GRACE KELLY , 5 TH AMONG 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (1995). Empire magazine
Not content with the work in New York, Grace moved to Southern California for the more prestigious part of acting -- motion pictures. In 1951, she appeared in her first film entitled Fourteen Hours (1951) when she was age 22. This was a small role, but a start nonetheless. The following year, she landed the role of Amy Kane in High Noon (1952), a Western starring Gary Cooper and Lloyd Bridges which turned out to be very popular. In 1953, Grace appeared in only one film, but this was another popular one.
The film was Mogambo (1953) where Grace played Linda Nordley. The film was a jungle drama in which fellow cast members, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner turned in masterful performances. This was also one of the best films ever released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although she got noticed with High Noon, her work with director Alfred Hitchcock, which began with Dial M for Murder (1954) made her a star. Her standout performance in Rear Window (1954) brought her to prominence. As Lisa Fremont, she was cast opposite James Stewart, who played a photographer who witnesses a murder in an apartment across the courtyard while convalescing in a wheelchair. Grace stayed busy in 1954 appearing in five films. Grace would forever be immortalized by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Georgie Elgin opposite Bing Crosby in The Country Girl (1954). In 1955, Grace once again teamed with Hitchcock in To Catch a Thief (1955) co-starring Cary Grant. In 1956, she played Tracy Lord in the musical comedy High Society (1956) which also starred Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. The whimsical tale ended with her re-marrying her former husband, played by Crosby. The film was well received and also turned out to be her final acting performance.
In the summer of 1954, Kelly and Cary Grant were on the French Riviera, working on To Catch a Thief. It was probably the scene after Grace speeds along the Moyen Corniche to quickly get to the "picnic grounds", and away from a tailing police car, that she had time to look at the Mediterranean and the countryside along the coast. "Whose gardens are those?" she asked screenwriter John Michael Hayes. "Prince Grimaldi's". She would not meet the prince until the following year. In New York in March 1955, she received a call from Rupert Allan, Look magazine's west coast editor, who had become a friend since writing three cover stories on her. The French government wanted her to attend the Cannes Film Festival that May. She had some good reasons to go. One: The Country Girl (1954) would be shown at the festival. Two: she had really loved working on the Riviera the summer before. She met Prince Rainier of Monaco during the Cannes festival. He needed a wife, because with no heir to the throne, Monaco would again be part of France, after his death, all its citizens would have to pay French taxes. And Kelly thought it was time for her to select a husband, one who would finally meet with her parents' approval.
Her biographers show that the life of a princess was not exactly living happily ever after. Old friends from Philadelphia as well as people she had known in Hollywood reported how glad she was to talk about her life in America and to be speaking English. And then on a cliff road she had known so well since her first visit to the Riviera, there was the fatal crash. The spot is often said to be the same spot where the picnic scene from To Catch a Thief was filmed in 1954. However, Kelly's own son, Prince Albert of Monaco, has categorically denied this on Larry King Live and elsewhere; according to him, the accident did not even happen on the same road, let alone at the same spot.
For the rest of her life, she was to remain in the news with her marriage and her three children. On September 14, 1982, Grace Kelly died at age 52 in an automobile accident in her adoptive home country Monaco.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Denny Jackson
Spouse (1)
Prince Rainier of Monaco (18 April 1956 - 14 September 1982) (her death) (3 children)
Trade Mark (2)
Her poised, calm, cool and collected demeanor and blond hair often coiffed in a bun
Often cast as the love interest of the leading man who is over 20 years older.
Trivia (65)
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#5) (1995).
Ranked #51 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Hoped to return to acting in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), but the people of Monaco did not want their princess playing a thief and romancing Sean Connery.
Had three children with Prince Rainier of Monaco: Princess Caroline of Monaco (1957), Prince Albert of Monaco (1958) and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (1965).
Her movies were banned in Monaco by order of Prince Rainier of Monaco.
The inscription at her burial site in Monaco's cathedral does not refer to her as a princess. It uses the title "uxor principis" (prince's wife), which is traditional in the House of Grimaldi.
Following her untimely death, she was interred at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Monaco.
Assisted in the pre-production status of Grace Kelly (1983) starring Cheryl Ladd as Grace Kelly.
Actress Rita Gam was among her bridesmaids.
In 1993, the United States and Monaco simultaneously released a commemorative postage stamp honoring her. However, United States federal law forbids postage stamps depicting foreign heads of state, so the United States stamp listed her as "Grace Kelly", while the Monaco stamp listed her as "Princess Grace".
Part of Prince Rainier of Monaco's attraction to marrying a movie star was to increase tourism in his tiny, cash-poor principality, and the Kelly family was turned off by his demands that a substantial dowry accompany Grace to Monaco. A figure of $2,000,000 was finally agreed upon, which was diverted from Grace's inheritance so that her brother and two sisters would not be shortchanged.
Kelly's wedding gown was the most expensive garment that MGM designer Helen Rose had ever made. It used twenty-five yards of silk taffeta and one hundred yards of silk net. Its 125-year-old rose point lace was purchased from a museum and thousands of tiny pearls were sewn on the veil.
She was considered for the role of Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), which eventually went to Elizabeth Taylor.
The so-called "wealthy" family Grace was born into was actually an immigrant family of bricklayers who had barely a generation of newfound business success. Grace's father and brother were both Olympic gold-medal scullers. Grace's cousin, former US Secy of Navy John Lehman, Jr. now chairs the Princess Grace Foundation, which supports young performing talent.
Attended and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, New York City.
The Country Girl (1954), the film that won Kelly an Oscar, was first offered to Jennifer Jones, who had to turn down because of pregnancy.
When she left Hollywood, several roles she was slated to play were eventually filled by Lauren Bacall (Designing Woman (1957) and The Cobweb (1955)). Director George Stevens also wanted her for Giant (1956).
Niece of playwright George Kelly.
Kelly was the daughter of John Brendan Kelly, Sr. (1889-1960), the son of Irish immigrants, and his wife Margaret Katherine (Majer), whose parents were German. She had three siblings: Peggy, John Jr. and Lizzane.
On January 1959, the Austrian government awarded her a medal of merit for aid to Hungarian refugees escaping Russian invasion, given through Monaco's Red Cross.
She was one of many famous tenants of the Barbizon Hotel for Women when she lived in New York. Other tenants included Candice Bergen, Liza Minnelli, Cloris Leachman, Ali MacGraw, and Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale.
She was voted the 27th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Referenced in the songs "Grace Kelly" by Die Ärzte; "Grace Kelly Blues" by Eels (Mark Oliver Everett),"Grace Kelly with Wings" by Piebald; and "Grace Kelly" by Mika.
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6329 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
Hedda Hopper reported that Judy Garland's loss of the Academy Award to Grace for The Country Girl (1954) was the result of the closest Oscar vote up till that time that did not end in a tie, with just six votes separating the two. In any event, it was such a heartbreak from which Judy Garland never recovered from, mentally. Judy Garland was nominated for her role in A Star Is Born (1954) and which has remained a matter of some controversy.
Summoned Sydney Guilaroff, the chief hairstylist at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, to style her hair for her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956.
She was voted the 12th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere magazine.
Was named #13 Actress on The American Film Institute's 50 Greatest Screen Legends
The road accident which led to her death was apparently caused by a stroke she suffered while driving.
Was romantically involved with fashion designer Oleg Cassini.
Is portrayed by Christina Applegate and Cheryl Ladd in Grace Kelly (1983).
Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna's song "Vogue".
Broke off her engagement to Oleg Cassini to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Bought a silver frame as a wedding gift to Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981.
While pregnant with Princess Caroline of Monaco, Grace often used her Hermès bag to shield her belly from prying paparazzi. The company nicknamed that purse "the Kelly bag".
Her favorite flowers were roses. After her death, Prince Rainier of Monaco opened a public rose garden in Monaco.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 447-450. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
In Italy, a vast number of her films were dubbed by Fiorella Betti. She was also dubbed by Miranda Bonansea, Dhia Cristiani and Rina Morelli, respectively in High Noon (1952), Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955).
Was offered to do a role in 11-time Oscar-nominated The Turning Point (1977).
In her youth, her favorite actors were Joseph Cotten and Ingrid Bergman.
(April 19, 1956) Her wedding's church ceremony at Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral was exclusively filmed by MGM and made into the documentary The Wedding in Monaco (1956). The 600 guests included David Niven, Gloria Swanson, Ava Gardner and Conrad Hilton.
On the day she perished in an automobile accident, she was allegedly driving a British Rover 3500.
Cary Grant named her as his favorite co-star. His friends and family said Kelly's death hit him much harder than the deaths of Louis Mountbatten, Alfred Hitchcock and even Ingrid Bergman.
She and her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco, were at the opening of Expo '58 in Brussels.
Grandmother of: Andrea, Charlotte, and Pierre Casiraghi, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Louis and Pauline Ducruet, Camille Gottlieb, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and Alexandre Coste.
She was considered for the role of Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (1955), however Jean Simmons was cast instead.
Was allegedly romantically involved with all of her leading men apart from James Stewart. She was also linked to Marlon Brando, David Niven and Jean-Pierre Aumont.
Her father built a beach house at the corner of 26th and Wesley in Ocean City, New Jersey in 1929. It became a popular family vacation destination, and hosted celebrity guests such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Grace's sister, Lizanne, lived in the house until it was sold in 2001.
All of her leading men were old enough to be her father (with the exception of William Holden, who was 11 years older than her and Louis Jourdan, who was only 8 years older)
Former mother-in-law of Stefano Casiraghi (1983-1990) and mother-in-law of Daniel Ducruet (1995-1996). She was also the future mother-in-law of Princess Charlene of Monaco.
Was good friends with actress Maureen O'Hara.
She and her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco became pregnant twice in 1962; on both occasions she suffered miscarriages.
Ranked #86 in Men's Health magazine's 100 Hottest Women of all Time (2011).
She was the very first actress to appear on a postage stamp (1993).
She graduated from Stevens School in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 5, 1947; her classmates predicted, in her senior yearbook, that she was certain "to become a stage and screen star".
Her first date, Harper Davis, died in 1953 after contracting multiple sclerosis when he returned from World War II and whose funeral was attended by Grace Kelly.
She was a registered Democrat and her family was close friends with Franklin D. Roosevelt during his administration.
Was a Girl Scout.
Was the 42nd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl (1954) at The 27th Annual Academy Awards (1955) on March 30, 1955.
She turned down the female lead in On the Waterfront (1954) in order to make Rear Window (1954) instead. The role went to Eva Marie Saint.
Had appeared in three films directed by Alfred Hitchcock: Rear Window (1954), Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955).
Grace Kelly passed away on September 14, 1982, two months away from what would have been her 53rd birthday on November 12.
Portrayed by Nicole Kidman in the fictionalized and critically ravished Grace of Monaco (2014). However, Kidman was nominated for a SAG Award for her performance.
It has been alleged that as member of the Twentieth Century Fox board of directors, Kelly was responsible for closing down Russ Meyer's uncompleted "Who Killed Bambi?".
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios offered $70,000 dollars for the wedding of Grace Kelly, in gowns and bonus.
Personal Quotes (26)
Hollywood amuses me. Holier-than-thou for the public and unholier-than-the-devil in reality.
I'll tell you one of the reasons I'm ready to leave. When I first came to Hollywood five years ago, my makeup call was at eight in the morning. On this movie, it's been put back to seven-thirty. Every day, I see Joan Crawford, who's been in makeup since five, and Loretta Young, who's been there since four in the morning. I'll be goddamned if I'm going to stay in a business where I have to get up earlier and earlier and it takes longer and longer for me to get in front of a camera.
I hated Hollywood. It's a town without pity. I know of no other place in the world where so many people suffer from nervous breakdowns, where there are so many alcoholics, neurotics, and so much unhappiness.
Mogambo (1953) had three things that interested me. John Ford, Clark Gable, and a trip to Africa with expenses paid. If Mogambo had been made in Arizona, I wouldn't have done it.
At times, I think I actually hate Hollywood. I have many acquaintances there, but few friends.
I came to success very quickly. Perhaps too quickly to value its importance.
I would like to be remembered as someone who accomplished useful deeds, and who was a kind and loving person. I would like to leave the memory of a human being with a correct attitude and who did her best to help others.
My father had a very simple view of life: you don't get anything for nothing. Everything has to be earned, through work, persistence and honesty. My father also had a deep charm, the gift of winning our trust. He was the kind of man with whom many people dream of spending an evening.
My real difficulty was to become a normal person again, after having been a movie actress for so long. For me, at the time I was living in New York and Hollywood, a normal person was someone who made movies.
Mr. Hitchcock taught me everything about cinema. It was thanks to him that I understood that murder scenes should be shot like love scenes and love scenes like murder scenes.
Of course, I think about marriage, but my career is still the most important thing for me. If I interrupt it now to get married, because I don't believe in a part-time family life, I would risk passing the rest of my existence wondering whether or not I would have been able to become a great actress.
My parents, despite their serious attitude toward life in general, and that of their children in particular, were very broadminded people. There was no such thing as a bad profession for them. As I was their daughter, they knew that, whatever profession I chose, I would do it well. That was enough for them. There was always trust among the Kellys.
I've always treated my children as beings in their own right. I respect their feelings and aspirations entirely.
When I married Prince Rainier, I married the man and not what he represented or what he was. I fell in love with him without giving a thought to anything else.
I would like to say to my future fellow citizens that the Prince, my fiance, has taught me to love them. I already know a lot about them from the way he has described them to me, and my dearest desire today is to find a little place in their hearts.
My love of flowers opened a lot of doors for me. I've made many friends because of their passion of flowers and their vast knowledge in this field.
Although, I've played a wide variety of roles, I've never had the chance to act in a story written specially for me. It's a pity as they are the only stories that really let you reveal your personality.
When Ava Gardner gets in a taxi, the driver knows at once she's Ava Gardner. It's the same for Lana Turner or Elizabeth Taylor, but not for me. I'm never Grace Kelly. I'm always someone who looks like Grace Kelly.
Fairy tales tell imaginary stories. Me, I'm a living person. I exist. If the story of my life as a real woman were to be told one day, people would at last discover the real being that I am.
If there is one thing that is foreign to me it is shopping for pleasure. On the other hand, I believe that it is right to honour all those who create beautiful things and give satisfaction to those who see me wearing them.
It would be very sad if children had no memories before those of school. What they need most is the love and attention of their mother.
I avoid looking back. I prefer good memories to regrets.
I'm basically a feminist. I think that women can do anything they decide to do.
The studios are tenacious. When they want someone or something, they always get it in the end. I ended up signing a contract with MGM. I signed because they offered me the chance of shooting in Africa, but I signed it at the desk of the airport, when the engines of the plane were already turning.
Before my marriage, I didn't think about all the obligations there were awaiting me. My experience has proved useful and I think that I have a natural propensity to feel compassion for people and their problems.
[on Gary Cooper] He's the one who taught me to relax during a scene and let the camera do some of the work. On the stage you have to emote not only for the front rows, but for the balcony too, and I'm afraid I overdid it. He taught me the camera is always in front row, and how to take it easy...
Salary (1)
Dial M for Murder (1954) $14,000
See also
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