Paul Anthony Kelly
Paul Anthony Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paul Anthony Kelly October 1, 1988 Port McNicoll, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | c. 2013–present |
| Spouse |
Syd Widziszewski (m. 2023) |
| Children | 1 |
Paul Anthony Kelly (born October 1, 1988) is a Canadian model and actor based in the United States. He is best known for portraying John F. Kennedy Jr. in the first season of the FX anthology miniseries Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.
Early life and career
Kelly was born in the small Canadian town of Port McNicoll, Ontario, on October 1, 1988.[1][2] He is the eldest of 4 children. He later moved to Toronto and while working at American Apparel, he was discovered by two talent scouts and began modelling after signing a contract with Ford Models.[3] From there he moved to New York City, where he began auditioning for acting roles whilst still working as a model, signing with the agency Innovative Artists.[2][4] He did not find work in acting for a decade, except for a project called The Venery of Samantha Bird, which was ultimately never released in part due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[5][6] As a model, he worked for brands like Rhone Apparel, Vivienne Westwood,[7] Bonobos, John Varvatos, Loro Piana, Perry Ellis, and Brooks Brothers.[2][8][9]
Despite having no professional acting experience, he was cast as John F. Kennedy Jr. in Love Story shortly before filming was scheduled to commence.[10] He was cast after a successful chemistry read and screen test with Sarah Pidgeon.[11]
Personal life
Kelly married Syd Widziszewski in May 2023,[12] with whom he had his first child in early 2026.[13] They live in Portland, Oregon,[4] having previously lived in California.[12] Kelly is a permanent resident of the United States as of 2025.[2]
Kelly has approximately 30 tattoos that needed to be covered up for his role as JFK Jr in Love Story.[3]
References
- ^ Salehaldin, Syameen (February 19, 2026). "Fun Facts About Paul Anthony Kelly From "Love Story"". Harper's Bazaar Malaysia.
- ^ a b c d Ottenberg, Mel (December 17, 2025). "Paul Anthony Kelly Tells Mel Ottenberg How He Became John-John". Interview.
- ^ a b Ang, Raymond (February 24, 2026). "How Love Story's Paul Anthony Kelly Became JFK Jr". GQ.
- ^ a b Sarkar, Ishani (February 14, 2026). "Meet Paul Anthony Kelly, who plays John F. Kennedy Jr in Ryan Murphy's Love Story". South China Morning Post.
- ^ O'Connell, Mikey (September 25, 2023). "Starz Cancels Three Series and Scraps Another". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Shafiq, Saman (February 19, 2026). "'Love Story' star Paul Kelly Anthony has the internet obsessed. See why". USA Today.
- ^ "Vivienne Westwood SS/14 Men's Show". models.com.
- ^ Dixon, Lucy (February 12, 2026). "The Cast of Love Story Compared to Their Real-Life Counterparts". Harper's Bazaar.
- ^ McCartney, Claire Valentine (March 25, 2025). "Everything to Know About Ryan Murphy's American Love Story". W Magazine.
- ^ Moon, Kat (February 14, 2026). "FX's Love Story Almost Pushed Back Filming Because They Didn't Have a John F. Kennedy Jr. Then Came Paul Anthony Kelly". TV Guide.
- ^ Seth, Radhika (February 12, 2026). "Meet the Star-Crossed Leads of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette". Vogue. Condé Nast.
- ^ a b Pedrejón, Isabel (February 19, 2026). "Sir John F. Kennedy Jr.: the great opportunity that Canadian actor Paul Anthony Kelly has been waiting for". El Mundo.
- ^ Wayman, Sasha (February 25, 2026). "Love Story's Paul Anthony Kelly Welcomes First Baby with Wife Syd Widziszewski-Kelly". E! Online. Retrieved March 12, 2026.