If you’re a fan of the band Aerosmith, then you are aware of their famous guitarist, Rick Dufay. While he was quite the hype in the 80s, his daughter is nonetheless. Celebrity kids, whether their parents are actors or from the entertainment industry, usually become quite famous themselves from a very early age. Minka is no exception herself! 

Although raised by a single mother, Maureen Dumont Kelly, Minka graduated high school and then shifted to LA to make her career for herself in acting. She has had a steady career as an actor since she first started. So, if you have seen her movies like The Roommate and are fun, we have everything you need to know about her. Keep scrolling for some interesting details!

About Her Parents: Maureen Kelly and Rick Dufay

Rick and Maureen had a casual relationship to begin with, which resulted in Maureen getting pregnant. Dufay’s career kickstarted, which is why he wasn’t present in her early years. Minka Kelly was primarily raised by her mother and her boyfriend, David, who occasionally pitched in if help was needed. Minka had a challenging childhood as her mother struggled to make ends meet, and the unstable upbringing caused a rift between the mother-daughter duo.

After Kelly was left in New Mexico by her mother and David, she finished high school and gathered money to move to Los Angeles. She then connected with her father, who let her live with him till she could find a place of her own. Although, as a guitarist, Rick did not have the connections to help kickstart her career, he worked on bridging the gap with his daughter. Minka worked as a nurse and model, hoping to get her big break in acting. 

The Start of the Acting Career

Fast forward to 2003, when Kelly finally booked her first uncredited role in a short film for the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious called The Turbo Charged Relude. Before this, she worked in different commercials and took up modeling gigs. Then, as she began acting, she got minor roles on multiple TV shows like American Dreams, Drake and Josh, Cracking Up, and What I Like About You. Her roles were limited to one-off episodes except in What I Like About You, where she had a three-episode arc. 

After three years of constant effort, she had a breakthrough in 2006 when she appeared in the series Friday Night Lights as Lyla Garrity. The success of the series gave Kelly the mainstream appeal she really wanted. This led her to book various films like The Roommmate, 500 Days of Summer, Just Go With It, and The Kingdom. Alongside the movies, she worked steadily in TV series such as Almost Human, Jane The Virgin, Parenthood, and Bull. 

Her Best Roles and Performances

Kelly has played steady roles after her famous role in the hit drama series Friday Night Lights. In the FNL, Minka is renowned for her role as the high school cheerleader who has an ideal life. This role gave her the popularity and spotlight she needed because she later appeared in Dawn Granger. She also played Dove in the TV show Titans, which allowed her to play a role in a new genre as the main cast member. 

In 2022, she experienced a revival in her popularity when she played the role of Samantha, a mother whose kid  Maddy babysat, in the HBO series Euphoria. She appeared for four episodes in the popular series in season 2. Samantha played a supporting role while making Maddy realize and understand that she was meant for more after her high school was completed, leaving an impact on the viewers, too. She was recently cast in the movie Blackwater Lane; she will share the screen with Dermot Mulroney and Maggie Grace. The movie Blackwater Lane is an adaptation of the book The Breakdown by B.A. Paris.

Minka’s Memoir: Tell Me Everything

Tell Me Everything is a memoir by Minka Kelly where she speaks on a variety of sensitive subjects from her early days. She talks about the complicated feelings she had about both her parents, Rick and Maureen. While Kelly and her mother were separate, they had connected before Maureen died in 2008.

She also revealed how her relationship with her father was shaky when she came to Los Angeles. In 2023, in an interview with People, Kelly spoke about how she disliked her father while growing up. The fact that he wasn’t present in her early days bothered her a lot. But she explained how Rick was a support system after the death of her mother. She spoke about how she and her father have a good relationship after years of work and how she’s thankful to him. 

Bottom Line

Now that you have read all about her, you know she isn’t a nepo kid and has undergone a lot of struggles to reach where she is now. Her career has been steady and consistent, and she has played a role in some really good projects. Although a struggling start, Minka is now 43 and doing decent movies and shows! 

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