Background and career
Michael Kelly (born May 22, 1969) is an American actor, widely known for his role as Doug Stamper in the Netflix drama series House of Cards. He played a regular role as CIA Agent Mike November in the Prime Video thriller series Jack Ryan and reprised the role in Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026). He also stars as CIA Deputy Director of Operations Byron Westfield on the Paramount+ spy series Lioness (2023–present) and appeared on The Sopranos as FBI Agent Ron Goddard. One of his most notable earlier roles in the horror community is that of "CJ" in Zack Snyder's 2004 remake of Dawn of The Dead.
Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the son of Maureen and Michael Kelly. His father is of Irish descent, and his mother is of Italian ancestry. Kelly graduated from Coastal Carolina University in 1992 with a degree in performing arts.
In addition to playing Doug Stamper in all six seasons of House of Cards, Kelly has appeared in films such as Changeling, Dawn of the Dead, The Adjustment Bureau, Man of Steel, Chronicle, Now You See Me, and Everest. He also appeared in the television miniseries Generation Kill, six episodes of The Sopranos as Agent Ron Goddard, the Criminal Minds spin-off series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, and as Dr. Edgar Dumbarton in Taboo.
Kelly resides in New York City. He and his wife Karyn married in 2005, and they have two children.
