Minka Kelly was born on June 24th, 1980 in Los Angeles, California to former Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay. Minka is best known for her role as Lyla Garrity on the NBC seires, Friday Night Lights. Her childhood was "pretty rough," and she held a resentment for Dufay, as he had abandoned her and her mother. However, at seventeen, she decided to try and reconcile by inviting him out to New Mexico. After graduating from high school, she pursued acting as a hobby while she went to school to become a surgical technician. However, after her first acting class she got "hooked" and began pursuing acting as a career. Success came slowly, and she began her career with small roles in various movies and shows, including the film State's Evidence, and a recurring-guest role on the TV program What I Like About You. Her big break came when she was cast as a starring role in "Friday Night Lights" which also led to several big movie roles including "The Kingdom" with Jamie Foxx and the upcoming movie "500 Days of Summer."