Kelly Blatz

Kelly Blatz Bio

Kelly Steven Blatz (born June 16, 1987) is an American actor, director, writer, producer, editor, and musician. Born in Burbank, California, Blatz began his professional career in 2004 and has since built a versatile profile across film, television, and music. He gained recognition for leading roles in the Disney XD series Aaron Stone and the TBS comedy Glory Daze, and for his appearances in films such as Simon Says, Prom Night, and From Within. In addition to acting, Blatz has directed and written feature films, including Senior Love Triangle and One Fast Move, and produced, edited, and scored projects. As a musician, he performed as the frontman of the band Capra and released solo work under the moniker Scott Kid. Blatz continues to work across genres, merging storytelling with music and visual media.

Early Life and Background

Kelly Steven Blatz was born on June 16, 1987, in Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County best known for its concentration of film and television studios. Growing up in Burbank placed Blatz in close proximity to the entertainment industry from an early age, though his childhood interests initially centered on athletics rather than the arts. His father worked as a college basketball coach, which shaped Blatz’s early focus on competitive sports. His athletic background would later inform several of his film performances, particularly in physically demanding roles.

Despite his early investment in sports, Blatz developed a strong interest in filmmaking and performance during his teenage years. Living in Burbank gave him access to the culture of Hollywood, and he began exploring acting and creative work as he moved toward adulthood. By 2004, when he was seventeen years old, he had committed to pursuing a professional career in entertainment and began working consistently as an actor. His early immersion in the industry allowed him to develop skills across multiple disciplines, a trait that would define his career in the years ahead.

Path to Actor

Blatz made his film debut in Simon Says (2006), appearing alongside Crispian Belfrage and Margo Harshman in the horror-thriller directed by William Dear. He followed that with another horror film, The 7, also released in 2006. Both early roles established him in the genre space and gave him experience working on studio and independent productions. The following year, he appeared in the 2008 remake of Prom Night, starring Brittany Snow and Idris Elba, which brought him exposure to a broader theatrical audience.

In 2008, Blatz took on the role of a psychopathic preacher’s son in the thriller From Within, directed by Phedon Papamichael and co-starring Thomas Dekker and Jared Harris. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, marking a significant early milestone that connected him with independent film audiences and critics. Later that year, he was cast in the independent drama April Showers (2009), where he played the lead role. The film drew on the real-life tragedy of the Columbine shootings and demonstrated Blatz’s willingness to tackle serious and challenging subject matter. By 2009, Blatz had appeared in several films and established himself as a working actor in both studio and independent productions.

Kelly Blatz Career

Early Career (2004–09)

Blatz began his professional career in 2004 and quickly transitioned into film with roles in Simon Says (2006) and The 7 (2006). He continued building his résumé with horror films including Prom Night (2008) and From Within (2008), the latter of which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. In 2009, he starred in April Showers, an independent feature that tackled the aftermath of a school shooting. That same year, he was cast in a leading television role as Aaron Stone on Disney XD, marking his entry into serialized television.

His work in 2008 and 2009 also included the dramatic film Lost Angeles (2012), where he played a homeless convict caught up in the world of paparazzi. The role reflected his growing interest in complex, morally ambiguous characters. By the end of this period, Blatz had appeared in a mix of horror, drama, and genre projects and had established a working relationship with both independent filmmakers and major studio productions.

Breakthrough (2009–14)

In 2009, Disney XD cast Blatz as the lead in Aaron Stone, a live-action superhero series that ran for two seasons and brought him significant exposure among younger audiences. The series centered on a teenager who poses as a fictional action hero to protect the world from villains, and it established Blatz as a television lead capable of carrying a weekly action-drama series. His performance gave him a recognizable presence among fans of action and adventure programming on cable.

In 2010, TBS cast him as the lead in Glory Daze, the network’s first hour-long comedy series, set on a college campus in the 1980s. The role demonstrated Blatz’s range as a comedic performer and gave him experience in a serialized ensemble format. His work on the show expanded his audience beyond the action and horror communities that had followed his film roles. Around this time, he continued to develop his skills as a musician, fronting the band Capra and performing at Los Angeles venues including The Viper Room and The House of Blues.

In 2012, Blatz starred in the film Lost Angeles, playing a homeless convict who becomes entangled in the paparazzi world. The role reflected his continuing interest in morally complex characters. By 2014, he had taken on two leading film roles: the title character in Marcus Nispel’s Exeter and Drew Jacobs in Charles Olivier Michaud’s sports drama 4 Minute Mile, alongside Richard Jenkins, Kim Basinger, and Analeigh Tipton. His performance in 4 Minute Mile received strong reviews, with Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times calling it so deep and affecting that it evoked Timothy Hutton’s Oscar-winning work in Ordinary People.

Notable Works and Milestones

One of Blatz’s most significant career achievements came in 2019, when he directed, co-wrote, produced, and edited his first feature film, Senior Love Triangle. Based on Isadora Kosofsky’s award-winning documentary photo series featured in TIME magazine, the film follows a romance between three senior citizens in East Hollywood. It premiered at the Rhode Island Film Festival and screened at more than twenty festivals, receiving Best Feature and Best Writing awards at Breckenridge Film Festival, Best Feature at Syracuse International Film Festival and Defy Film Festival, and a nomination for Best Feature Film at Newfilmmakers Los Angeles. Gravitas Ventures acquired the film and released it on August 4, 2020, to strong reviews and a perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Kelly Blatz Award Nominations

Blatz has received recognition from film festival juries, including awards and festival nominations for his work as a director and writer on Senior Love Triangle. The film was nominated for Best Feature Film of the year by Newfilmmakers Los Angeles and won multiple festival awards following its premiere at the 2019 Rhode Island Film Festival.

Kelly Blatz Awards Won

Senior Love Triangle received the Jim Teece Audience Award for Best Short Film at the 2016 Ashland Independent Film Festival for the short film The Stairs, which he co-directed and edited. His feature Senior Love Triangle won Best Feature and Best Writing at Breckenridge Film Festival and Best Feature at Syracuse International Film Festival and Defy Film Festival.

Kelly Blatz Family

Kelly Blatz was born to parents who are not publicly identified in available sources. His father worked as a college basketball coach, an influence that shaped Blatz’s early life and athletic interests. No siblings are documented in publicly available biographical information. His family background rooted him in Southern California, which provided early exposure to the entertainment industry that would later become his profession.

Personal Life

Blatz is married to Evangeline Blatz. Details about their relationship, including when they married or how they met, are not publicly available. Blatz has no publicly documented children. In addition to his work in film and television, Blatz maintains an active presence in music, having released solo work under the name Scott Kid and performed extensively with the band Capra. He continues to develop projects across film, television, and music, merging his interests in storytelling, performance, and sound.