My favorite of her films is "Rear Window"--there is a chemistry between her and Stewart that you appreciate it the more times you get to see the film. It also showed her gifts as a light comedienne, as well as an ability to "play it straight."
Grace Kelly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Grace of Monaco" redirects here. For the upcoming film, see Grace of Monaco (film).
This article is about the American actress. For the song by Mika, see Grace Kelly (song). For the song by Die Ärzte, see Zu schön, um wahr zu sein!. For the jazz musician, see Grace Kelly (musician).
| Grace Kelly | |
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| Tenure | 18 April 1956 – 14 September 1982 |
| Spouse | Rainier III, Prince of Monaco |
| Issue | |
| Caroline, Princess of Hanover Albert II, Prince of Monaco Princess Stéphanie of Monaco |
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| Full name | |
| Grace Patricia Kelly | |
| House | House of Grimaldi (by marriage) |
| Father | John B. Kelly, Sr. |
| Mother | Margaret Majer |
| Born | 12 November 1929 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Died | 14 September 1982 (aged 52) Monaco |
| Burial | Monaco Cathedral |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Signature |  |
| Religion | Catholic |
After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of 20, Grace Kelly appeared in New York City theatrical productions as well as in more than forty episodes of live drama productions broadcast during the early 1950s Golden Age of Television. In October 1953, with the release of Mogambo, she became a movie star, a status confirmed in 1954 with a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nomination as well as leading roles in five films, including The Country Girl, in which she gave a deglamorized, Academy Award-winning performance. She retired from acting at 26 to enter upon her duties in Monaco. She and Prince Rainier had three children: Caroline, Albert, and Stéphanie. She also retained her American roots, maintaining dual US and Monégasque citizenships.
She died on 14 September 1982, after suffering a stroke the previous day while driving, which caused her to lose control of her automobile and crash. Her daughter, Princess Stéphanie, was in the car with her, and survived the accident.
In June 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her number 13 in its list of top female stars of American cinema.
Contents
Family
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When Grace was born, the Kellys already had two children, Margaret Katherine, known as Peggy (June 13, 1925 – November 23, 1991) and John Brendan, Jr., known as Kell (May 24, 1927 – May 2, 1985). Another daughter, Elizabeth Anne, known as Lizanne (June 25, 1933 – November 24, 2009), was born three and a half years after Grace.
At Margaret's baptism in 1925, Jack Kelly's mother, Mary Costello Kelly, expressed her disappointment that the baby was not named Grace in memory of her last daughter, who had died young. Upon his mother's death the following year, Jack Kelly resolved that his next daughter would bear the name and, three years later, with the arrival of Grace Patricia in November 1929, his late mother's wish was honored.
Following in his father's athletic footsteps, John Jr. won in 1947 the James E. Sullivan Award as the country's top amateur athlete. Also, similar to his father's gold medals in rowing at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics, he competed in the sport at the 1948, 1952 and the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne where, on November 27, seven months after his sister's Monaco wedding, he won a bronze medal, which he gave to her as a gift of the occasion. He also served as a city councilman, and Philadelphia's Kelly Drive is named for him.
Two of Grace Kelly's uncles were prominent in the arts; her father's eldest brother, Walter C. Kelly (1873–1939), was a vaudeville star whose nationally known act The Virginia Judge was filmed as a 1930 MGM short and a 1935 Paramount feature, and another older brother, George Kelly (1887–1974), estranged from the family due to his homosexuality, became renowned in the 1920s as a dramatist, screenwriter and director with a hit comedy-drama, The Show Off, in 1924–25, and was awarded the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his next play, Craig's Wife.[4]
Acting career
Theater and television
Because of low mathematics scores, Kelly was rejected by Bennington College in July 1947.[6] To the dismay of her parents—despite his brothers' occupations, her father viewed acting as "a slim cut above streetwalker"[2]—Kelly decided to pursue her dreams of a career in the theater. For an audition into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York she used a scene from her uncle's 1923 play The Torch-Bearers. Although the school had already selected its semester quota, Kelly obtained an interview with the school's admission officer, Emile Diestel, and was admitted due to her uncle George.[2] Living in Manhattan's Barbizon Hotel for Women, a prestigious establishment which barred men from entering after 10 pm, and working as a model to support her studies, Kelly began her first term the following October. A diligent student, she would use a tape recorder to practice and perfect her speech. Her early acting pursuits led her to the stage, most notably a Broadway debut in Strindberg's The Father alongside Raymond Massey. At 19, her graduation performance was as Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story.[2]Television producer Delbert Mann cast Kelly as Bethel Merriday, an adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name, in her first of nearly sixty live television programs.[2] Success on television eventually brought her a role in a major motion picture. Kelly made her film debut in a small role in the 1951 film Fourteen Hours. She was noticed during a visit to the set by Gary Cooper, who subsequently starred with her in High Noon. Cooper was charmed by Kelly and said that she was "different from all these actresses we've been seeing so much of."
However, her performance in Fourteen Hours was not noticed by critics, and did not lead to her receiving other film acting roles. She continued her work in the theater and on television,[4] although she lacked "vocal horsepower" and would likely not have had a lengthy stage career.[2] Kelly was performing in Colorado's Elitch Gardens when she received a telegram from Hollywood producer Stanley Kramer, offering her a co-starring role opposite Gary Cooper in High Noon.
Actress for MGM
Main article: Film career of Grace Kelly
Director John Ford
had first noticed Kelly in a 1950 screen test. The studio flew Kelly to
Los Angeles to audition in September 1952. Ford said Kelly showed
"breeding, quality and class".[2]
She won the role, along with a 7-year contract at the relatively low
salary of $850 a week. Kelly signed the deal under two conditions: first
that one out of every two years she have time off to work in the
theater, and second that she be able to live in New York City at the
now-landmarked Manhattan House, at 200 E. 66th Street.[7][2] Two months later in November, Kelly and the cast arrived in Nairobi to begin production of the film Mogambo. Though Gene Tierney was initially cast in the role, she had to drop out at the last minute due to personal issues.[8][9] Kelly later told Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, "Mogambo 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."[10] A break in the filming schedule afforded Kelly and Mogambo co-star Ava Gardner a visit to Rome.[11] Kelly's role as Linda Nordley in MGM's production of Mogambo garnered her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Kelly began filming scenes for her next film, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, in January 1954 with William Holden. The role of Nancy, the wife of naval officer Harry (Holden), proved to be a minor but pivotal part of the story. Released in January 1955, the The New Yorker remarked on the apparent on-screen chemistry of Kelly and Holden, and took note of Kelly's delivery of her performance "with quiet confidence."
Kelly unhesitatingly turned down the opportunity to star alongside Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, which won her replacement, Eva Marie Saint, an Academy Award. Kelly committed instead to the role of Lisa Fremont in Rear Window. Said Kelly: "All through the making of Dial M for Murder, he [Hitchcock] sat and talked to me about Rear Window all the time, even before we had discussed my being in it."[12] Much like the shooting of Dial M for Murder, Kelly and Hitchcock shared a close bond of humor and admiration. Sometimes, however, minor strife would emerge on set.
Kelly won the role of Bing Crosby's long-suffering wife, Georgie Elgin, in The Country Girl, after a pregnant Jennifer Jones bowed out. Already familiar with the play, Kelly was highly interested in the part. To do it MGM would have to loan Kelly out to Paramount. Kelly was adamant, and threatened the studio that if they did not allow her to do it she would pack her bags and leave for New York for good. MGM relented, and the part was hers. The film also paired Kelly again with William Holden. The wife of a washed-up alcoholic singer, played by Crosby, Kelly's character is emotionally torn between two lovers.
As a result of her performance in The Country Girl, Kelly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her main competitor for the prize was Judy Garland's much heralded comeback performance in A Star Is Born; playing not only the part of an up-and-coming actress-singer, but also ironically, the wife of an alcoholic movie star. Although Kelly won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for best actress for her performances in her three big movie roles of 1954 (Rear Window, Dial M For Murder, and The Country Girl), she and Garland both received Golden Globe Awards for their respective performances.
In April 1954, Kelly flew to Colombia for a 10-day shoot on her next project, Green Fire, with Stewart Granger. Kelly played Catherine Knowland, a coffee plantation owner. In Granger's autobiography he writes of his distaste for the film's script, while Kelly later confided to Hedda Hopper, "It wasn't pleasant. We worked at a pathetic village – miserable huts and dirty. Part of the crew got shipwrecked ... It was awful."[10] Green Fire was a critical and box-office failure but made a small profit of $840,000.
After the consecutive filming of Rear Window, Toko-Ri, Country Girl and Green Fire, Kelly flew to France, along with department store heir Bernard "Barney" Strauss, to begin work on her third and last film for Alfred Hitchcock, To Catch a Thief. Kelly and her co-star, Cary Grant, developed a mutual admiration. The two cherished their time together for the rest of their lives. Years later, when asked to name his all-time favorite actress, Grant replied without hesitation: "Well, with all due respect to dear Ingrid Bergman, I much preferred Grace. She had serenity."[15]
Marriage
Kelly headed the U.S. delegation at the Cannes Film Festival in April 1955. While there, she was invited to participate in a photo session at the Palace of Monaco with Prince Rainier III, the sovereign of the principality. After a series of delays and complications, Kelly met the prince in Monaco.At the time of her initial meeting with Rainier, Kelly was romantically linked to the French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont.[16][17]
Upon returning to America, Kelly began work on The Swan, in which she coincidentally portrayed a princess. Meanwhile, she was privately beginning a correspondence with Rainier. In December, Rainier came to America on a trip officially designated as a tour, although it was speculated that Rainier was actively seeking a wife. A 1918 treaty with France stated that if Rainier did not produce an heir, Monaco would revert to France as a result of the Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918. At a press conference in the United States, Rainier was asked if he was pursuing a wife, to which he answered, "No." A second question was posed, asking, "If you were pursuing a wife, what kind would you like?" Rainier smiled and answered, "I don't know – the best." Rainier met Kelly and her family, and after three days, the prince proposed. Kelly accepted and the families began preparing for what the press called "The Wedding of the Century." Kelly and her family had to provide Prince Rainier with a dowry of 2 million USD in order for the marriage to go ahead.[citation needed] The religious wedding was set for April 19, 1956. News of the engagement was a sensation even though it meant the possible end to Kelly's film career. Alfred Hitchcock had quipped that he was "very happy that Grace has found herself such a good part."
That same year, MGM released Kelly's last film, the musical comedy High Society (based on the studio's 1940 comedy Philadelphia Story). One highlight of the film was Kelly's duet with Bing Crosby, singing "True Love," with words and music by Cole Porter.
Princess of Monaco
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The couple had three children:
- Caroline Louise Marguerite, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco, born 23 January 1957. Princess Caroline was born exactly nine months and four days after the wedding of her parents.
- Albert II, Prince of Monaco (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre), born 14 March 1958, current ruler of the Principality of Monaco.
- Princess Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth of Monaco, born 1 February 1965.
Later years
After the wedding, Prince Rainier banned the screening of Kelly's films in Monaco.[20] Hitchcock offered Kelly the lead in his film Marnie in 1962. She was eager, but public outcry in Monaco against her involvement in a film that portrayed her as a kleptomaniac made her reconsider and ultimately reject the project. Director Herbert Ross attempted to lure Princess Grace for his 1977 film The Turning Point, but Prince Rainier quashed the idea. Later that year, Kelly returned to the arts in a series of poetry readings on stage and the narration of the documentary The Children of Theater Street. She also narrated ABC's made-for-television film The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966).As princess, Kelly was active in improving the arts institutions of Monaco, and eventually the Princess Grace Foundation was formed to support local artisans. She was one of the first celebrities to support and speak on behalf of La Leche League, an organization that advocates breastfeeding; she planned a yearly Christmas party for local orphans, and dedicated a Garden Club that reflected her love of flowers.
Kelly was also a member of the International Best Dressed List since 1960.[21]
Death
On September 13, 1982, while driving with her daughter, Stéphanie, to Monaco from their country home, Roc Agel, on the French side of the border, Princess Grace suffered a stroke, which caused her to drive her Rover P6[22][23] off the serpentine road down a mountainside. The accident site is located at 43°43′35″N 7°24′10″E.[24] Grace was pulled alive from the wreckage, but had suffered serious injuries and was unconscious. She died the following day at the Monaco Hospital (renamed Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace – "The Princess Grace Hospital Centre" in English—in 1985), having never regained consciousness; she was 52 years old. It was initially reported that Princess Stéphanie suffered only minor bruising, although it later emerged that she had suffered a serious cervical fracture.[25]Grace was buried in the Grimaldi family vault on September 18, 1982, after a requiem mass in Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco.[26] The 400 guests at the service included representatives of foreign governments and of present and past European royal houses, such as Diana, Princess of Wales, then-First Lady of the U.S. Nancy Reagan and so on. Cary Grant was among the members of the film community in attendance. Prince Rainier, who did not remarry, was buried alongside her following his death in 2005.[27]
In his eulogy, James Stewart said:
| “ | You know, I just love Grace Kelly. Not because she was a princess, not because she was an actress, not because she was my friend, but because she was just about the nicest lady I ever met. Grace brought into my life as she brought into yours, a soft, warm light every time I saw her, and every time I saw her was a holiday of its own. No question, I'll miss her, we'll all miss her, God bless you, Princess Grace. | ” |
Legacy
While pregnant with her daughter Caroline in 1956, Princess Grace was frequently photographed clutching a distinctive leather hand-bag manufactured by Hermès. The purse, or Sac à dépêches, was likely a shield to prevent Kelly's pregnancy from being exposed to the prying eyes of the Paparazzi. The photographs, however, popularized the purse and became so closely associated with the fashion icon that the purse would thereafter be known as the Kelly Bag.[28]
The Princess Grace Foundation, Monaco, was founded in 1964 with the aim of helping those with special needs for whom no provision was made within the ordinary social services. In 1983 following Princess Grace's death, Caroline, Princess of Hanover assumed the duties of President of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. Albert II, Prince of Monaco is Vice-President.[33]
The Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) was established following the death of Princess Grace of Monaco to continue the work that she had done, anonymously, during her lifetime, assisting emerging theater, dance and film artists in America. Incorporated in 1982, PGF-USA is headquartered in New York and is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, publicly supported organization. The Princess Grace Awards, a program of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, has awarded nearly 500 artists at more than 100 institutions in the U.S. with more than $7 million to date. The Princess Grace Foundation-USA also holds the exclusive rights to, and facilitates the licensing of, Princess Grace of Monaco's name and likeness throughout the world. [34]
In 1983, an American television film which focused on the early life of the princess was presented featuring Cheryl Ladd and Ian McShane as Grace and Prince Rainier.[35]
A rose garden in Monaco's Fontvieille district is dedicated to the memory of Princess Grace. It was opened in 1984 by Prince Rainier.[36] Grace is commemorated in a statue by Kees Verkade in the garden, which features 4,000 roses.[37]
In 1993, Princess Grace became the first U.S. actress to appear on a U.S. postage stamp.[20][38]
In 2003, the Henley Royal Regatta renamed the Women's Quadruple Sculls the "Princess Grace Challenge Cup". Grace was invited to present the prizes at the Henley Royal Regatta in 1981 as a peace offering by the Henley Stewards to put a conflict between the Kelly family and Stewards to rest. Prince Albert, presented the prizes at the Henley Royal Regatta in 2004.
In 2006, the Philadelphia Museum of Art presented Fit for a Princess: Grace Kelly's Wedding Dress, an exhibition in honor of the 50th anniversary of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier's wedding.[39]
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of her death, €2 commemorative coins were issued on July 1, 2007 with the "national" side bearing the image of Princess Grace. In Monaco (at the Grimaldi Forum) and the United States (at Sotheby's) a large Princess Grace exhibition, coordinated by the Princely Family, called "Grace, Princess of Monaco: A Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Grace Kelly", celebrated her life and her contribution to the arts through her Foundation.
In 2008, Princess Stephanie opened the "Epoch of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco" at the Ekaterina Cultural Foundation in Moscow.
In October 2009, a plaque was placed on the "Rodeo Drive Walk of Style" in recognition of Princess Grace's contributions to style and fashion.[40]
In November 2009, to commemorate what would have been her 80th birthday, TCM named her as star of the month which saw Prince Albert II pay a special tribute to his mother.[41]
In 2010, an exhibition of Grace Kelly's clothes was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[42] The exhibition was opened by Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock in April 2010. This exhibition continued in Australia at the Bendigo Art Gallery between March 11 and June 17, 2012.[43]
In November 2011, the exhibition "Grace Kelly: from movie star to princess"[44] at the Toronto International Film Festival was opened by Prince Albert and Princess Charlene.
In June 2013, the McCord Museum in Montréal presents the exhibition From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly - Beyond the Icon. [45]
Titles and styles
- Miss Grace Patricia Kelly (12 November 1929 – 18 April 1956)
- Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco (18 April 1956 – 14 September 1982)
Screen credits
Main article: Grace Kelly filmography
Listed below are Grace Kelly's motion picture credits. Kelly appeared
in eleven films before her marriage. Her television acting credits and
other appearances are listed at Grace Kelly filmography.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Co-stars |
| 1951 | Fourteen Hours | Louise Ann Fuller | Henry Hathaway | Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart, Barbara Bel Geddes |
| 1952 | High Noon | Amy Fowler Kane | Fred Zinnemann | Gary Cooper, Katy Jurado, Lloyd Bridges, Thomas Mitchell |
| 1953 | Mogambo | Linda Nordley | John Ford | Clark Gable, Ava Gardner |
| 1954 | Dial M for Murder | Margot Mary Wendice | Alfred Hitchcock | Ray Milland, Robert Cummings, John Williams |
| Rear Window | Lisa Carol Fremont | Alfred Hitchcock | James Stewart, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr | |
| The Country Girl | Georgie Elgin | George Seaton | Bing Crosby, William Holden | |
| Green Fire | Catherine Knowland | Andrew Marton | Stewart Granger | |
| The Bridges at Toko-Ri | Nancy Brubaker | Mark Robson | William Holden, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney, Earl Holliman | |
| 1955 | To Catch a Thief | Frances Stevens | Alfred Hitchcock | Cary Grant |
| 1956 | The Swan | Princess Alexandra | Charles Vidor | Alec Guinness, Louis Jourdan |
| High Society | Tracy Samantha Lord | Charles Walters | Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm |
Discography
- "True Love" (from High Society, duet with Bing Crosby, 1956)
- L'Oiseau du Nord et L'Oiseau du Soleil, in French and in English (1978)
- Birds, Beasts & Flowers: A Programme of Poetry, Prose and Music (1980)
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