Paul Anthony Kelly

Paul Anthony Kelly, previously credited as Paul Kelly, is a Canadian model and actor from Port McNicoll, Ontario. Years of menswear advertising and international modeling preceded his screen breakthrough as John F. Kennedy Jr. in FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.

Paul entered modeling after two scouts approached him while he was working at American Apparel in Toronto, leading to a contract with Ford Models. Recalling that period in a 2026 interview with GQ, he described a look shaped by eyeliner, tight jeans, and a devotion to alternative music. “I had Robert Smith hair,” he said. That interest continued alongside his fashion career. “I’m a true metalhead at heart.”

His early advertising work included Perry Ellis, for which he appeared in fragrance imagery and a fall-winter 2013 campaign photographed by Daniel Jackson. Bonobos became another recurring client, taking Paul and Nathan Owens to Detroit for its fall-winter 2016 catalogue, photographed by Ben Watts.

Later assignments included Buffalo David Bitton’s fall-winter 2019 advertising and Scotch & Soda’s spring-summer 2020 campaign. He also modeled for Eton, followed by John Varvatos and Rails.

Acting developed alongside those bookings. In a 2025 conversation with Mel Ottenberg for Interview, Paul traced his move from Toronto to New York and his wish to work beyond modeling. Commercials brought him to Innovative Artists, whose representation continued through years of auditions.

“It’s great work but I felt pretty pigeonholed,” he said of modeling. An earlier role in The Venery of Samantha Bird ended with the series unreleased, before the Kennedy casting provided his major opportunity.

Paul began filming Love Story in 2025, playing opposite Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette. His preparation included biographies, archival footage, and recordings of Kennedy’s voice. The series brought a new audience to a face already established in menswear, adding a leading television role to a career built through years of photographic work.