Kelly Ripa had been performing in her senior high school play, The Ugly Duckling, when she was approached by her current manager, Cathy Parker, who encouraged her to pursue acting. After attending new Jersey's Camden County Community College, she performed in local theater productions before joining "All My Children" (1970) in November, 1990. Kelly has received nominations for a 1993 Daytime Emmy Award and a 1993 Soap Opera Award. Kelly, is the first in her family to enter the acting profession. She had studied ballet since age three, plays the piano and, in her words, is "no Barbra Streisand", but can carry a tune.