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Plus, what he's been up to in recent years
- Mollie Quirk, Senior Showbiz Reporter
- Published: 13:24 ET, Nov 21 2024
- Updated: 13:26 ET, Nov 21 2024
AN ORIGINAL T-Bird has been spotted looking worlds away from how he did in the iconic movie Grease.
Roger "Putzie" is a character in the 1978 film Grease, which starred Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, and in the popular flick, Putzie was portrayed by Kelly Ward.
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Kelly, who celebrated his 68th birthday this week, played the hunky blonde student at Rydell High School, who was also the youngest member of the T-Birds.
Kelly, who looks very different from his Putzie role was spotted this week in California the day after his big day.
Having just celebrated his birthday, Kelly was seen on Monday arriving at a voice-over studio in Glendale.
Dressed in blue denim jeans, some sneakers, and a pink long-sleeved shirt, the actor also donned some thin-framed glasses and held onto a notebook.
Read More about Grease
In the hit romance flick, Kelly's character Putzie has a girlfriend called Jan.
Heading out on a date to Frosty Palace, Putzie was amazed that Jan didn't make him pay for a lot of food and even branded her a cheap date.
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Worried that he had upset his girlfriend, Putzie tried to apologise but she had taken the compliment as intended and then invited him to her place for some of her mum's pie.
Putzie was the one at Thunder Road who accidentally injured fellow T-Bird Kenickie in the head with the car door.
'GREASE CAST IS AN EXTENDED FAMILY'
Speaking about starring in Grease, Kelly previously told Snakkle, "It’s a great thing to be a part of that phenomenon.
"It’s oft-repeated, but none of us really had any idea that it would be as successful and pervasive as it is," he said.
Legendary Grease star looks unrecognisable 45 years on from hit film that launched career
"So it’s always a delight and a surprise when it seems to keep going eternally."
He added, "But the real source of joy for those of us who did it is the fact that we keep in relatively regular contact.
"It’s an extended family. We give each other a lot of support. Of course, we’ve lost a few."
STILL IN THE WORLD OF SHOWBIZ
Since his role in Grease, Kelly has starred in several other flicks and even become a voice director for Disney Television Animation.
Grease stars remembered
IT has been over 45 years since the release of hit musical film Grease, which began its decades-long tenure of dazzling fans in 1978.
Sadly, including Susan Buckner, five of the much-loved cast have passed away.
On August 8, 2022 it was announced that Olivia Newton-John had passed away aged 73, following a 30 year battle with breast cancer.
After falling ill with pneumonia, Jeff Conaway - Danny's best pal Kenickie in the movie - sadly passed away in 2011.
The same year, Annette Charles, who played Cha Cha, lost her battle with cancer.
In 1993, Dennis C. Stewart, who played rebel Leo, was diagnosed with HIV and passed away from AIDS in 1994.
The actor is also a screenwriter for several cartoons, and he even wrote the feature film All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 which came out in 1996.
The original T-Bird has also contributed to the production of a number of major films, including Back to the Future and The Pink Panther TV series.
In more recent years he has worked as a dialogue director on TV shows The Lion Guard, Woody Woodpecker, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and Mickey and the Roadster Racers.
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