Taylor Kinney’s Kelly Severide is instantly recognizable to millions of devoted “Chicago Fire” fans as the heroic lieutenant in charge of

Rescue Squad 3 at Chi-town’s Firehouse 51. Starring on the smash hit “One Chicago” action-drama since its launch back in 2012, Kinney’s

career on film and television also covers a wide range of roles in both TV and motion pictures, as well as his tabloid-touted relationship with one of the music industry’s most famous superstars.

 

 

All of that being said, Kinney’s path to stardom on one of network TV’s hottest, most enduring series originated in a somewhat unlikely location. The same can also be said of his early career choices and various detours en route to his current role on “Chicago Fire.” From humble beginnings in southern Pennsylvania to high school sports stardom to pursuing a decidedly un-showbiz major during his college years, Kinney hardly seemed headed for Hollywood celebrity. But as it turns out, that’s exactly where the burly actor ended up, and the story of his transformation from childhood to starring in “Chicago Fire” is a tale with plenty of surprising twists and turns along the way.

 

 

Born in Lancaster in south-central Pennsylvania, Kinney’s mother, Pamela Heisler, was a dental hygienist, and his father, Daniel Kinney, was a banker. Raised by his single-parent mother in Neffsville, Pennsylvania, Kinney’s family also includes three brothers.

As a student at Lancaster Mennonite School, Kinney excelled at volleyball, as noted by the Daily Mail. In fact, one of his old friends referred to the young athlete as one of the school’s best volleyball players. “I remember he took the team to district playoffs,” said Eric Kinnel, who was Kinney’s volleyball teammate in high school. “He had a great senior year.” Kinney’s impact as a young athlete was also noted by local website Lancaster Online in a brief mention of his exploits on the volleyball court at Lancaster Mennonite.

As reported by New York Daily News, Kinney was described in his high school yearbook as being “Carefree, Goofy and Committed.” Miles Yoder, associate principal during Kinney’s time at the school from 1997 to 2000, also remembered Kinney as personable and gregarious. “I have really good memories of him,” Yoder said. “He was somebody who was very friendly. Everybody liked him …”

After graduating from high school, Kinney made the move from Lancaster to Morgantown, West Virginia, where he enrolled in business management courses at West Virginia University. As noted in an interview with USA Today, Kinney’s life took an unexpected turn during his sophomore year at the WVU when he happened to enroll in an elective course with no connection at all to his more practically oriented studies in economics and business. The theater course that Kinney decided to explore would have a major impact on the young collegiate’s future. In fact, asked about it in the USA Today piece, Kinney said that studying drama and theater “held my interest outside of the classroom more so than any other subject I’d ever taken.”

In addition to his new interest in theater, Kinney was also attracted to an entirely new sport in college: boxing. “Yeah…when I was in college, I boxed for a while,” Kinney told Assignment X during a 2013 interview, detailing how he got interested in the sport and the respect he gained for those in the ring. “My grandfather was a big boxing fan. So we would watch on TV…. And when I started boxing, I started out doing three-minute rounds and by the end of that third round, you could barely put your hands up…you realize how difficult it is and how much training they have.”