Who Is Minka Kelly's Famous Father?
Minka Kelly rose to fame on the NBC series "Friday Night Lights," and since then, she has played a number of notable roles on shows like "Charlie's Angels," "Almost Human," and "Titans." In August 2021, Vulture reported that Kelly would be joining Season 2 of "Euphoria," along with Dominic Fike and Demetrius "Lil Meech" Flenory Jr.
The actor grew up in Los Angeles, California, and has opened up about her childhood in a number of interviews. Speaking to Cosmopolitan in 2011 (via HuffPost), Kelly shared that her mother worked as a stripper to make ends meet. "She was 5 ft 11, legs up to her ears, gorgeous. She got along on that for as long as she could," she recalled. Three years prior to that interview, her mother died of colon cancer. She explained that her father wasn't around too often growing up, but just who was the man? Fans may be surprised to learn that Kelly has an extremely famous father.
Minka Kelly is the daughter of Rick Dufay
Minka Kelly is the only child of Rick Dufay, who was a guitarist for Aerosmith. In that same 2011 interview, Kelly told Cosmopolitan (via HuffPost) that her dad wasn't very involved in her childhood. Us Weekly reported Kelly as saying that her father "wanted to try the family thing," but it didn't work out. "It wasn't like he didn't want to be part of our lives," she said.
According to Aerosmith Temple, Dufay was part of the band in the years between Brad Whitford and Joe Perry. Prior to that, he had released an album called "Tender Loving Abuse," which was produced by Jack Douglas. According to the outlet, he is also credited with suggesting Steven Tyler reunite with Whitford and Perry for the sake of the band, thereby committing what Perry called "career suicide." Celebrity Net Worth reported that Dufay was signed to European Label after leaving Aerosmith.
Minka Kelly's grandfather was an actor
The fact that Minka Kelly has gone on to lead a successful acting career is not a stretch; after all, Rick Dufay's father was actor Richard Maximilian Ney, who most notably appeared in the Oscar-winning film "Mrs. Miniver" in 1942. He played the role of Vin Miniver, who was the son of a British family and romantically involved with the girl next door.
According to The Washington Post, Ney worked as a successful investment adviser in the world of Wall Street for the last four decades of his life. In 1970, he published the book "The Wall Street Jungle," followed by "The Wall Street Gang" four years later — both works were critically acclaimed. Ney was married to Greer Garson — he played her son in the film "Mrs. Miniver." It was his separation from Garson that, according to IMDb, led to his career's demise.
It's unclear if Kelly spends time with her father these days. In 2013, they were spotted grabbing lunch together in West Hollywood, according to HuffPost. That seems to be the last time the two were publicly pictured together. If one thing is for sure, however, it's that the creative gene certainly runs in the family.