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Elijah Kelley

Elijah Kelley

Actor · Born August 1, 1986 (40) · LaGrange, Georgia, USA

Elijah Kelley was born on 1 August 1986 in LaGrange, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Hairspray (2007), Strange Magic (2015) and The Butler (2013).

Biography from IMDb.

Born
August 1, 1986 (40)
From
LaGrange, Georgia, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 10% in 30 days

What are Elijah Kelley's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
27%
Society
23%
Ideas
20%
Self
15%
Power
8%
Morality
8%
Art2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
5
Warm
3
Triumphant
3
Melancholic
2
Tense
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Feel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Elijah Kelley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Elijah Kelley's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

20 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Pigeon(2023)

    Director · Writer

  • The Bobby Brown Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 2 episodes · as Ricky Bell

  • Tales(2017)

    Show 1 episode · as Paul

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • The New Edition Story(2017)

    Show 3 episodes · as Ricardo Bell

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Star(2016)

    Show 19 episodes · as Andy

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • The Wiz Live!(2015)

    as Scarecrow

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Strange Magic(2015)

    as Sunny (voice)

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Boys of Abu Ghraib(2014)

    as Tunde

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Butler(2013)

    as Charlie Gaines (15-18)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Red Tails(2012)

    as Samuel ‘Joker’ George

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Vacation!(2010)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Junior Defenders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Sound

  • Hairspray(2007)

    as Seaweed

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Heavens Fall(2006)

    as Leroy Wright

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Take the Lead(2006)

    as Danjou

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Numb3rs(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Anthony

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows

  • The Shield(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Jaymon

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • 28 Days(2000)

    as Darnell

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • A Lesson Before Dying(1999)

    as Clarence

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Mama Flora's Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · as Young Willie

Career shape

Star power in the 88th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 20 titles from 1998 to 2023; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

Hairspray (2007)

$204M worldwide

Highest rated

The New Edition Story (2017)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Hairspray (2007)

Film career

19982023

Peak 2015 · at the high point of their film career. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting17 of 20: 17 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score65thDirecting1 of 20: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 20: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 20: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleOther crew1 of 20: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1990s2 · acting2000s7 · 6 acting · 1 crew2010s10 · 9 acting · 1 crew2020s1 · crew

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Elijah Kelley's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of the 11 of 12 with a score; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 80th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · producer

Vacation! (2010)

83rd percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The New Edition Story (2017)

Midcredits 98th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 41. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Elijah Kelley work with?

People who share at least 2 of Elijah Kelley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Queen Latifah shares the most, 3.

Actors

Producers

Mixed roles