Grace Kelly was born on November 12 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was a famous American actress well known for her beauty and poise. She was born to a wealthy family and came from an artistic background, with her uncle George Kelly making a career as a playwright. Following a private education Kelly moved to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947, and at this time worked as a model to pay her tuition. Kelly's Broadway debut occurred in 1949 being her act in August Strindberg's The Father. Despite a success on Broadway, Kelly moved west to California to pursue a dream of film acting.
(Young Grace Kelly)
In 1951, just two years after her Broadway debut, Kelly played a small role in her first motion picture, Fourteen Hours. Her breakthrough performance saw her star as Amy Kane in 1952's High Noon, and the popular film is credited to launching her career. Despite this, it is her later with director Alfred Hitchcock that made her a house-hold name, as she starred in Dial M for Murder (1954) and Rear Window (1954). Kept busy in 1954, Kelly also starred in The Country Girl opposite Bing Crosby, and her performance as Georgia Elgin led to Kelly winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. Amongst other roles, Kelly worked with Hitchcock again in 1955 on To Catch a Thief with actor Cary Grant. Kelly would be then characterized as the "perfect Hitchcock heroine" by means of her "sexual elegance".
(Grace Kelly as Amy Kane in High Noon)
While attending the Cannes Film Festival in 1955, Kelly met Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and after a year of courting the couple were married in April of 1956. Through her marriage, and new status as the Princess of Monaco, Kelly retired from the acting world. Broadcast live on television, it is estimated that 30 million people watched the wedding. Interestingly, her wedding dress was designed by MGM's academy award winning designer and costume expert Helen Rose. While frequently invited back to Hollywood, Kelly remained out of the film world up until her death in 1982. Kelly's legacy as an actor is often outshone by her beauty and her fairytale story as an American Princess.
(Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III on their wedding day in 1956)
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