Kelly Ripa

Ripa was born in Stratford, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Esther, a homemaker, and Joseph Ripa, a labor-union president and bus driver. She has a younger sister, Linda, who is a children's book author.[3] She is of Italian and Irish ancestry.[4] Her father has been the Democratic County Clerk for Camden County, New Jersey since June 2009. She is the first in her family to enter the acting profession. She has studied ballet since age three, plays the piano, and, in her words, is "no Barbra Streisand," but can carry a tune.[5]

Ripa graduated from Eastern High School in Voorhees Township, New Jersey,[6] where she became a cheerleader and was later encouraged by her drama teacher to pursue acting. "I owe so much of my career to Jim Beckley,"[7] she said. "He thought I was a natural performer and so he gave me the lead in the next show."[8] She starred in local theatre productions and was discovered while performing in the comedy play The Ugly Duckling (c. 1941), by A.A. Milne, during her senior year.[6] She attended Camden County College studying psychology, but dropped out and moved to New York City to be an actress.[9]

• Kelly Ripa
• Kelly Ripa Biography Archived 2023-05-04 at the Wayback Machine