 1940High School as Junk Man
- 1940The Lone Wolf Strikes as Dickens
- 1940The Man Who Wouldn't Talk as Bailiff
- 1939Too Busy to Work as Hank Fidler
- 1939Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence as Pete - Railroad Detective
- 1939Charlie Chan at Treasure Island as Detective - in Cab and at Theatre
- 1939Chicken Wagon Family as Policeman
- 1939Charlie Chan in Reno as Reno Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
- 1939Tell No Tales as Policeman at School (uncredited)
- 1939Moving Vanities as Police Officer (uncredited)
- 1939Clock Wise as Landlord
- 1939Rough Riders' Round-up as Agitator
- 1939Tiny Troubles as Judge
- 1938Down on the Farm as Bit Role
- 1938Straight, Place and Show as Cop at Racetrack
- 1938Many Sappy Returns as Finnegan
- 1938Josette as Hotel Detective
- 1938Safety in Numbers as Cop
- 1938Berth Quakes as Train Conductor
- 1938Night Spot as Police Band Leader
- 1938Everybody's Doing It as Police Sergeant
- 1937Love and Hisses as Officer
- 1937Borrowing Trouble as Policeman
- 1937That I May Live as Abner Jenkins
- 1937One Mile from Heaven as Smitty - Policeman
- 1937The Lady Escapes as Man on telephone (uncredited)
- 1937Wild and Woolly as Policeman (uncredited)
- 1937Super-Sleuth as Jailer
- 1937She Had to Eat as Police Officer Tracy (uncredited)
- 1937Big Business as Oil Man at Well
- 1937Slave Ship as Seaman at Auction
- 1937Angel's Holiday as Conductor
- 1937Love Is News as Cop (uncredited)
- 1937Time Out for Romance as Policeman
- 1936High Tension as Desk Sergeant
- 1936Private Number as Detective in Ellen's Apartment (Uncredited)
- 1936The Witness Chair as Detective Costigan
- 1936At Sea Ashore as Cop (uncredited)
- 1936The Little Red Schoolhouse as First Detective
- 1936The Garden Murder Case as Heath's Assistant (Uncredited)
- 1935The Sagebrush Troubadour as Hank Polk
- 1935Hot Money as Police Officer Kelsey (as Fred A. Kelsey)
- 1935The Public Menace as Mike - Cop
- 1935Diamond Jim as Horsley's Secretary
- 1935Atlantic Adventure as Police Officer Riley
- 1935Danger Ahead as Detective O'Brien
- 1935One Frightened Night as Sheriff Jenks
- 1935Death Flies East as Police Lieutenant O'Brien
- 1935Carnival as Bit Part
- 1935A Notorious Gentleman as Detective
- 1935Horses' Collars as Detective Hyden Zeke (uncredited)
- 1934Lightning Strikes Twice as Dugan
- 1934Among the Missing as Police Sgt. Murphy
- 1934I'll Be Suing You as Insurance Adjustor
- 1934Twentieth Century as Train Detective (uncredited)
- 1934Rough Necking as Joe Cuttlehammer Sr.
- 1934I'll Tell the World as Sergeant at Border
- 1934Strictly Fresh Yeggs as Policeman
- 1934School for Girls as Detective
- 1934The Crime Doctor as Bloodgood
- 1934Beloved as Mulvaney
- 1934The Moth as Detective Blake
- 1933Shadows of Sing Sing as Murphy
- 1933The Bowery as Detective Kelsey (uncredited)
- 1933Quiet Please! as Train Conductor
- 1933Gold Diggers of 1933 as Detective Jones (uncredited)
- 1933Sailor's Luck as Cop
- 1933King of the Jungle as Cop (uncredited)
- 1933The Crime of the Century as Police Guard (uncredited)
- 1932Boys Will Be Boys as Doorman
- 1932If I Had a Million as Prison Jailer (uncredited)
- 1932Red Haired Alibi as Corcoran
- 1932Yoo-Hoo as Detective
- 1932Speak Easily as Process Server
- 1932The Iceman's Ball as Police Sergeant
- 1932Guilty as Hell as Detective Duffy
- 1932Huddle as Policeman (uncredited)
- 1932Love in High Gear as Detective Duffy
- 1932The Trial of Vivienne Ware as Cop (uncredited)
- 1932Shopping with Wifie as Det. Dugan
- 1932Discarded Lovers as Delaney
- 1931Side Show as Sheriff Hornsby
- 1931Young Donovan's Kid as Collins
- 1931Subway Express as Detective Kearney
- 1931Scandal Sheet as Detective Sgt. Vincent Molloy
- 1931The Naughty Flirt as Policeman (uncredited)
- 1930Going Wild as The Conductor
- 1930Only Saps Work as Murphy (uncredited)
- 1930She Got What She Wanted
- 1930Men Without Law as Deputy Sheriff Jeff
- 1930Scarlet Pages as Murphy
- 1930Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 1 as Self - Tour Guide
- 1930The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case as Chief of Detectives (uncredited)
- 1930Road to Paradise as Casey
- 1930The Girl Said No as Policeman
- 1930Wide Open as Detective
- 1930Murder on the Roof as Ryan
- 1930The Woman Racket as Police Captain
- 1929Smiling Irish Eyes as County Fair Manager
- 1929The Donovan Affair as Carney
- 1929Wrong Again
- 1929The Faker as Police Detective
- 1928The Last Warning as Inspector
- 1928Naughty Baby as Dugan
- 1928A Woman of Affairs as Detective (uncredited)
- 1928On Trial as Clerk
- 1928Plastered in Paris
- 1928The Wright Idea as M. T. Flatt
- 1928A Midnight Adventure as Cassidy
- 1928Harold Teen as Mr. Lovewell
- 1928Ladies' Night in a Turkish Bath as Detective
- 1928Tenderloin as Detective Simpson
- 1928While the City Sleeps as Detective in Shadow Box
- 1927The Gorilla as Mulligan
- 1927The 13th Juror as The Detective
- 1927The Thirteenth Hour as Det. Shaw
- 1927Soft Cushions as The Police
- 1927Jewish Prudence as Rent Collector
- 1927Held by the Law as Detective
- 1927Orchids and Ermine as Police Sergeant
- 1926There Ain't No Santa Claus as Store Detective (uncredited)
- 1926The Third Degree as Assistant Chief of Detectives
- 1926Atta Boy as Detective
- 1926Bromo and Juliet as The Detective (uncredited)
- 1926Crazy Like a Fox as Man with Badge on Train (uncredited)
- 1926Say It with Babies as Policeman
- 1926The Social Highwayman as Chief of Police
- 1926The Mystery Pilot as Skipper Larsen
- 1926That's My Baby as Murphy
- 1926Dog Shy as Cop
- 1925The Uneasy Three
- 1925Seven Sinners as Policeman
- 1925Seven Keys to Baldpate
- 1925Little Annie Rooney as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
- 1925The Lawful Cheater as Tom Horan
- 1925Paths to Paradise as Confederate
- 1925Smooth as Satin as Kersey
- 1925Friendly Enemies
- 1925Excuse Me as George Ketchem
- 1925Youth and Adventure as Red Mullin
- 1924Traffic in Hearts as Tim Tracy
- 1924The Yankee Consul as Agent John J. Doyle
- 1924The Night Hawk
- 1923Lights Out as Decker
- 1923Bag and Baggage as Fred
- 1923The Eleventh Hour as The Submarine Commander
- 1923Souls for Sale as Detective Quinn (uncredited)
- 1923Lovebound as Detective Hahn
- 1922Captain Fly-by-Night as Gomez
- 1922Deserted at the Altar as The Other Man
- 1922Manslaughter as Member of the Jury (uncredited)
- 1922Don't Shoot as Police Officer
- 1922South of Suva as Karl Swartz
- 1922One Clear Call as Starnes
- 1922The Song of Life as Police Inspector
- 1921There Are No Villains as Dugall
- 1921The Match-Breaker as Detective
- 1921The Last Card as Detective (uncredited)
- 1921Puppets of Fate as Bobs
- 1921The Off-Shore Pirate as Sailor
- 1920Alias Jimmy Valentine as Bit Part (uncredited)
- 1920The Third Generation as Brody
- 1919The Fire Flingers as Sgt. Powers
- 1919The Silk Lined Burglar as Capt. von Hoffmeier
- 1919The Light of Victory as Captain Eric von Prohme
- 1918The Yellow Dog as Max Kummich
- 1918A Society Sensation as JIm Cox
- 1918The Empty Cab as The Detective
- 1917The Honor of an Outlaw as The Deputy
- 1914Arms and the Gringo
- 1914Silent Sandy as Silent Sandy
- 1911A Left Hook
Directing 23
- 1918The Purple Lily · director
- 1917Six-Shooter Justice · director
- 1917The Wrong Man · director
- 1917The Golden Bullet · director
- 1917The Mysterious Outlaw · director
- 1917The Almost Good Man · director
- 1917A 44-Calibre Mystery · director
- 1917The Honor of an Outlaw · director
- 1917The Fighting Gringo · director
- 1917Goin' Straight · director
- 1917The Drifter · director
- 1917The Outlaw and the Lady · director
- 1917The Fugitive · director
- 1917The Bad Man of Cheyenne · director
- 1917Blood Money · director
- 1916The Black Terror · director
- 1916Brothers Equal · director
- 1916The Nymph · director
- 1915The Pretender · director
- 1915Station Content · director
- 1915Her Buried Past · director
- 1914The Exposure · director
- 1914Over the Ledge · director
Writing 5
- 1917The Honor of an Outlaw · scenario writer
- 1917Hair-Trigger Burke · scenario writer
- 1917Goin' Straight · scenario writer
- 1917The Outlaw and the Lady · scenario writer
- 1917The Bad Man of Cheyenne · writer
Production 1
- 1917The Fugitive · producer



