Jim Kelly, who parlayed his martial arts skills into a successful but brief career in action movies, died Saturday at age 67.
Kelly’s former wife Marilyn Dishman told CNN that the actor died of cancer, but did not elaborate.
Born May 5, 1946, and raised in Millersburg, Ky., and San Diego, Kelly attended the University of Louisville on a football scholarship but quit to protest the racist treatment of another player, he told The Los Angeles Times in 2010.
He took up karate in the mid-1960s and worked as a martial arts instructor in Los Angeles when he was tapped for his first role in the action movie, “Melinda.” But he is best known for his work in the 1973 Bruce Lee film “Enter the Dragon.”
Kelly’s appearance in the movie was brief — fans lamented he was offed too soon — but his electrifying Afro, lanky 6-foot-2 frame and his wisecracks left an impression.
Producers came calling. And he capitalized on the attention by taking on the title role in “Black Belt Jones” the following year. A spate of other roles followed throughout the 70s, most notably “Three the Hard Way.”
Information from Eurweb.com, CNN.com and The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.
