Kelly O'Sullivan

Kelly O'Sullivan


in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Kelly O'Sullivan (born 1983/1984) is an American actress, screenwriter, and producer. She wrote and starred in Saint Frances (2019), which won the Audience Award and the Special Jury Award at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival.

O'Sullivan was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, to an accountant mother and a father who worked in health insurance. She was raised Irish Catholic and attended Immaculate Conception School until eighth grade.

O'Sullivan always wanted to be an actor and supported by her cinephile parents, she performed in local children's theatre plays from age five. She studied theatre at Northwestern University and is also an alumna of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company's School at Steppenwolf in Chicago.

Inspired by Greta Gerwig, who directed Lady Bird, O'Sullivan wrote Saint Frances based on the experiences she had while working as a nanny to support her struggling acting career in her 20s and an abortion she had in her early thirties. She started work on the script in January 2018, already intending the film to be directed by partner Alex Thompson. She wrote the parts for the lesbian parents in the film for actors Lily Mojekwu and Charin Alvarez.

Movies for Kelly O'Sullivan...

Hangdog
Title: Hangdog
Character: Wendy
Released: June 15, 2023
Type: Movie
When an anxiety-ridden thirty-something entrusted with watching his girlfriend’s beloved fur baby accidentally gets the dog stolen, he’s thrust on a quest through an unfamiliar city to confront his fears and retrieve the dog or risk losing them both.
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The Graduates
Title: The Graduates
Released: June 10, 2023
Type: Movie
A year after her boyfriend dies from gun violence, a young woman prepares to graduate high school as she navigates an uncertain future alongside a community that is searching for ways to heal.
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Cha Cha Real Smooth
Title: Cha Cha Real Smooth
Character: Bella
Released: June 17, 2022
Type: Movie
Fresh out of college and stuck at his New Jersey home without a clear path forward, 22-year-old Andrew begins working as a party starter for bar/bat mitzvahs—where he strikes up a unique friendship with a young mom and her teenage daughter.
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Rounding
Title: Rounding
Character: Dr. Kayla Matthews
Released: June 9, 2022
Type: Movie
A driven young medical resident transfers to a rural hospital for a fresh start. There, the demons of his past start to catch up to him when he becomes consumed by the case of a young asthma patient.
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Saint Frances
Title: Saint Frances
Character: Bridget
Released: February 28, 2020
Type: Movie
At the start of the summer, Bridget has an abortion just as she lands a much-needed job in affluent Evanston, Illinois — nannying a six-year old.
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Not Welcome
Title: Not Welcome
Character: Penelope
Released: October 14, 2018
Type: Movie
A couple suspects that their McMansion might be haunted. In actuality, the ghost is a 30 year-old failure who has occupied vacant rooms for years without their knowledge. So begins an absurd turf-war in this comedy of errors populated by psychics, private investigators and spirits.
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Jessica
Title: Jessica
Character: Pam
Released: April 8, 2016
Type: Movie
Terrified of the changes around her, not-so-recent college grad Jessica searches for something-anything-that still feels familiar.
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Henry Gamble's Birthday Party
Title: Henry Gamble's Birthday Party
Character: Candice Noble
Released: December 20, 2015
Type: Movie
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party takes place over 24 hours at the birthday pool party of 17-year-old preacher's kid Henry Gamble. The party guests include adults and teenagers from his church, as well as Henry's "secular" friends, including the closeted young Logan, who has eyes for Henry.
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Title: Sirens
Character: Valentina 'Voodoo' Dunacci
Released: March 6, 2014
Type: TV
A comedy that follows three Chicago EMTs who despite their narcissistic and self-destructive personalities are uniquely qualified to save lives.
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Title: The Mob Doctor
Character: Annabelle Hanson
Released: September 17, 2012
Type: TV
For most physicians, the Hippocratic oath is sacred. But for one Chicago doctor, who is indebted to the mafia, saving lives isn’t her only concern. The Mob Doctor is a fast-paced medical drama focusing on a young female surgeon caught between two worlds as she juggles her promising medical career with her family’s debt to Chicago’s Southside mob.
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Title: Battleground
Character: Sarah
Released: February 14, 2012
Type: TV
Battleground is a mockumentary comedy-drama television series created by J. D. Walsh streamed on Hulu. The show follows a group of political campaign staffers working to elect a dark horse candidate to the U.S. Senate in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Walsh serves as executive producer alongside Hagai Shaham and Marc Webb. The show marks Hulu's first foray into original scripted programming. It premiered online on February 14, 2012.
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In Memoriam
Title: In Memoriam
Character: Kelly
Released: February 18, 2011
Type: Movie
After two naked students, apparently making love at the time, fall to their deaths from a roof, Jonathan is driven to begin what he calls an "investigation" into who the students were and what led them to the rooftop.
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The Steel Harp
Title: The Steel Harp
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie