Dean Lennox Kelly (born 1975) is an English actor, best known for his role as Kev Ball in Channel 4’s Shameless.
Kelly grew up in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire and is a keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club. He moved into acting after a stint working in the Elvis Presley Centre in his home town. He is the brother of Craig Kelly of Queer as Folk fame.
Kelly is best known for his role playing Kev Ball in Channel 4's Shameless. Other television credits include Maisie Raine, Border Cafe, Tipping the Velvet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Worst Week of My Life. He also had parts in the films The Lowdown and Mike Bassett: England Manager. In 2006 he took a lead role in BBC One's drama series Sorted, which is about a group of postmen. On January 1, 2007 he starred in ITV Drama Dead Clever alongside Suranne Jones. He left Shameless after the first episode of the fourth series along with his co-star and on screen wife, Maxine Peake. In 2007, he appeared as William Shakespeare in an episode of the BBC One science-fiction series Doctor Who.. In March 2008, he appeared as one of Jesus' disciples, James, in the BBC drama The Passion, a retelling of the last days of Jesus' life. In May, he appeared as Hedley, the landlord of the local pub in BBC drama The Invisibles, a story of two retired crooks returning to Britain from abroad. Hedley then joins the twosome later in the series.
Currently filming Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel a comedy sci-fi film with Chris O'Dowd, Marc Wootton and Anna Faris. Most recently, he appeared in the BBC mini-series Cranford as a poor man struggling to feed his six children and wife. So he resorts to poaching but gets caught and is nearly transported.
In 2006 he appeared in ITV's Soccer Aid for the England team, playing in midfield. He narrated the first and second series of BBC Three's The Real Hustle. Kelly has also narrated the series 'Amsterdam Nights' featured on Virgin 1 in the UK.
