Kelly Mantle

Kelly Mantle was born Kelly Leroy Mantle on July 9, 1976, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and grew up in New Cordell, Oklahoma. Mantle is the niece of the late baseball legend Mickey Mantle. They earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Oklahoma and furthered their education at Second City in Chicago. After college, Mantle started their acting career in Chicago, performing in various plays such as “The Convention” and “Royal Flush.” They also co-founded OKRA Theatre, a theatre company, where they starred in their first production, “Lone Star/Laundry & Bourbon.” After two years in Chicago, Mantle moved to Los Angeles, where they were discovered and signed by a talent agent following an audition for a production of “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.”

In 2014, Kelly Mantle participated as a contestant on the sixth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Mantle gained further recognition for their role in the 2014 feature film “Confessions of a Womanizer,” which was released in 2016. For this role, Mantle made history by becoming the first openly non-binary person to be considered by The Academy for both Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress categories. This milestone highlighted their versatility and advocacy for gender inclusivity in the film industry. Mantle also played Sheila in “The Browns,” an OutTV/Amazon series. Mantle’s career extends beyond acting to music, where they have released three albums and are currently working on a fourth, consolidating their position as a multi-talented artist.

Kelly Mantle has also appeared in numerous television shows, including “Lucifer” (2018), “Modern Family” (2019), “Mike & Molly” (2011), and “Rizzoli & Isles” (2012). They have been featured in LOGO’s stand-up comedy special “DragTastic NYC.” As a stage actor, Mantle has starred in more than 50 plays, including their solo show “The Confusion Of My Illusion,” which premiered at the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center. Mantle hosts “The Kelly Mantle Show” podcast, executive produced by Trixie and Katya through the Studio71 network, and has toured with Trixie and Katya on their “Trixie and Katya Live” show.