Elijah Kelley

Georgia native Elijah Kelley is an African-American performer most widely known for his role as Seaweed J. Stubbs in the 2007 feature musical adaptation of John Waters' "Hairspray." Kelley's first significant screen role was portraying a younger version of Blair Underwood's character in the 1998 TV movie "Mama Flora's Family." The following year, he appeared in another period television drama, "A Lesson Before Dying," featuring Don Cheadle and Mekhi Phifer, and played a supporting part in the big-screen drama "28 Days," starring Sandra Bullock. After a series of one-off TV spots, including guest appearances on the crime series "The Shield" and the comedy show "Everybody Hates Chris," Kelley was featured in the dance-oriented drama "Take the Lead," with Antonio Banderas and Alfre Woodard. In 2007, Kelley won his signature role, as Seaweed, an accomplished dancer in the big-screen remake of "Hairspray," which proved to be a sizable hit. Following a supporting part in "Rome & Jewel," an inner-city update of William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet," and a guest spot on the TV drama "Dirty Sexy Money," Kelley took a break from screen acting, but resurfaced in 2012's "Red Tails," a World War II-era film produced by George Lucas and co-starring fellow up-and-coming black actors Tristan Wilds and Nate Parker.