Background

Kelly was born on November 12, 1929, at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to an affluent and influential family. Her father, Irish-American John B. Kelly Sr., had won three Olympic gold medals for sculling and owned a successful brickwork contracting company that was well-known on the East Coast. A registered Democrat, he was nominated to be mayor of Philadelphia for the 1935 election but lost by the closest margin in the city's history. In later years, he served on the Fairmount Park Commission and, during World War II, was appointed by President Roosevelt as National Director of Physical Fitness. His brother Walter C. Kelly was a vaudeville star who also made films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures, and another named George was a Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist, screenwriter, and director.

Kelly's mother Margaret Katherine Majer had German parents. Margaret had taught physical education at the University of Pennsylvania and had been the first woman to coach women's athletics at the institution. She also modeled for a time in her youth. After marrying John B. Kelly in 1924, Margaret focused on being a housewife until all her children were of school age, following which she began actively participating in various civic organizations.

Kelly had two older siblings, Margaret and John Jr., and a younger sister, Elizabeth. The children were raised in the Roman Catholic faith.

Education

Kelly attended the Catholic Ravenhill Academy in East Falls, Pennsylvania and eventually transferred to Stevens School, a secular academy. She was extremely reserved and quiet as a youngster, but was popular among her high school friends. Before graduating in May 1947 from Stevens School, a socially prominent private institution on Walnut Lane in the Northwest Philadelphia neighborhood of Germantown, she acted and danced.

Kelly was rejected by Bennington College in July 1947. After graduating from high school in 1947, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. At Van Cleve's urging, Kelly studied privately under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York.

Career

It was Kelly's desire to act on the live stage-not to make movies and television appearances. She worked in theaters in New York and Colorado, and, most notably, she performed with Raymond Massey in The Father before signing with agent Edith Van Cleve. She worked at summer stock until Van Cleve-fully aware of Kelly's film potential-moved the young actress into television work. Kelly acted in 60 teleplays in New York, mostly between 1950 and 1951. Over the course of the next five years she made 11 movies. Some critics, including gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, accused Kelly of employing adulterous liaisons to further her film career. Others presumed that Jack Kelly's prominent position and political connections were in part responsible for his daughter's show business success. Jack Kelly, a Democratic Party boss in his native Philadelphia, was well acquainted with some of the most prominent figures of the times, including President Franklin Roosevelt. Powerful personalities such as Isaac Levy, founder of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), were also counted among the Kelly associates. Regardless, Grace Kelly was determined to succeed without special considerations and did little if anything to "pull strings" of any nature in order to further her career.

In 1950, Grace Kelly made her feature film debut in a movie called Fourteen Hours. Her next film, High Noon, with Gary Cooper in 1952, marked the beginning of a string of motion pictures over the course of the next four years. To Kelly's displeasure, each of her films generated rumors of a love affair between Kelly and her co-star. Friends of the actress maintain that, in actuality, it was an actor named Gene Lyons who attracted Kelly's attention during those years. The two enjoyed a romance that matured during the filming of High Noon and later disintegrated while Kelly was on location in Africa for the filming of Mogambo, a 1953 release with Clark Gable. In 1954, Kelly starred in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, with Ray Milland. This was followed by a second Hitchcock thriller, Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart. The Bridges at Toko-Ri, with William Holden was completed in 1954. That same year, Kelly appeared with Bing Crosby in Country Girl, the film that earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 1955, Kelly starred in Green Fire with Stewart Granger, followed by To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant. In 1956, she starred in a musical adaptation of Philadelphia Story called High Society, with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. The final film of her brief but intense career, The Swan, was released in 1956. She co-starred with Alec Guinness and received top billing for the first and only time in her career. During the years when Kelly was under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, she shared her time between the incessant demands of Hollywood and her chosen home in New York City, where she aspired to find work on the Broadway stage.

In 1955, Kelly was in Monaco for the filming of Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant. An introduction was arranged between the young American actress and the bachelor prince of Monaco as part of a publicity stunt by Paris Match. The pair met initially at the Cannes Film Festival in order to be photographed together for the magazine. The event was well publicized, down to the shimmering black cotton dress worn by Kelly. Later in 1955, the prince and the movie star spent Christmas together in Philadelphia with Kelly's family. Less than one week after the holidays, on January 5, 1956, Kelly and the prince announced their engagement from her parent's home. Kelly and the prince were wed in Monaco, where the ceremonies and festivities lasted for two days-April 18 and 19, 1956. A Catholic nuptial ceremony was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Monaco. The prince and princess honeymooned aboard a royal yacht.

Princess Grace lived with her husband and children in a 200-room palace and maintained a private retreat in France at Roc Agel. Even as princess of Monaco, Kelly never shunned her American roots. She commuted regularly between Europe and Philadelphia, if for no other reason than to see her doctor, dentist, and bankers.

At home in Monaco, Princess Grace ran the palace to the best of her ability as a normal home. She expended great effort to stay intrinsically involved with her children and to personally tend to their needs. She cooked meals for her family, especially breakfast for her children. Despite her great wealth, she never succumbed to needless or excess extravagance. The populace of Monaco loved Princess Grace dearly, as did her film audiences in the United States. After she married, Princess Grace became involved in charitable pursuits and public service organizations.

Not long after the birth of her youngest daughter, it was rumored that Princess Grace had grown increasingly unhappy and become homesick for the more casual atmosphere of the United States. She moved to an apartment in Paris, joined the board of directors of 20th Century Fox productions, and traveled frequently to the U.S. During the final years of her life, she involved herself in dramatic readings and pressing flower designs for linens, in addition to her royal responsibilities and her many charitable pursuits.

Princess Grace died unexpectedly from injuries incurred at the wheel of her own car, a Rover 3500, when it careened from a cliff and crashed 150 feet down the mountainside. The accident occurred at the Grimaldi's private retreat at Roc Agel. Princess Grace remained unconscious for two days before she died in Monte Carlo on September 14, 1982, following the removal of life-support apparatus. Later reports confirmed that she suffered a stroke at the time of the crash and would have been paralyzed on one side had she survived. Funeral services were held at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Monaco, the same church where she had been married in 1956.

The death of Princess Grace was felt around the world. The family of the princess acknowledged the receipt of tens of thousands of letters and cards of condolence. Mourners continued to leave flowers at the site of the auto crash for months afterward.

Achievements

• 

  Grace Patricia Kelly went down in history as an American film actress who became Princess of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III, in April 1956.
  
  Her role in Mogambo garnered her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. For her performance in The Country Girl, Kelly won the Academy Award for Best Actress. 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 1993, Kelly appeared on a United States postage stamp, released in conjunction with a Monaco postage stamp featuring her on the same day. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Kelly's death, €2 commemorative coins were issued on July 1, 2007 with the "national" side bearing the image of her.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • The Country Girl

    (Grace Kelly received an Oscar for her brilliant portrayal...)

    1954
  • 14 Hours

    (While Tropical Storm Allison brings one of the worst floo...)

    1951
  • Wtch Mogambo

    (This romantic pot-boiler adventure finds Clark Gable as a...)

    1953
  • The Bridges at Toko-Ri

    (Set during the Korean War, a Navy fighter pilot must come...)

    1954
  • The Swan

    (A romantic fable about a shy princess (Grace Kelly) whose...)

    1956
  • High Society

    (An all-star musical romp finds Grace Kelly about to remar...)

    1956
  • Dial M for Murder

    (When American writer Mark Halliday visits the very marrie...)

    1954
  • Green Fire

    (Rian Mitchell has spent years chasing a fortune and now i...)

    1954
  • To Catch a Thief

    (Stars Cary Grant as a former thief suspected of a new ser...)

    1955
  • High Noon

    (A marshall, personally compelled to face a returning dead...)

    1952
  • The Children of Theatre Street

    (The Story of the Kirov Ballet School)

    1977

Religion

Kelly was raised and remained a Catholic. It doesn’t seem like religion, faith or Catholicism was something Kelly talked about very often. But it was clearly an integral part of her life.

Politics

Kelly came from a semi-powerful Democrat family. Her father ran for the mayor of Philadelphia on the Democratic ticket, and was very narrowly defeated. Ultimately, President Roosevelt (a Democrat) appointed him to the National Director of Physical Fitness during the World War II years.

In 1956, at the age of 26, Kelly fulfilled the dream of every nine year-old girl and married an honest-to-God European Prince–Prince Rainier of Monaco. She became, at that moment, a political figure of sorts. The marriage was dubious in a couple of ways. The Prince was faced with two serious problems. One, by treaty with France, if he did not produce an heir by his death, Monaco would be incorporated into France. And two, Monaco was suffering from severe financial difficulties. Kelly was the answer to both of his problems. For one, she could bear him a child. For two, her celebrity (the Prince hoped) would draw tourism money to Monaco. It did.

Furthermore, the Prince forbade Kelly from making films so she lived out her days as a monarch. She took her regal duties very seriously, and became beloved by “her people.” Princess Grace brought positive and long overdue changes to the social climate of Monaco. Her presence revitalized the mood of the principality, encouraged tourism, and endowed a dogged state with renewed hope and energy.

Views

In terms of women in society, Kelly said some controversial things. She considered herself a feminist:

"I’m basically a feminist. I think that women can do anything they decide to do."

But she said some very conservative things about women’s role in society and family, such as:

"Emancipation of women has made them lose their mystery."

"Women’s natural role is to be a pillar of the family."

Quotations: "I avoid looking back. I prefer good memories to regrets."

"The idea of my life as a fairytale, is a fairytale itself."

"A person has to keep something to herself or your life is a just a layout in a magazine."

"Our life dictates a certain kind of wardrobe."

"The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens."

"Women's natural role is to be the pillar of the family."

"Anger and anger cannot solve a problem."

"I was hired to be an actress, not personality for the press."

"It would be very sad if children did not have memories before those of school. What they need most is the love and attention from their mother."

"I work hard in social work, public relations and raising the Grimaldi heirs."

Membership

She served as president of the Garden Club of Monaco, president of the Red Cross of Monaco, and president of the organizing committee of the International Arts Foundation.

Her fondest benevolent association was The Princess Grace Foundation, established to foster involvement among young people in the creative arts, especially to provide scholarships for eligible young students.

• 

  Garden Club of Monaco

• 

  Red Cross of Monaco

• 

  The Princess Grace Foundation

Personality

Grace Kelly was extremely reserved and quiet as a youngster, but was popular among her high school friends.

Throughout her adult life, Kelly was frequently cited as one of the most beautiful women in the world – but she wasn't considered particularly attractive in her younger years, even after landing some work as a model. According to an A&E biography, her family and friends, who had never thought of her as being anywhere near movie star material, were stunned when they saw her on the big screen for the first time. As one of her childhood friends recalled, "We had no idea she was as beautiful as she was. Grace always had a bandana on, and had the glasses, and the sweater, nothing glamorous. And when she went to New York and we started to see her on television, and in magazines, it was, 'My heavens! That's our Grace?'"

While pregnant with her daughter Caroline in 1956, Kelly was frequently photographed clutching a distinctive leather hand-bag manufactured by Hermès. The purse, or Sac à dépêches, was likely a shield to prevent her pregnant abdomen 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 it would thereafter be known as the Kelly Bag.

After her death, Kelly's legacy as a fashion icon lived on. Modern designers, such as Tommy Hilfiger and Zac Posen, have cited her as a fashion inspiration. During her lifetime, she was known for introducing the "fresh faced" look, one that involved bright skin and natural beauty with little makeup. Her fashion legacy was even commemorated at the Victoria and Albert Museum of London, where an exhibit titled, "Grace Kelly: Style Icon" paid tribute to her impact on the world of fashion. The exhibit included 50 of her legendary ensembles. She is remembered for her "college-girl" everyday fashion, defined by her pulled-together yet simple look.

Physical Characteristics: Kelly was always a stunning beauty, even as an infant. To experts, including the great actress Helen Hayes, Kelly was unsuited to live stage acting because of her shallow voice.

Height - 5 ft 6½ in (169 cm)

Weight - 55 kg (121 pounds)

Hair color - blonde

Eye color - blue

Measurements - 34-24-35 in (86-61-89 cm)

Dress size - 4 (US) or 34 (EU)

Bra size - 32B

Shoe size - 8 (US)

In 1962, she got pregnant with Prince Rainier of Monaco’s child twice, but both times, she suffered miscarriages.

Quotes from others about the person

• Rumor has it that Kelly wasn't quite so regal and composed behind closed doors. According to Louisette Levy-Soussan Azzoaglio, who served as her personal assistant for years, the Princess had a decidedly bawdy streak: "She wasn't stuffy. She had a mischievous sense of humor, a glint of naughtiness in her eye and a great passion for limericks – even saucy ones. The actor David Niven shared her love of banter. There were gales of laughter every time he visited the palace."

Interests

• Her graduation yearbook listed her favorite actress as Ingrid Bergman and her favorite actor as Joseph Cotten.
  
  Grace reportedly loved cheeseburgers.

• Writers

  One of Kelly’s favorite quotations was from the poet Kahlil Gibran: “When love beckons to you, follow him, though his voice may shatter your dreams….”

• Artists

  Princess Grace had an art studio at Roc d'Agel where she worked on her pressed flower art.

• Sport & Clubs

  Grace Kelly enjoyed playing hockey and swimming, but was not a passionate athlete. She preferred instead to practice ballet, to read, and to study theatrical arts.

Connections

Grace Patricia Kelly married Prince Rainier III on 19th April, 1956, and there after she became the Princess of Monaco. The couple was blessed with three children Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Albert II, Prince of Monaco, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. After her marriage she abandoned her acting career and embarked into philanthropic works.

The royal couple's eldest child, Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite, was born in January of 1957. Their next child, Crown Prince Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre, was born in March of the following year. Their youngest child, Princess Stephanie Marie Elisabeth, was born in February of 1965.

Father:

John Brendan Kelly Sr.

(October 4, 1889 – June 20, 1960)

He was one of the most accomplished American competitors in the history of the sport of rowing. He was a triple Olympic champion, the first to be so in the sport of rowing. The Philadelphia-based Kelly also was a multimillionaire in the bricklaying and construction industry. He was the father of actress Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco (thus maternal grandfather of Albert II, Prince of Monaco), and of John B. Kelly Jr., an accomplished rower in his own right who served as president of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Mother:

Margaret Katherine Majer Kelly

(December 13, 1898 – January 6, 1990)

She was an American Instructor of physical education for women and first coach of women's teams at Penn. She was the wife of John B. Kelly Sr., the three-time Olympic Gold Medal winner in rowing, and mother of Grace Kelly, actress and Princess consort of Monaco, and of John B. Kelly Jr., an accomplished rower. She also a maternal grandmother of Albert II, Prince of Monaco.

Spouse:

Rainier III

(31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005)

He ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs in European history. Though internationally known for his marriage to American actress Grace Kelly, he was also responsible for reforms to Monaco's constitution and for expanding the principality's economy beyond its traditional casino gambling base.

Sister:

Margaret Kelly Conlan

(1925–1991)

Brother:

John B. Kelly Jr.

(May 24, 1927 – March 2, 1985)

He was an accomplished rower, a four-time Olympian, and an Olympic medal winner. He was also the son of triple Olympic gold medal winner John B. Kelly Sr., and the elder brother of the actress and Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly. In 1947, Kelly was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

Daughter:

Caroline, Princess of Hanover

(born January 23, 1957)

She is the eldest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Princess Grace of Monaco formerly known as American actress Grace Kelly. She is the elder sister of Prince Albert II and Princess Stéphanie. Until the births of her niece and nephew Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques of Monaco in December 2014 she had been heir presumptive to the throne of Monaco since 2005, a position which she previously held from 1957 to 1958.

Son:

Albert II

(born 14 March 1958)

He is the reigning monarch of the Principality of Monaco and head of the princely house of Grimaldi. He is the son of Prince Rainier III and the American actress Grace Kelly. Prince Albert's sisters are Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and Princess Stéphanie.

Daughter:

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac

(born 1 February 1965)

She is the youngest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Princess Grace of Monaco formerly known as American actress Grace Kelly, and the sister of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Caroline, Princess of Hanover. Currently 11th in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne, she has been a singer, swimwear designer and fashion model.

Sister:

Elizabeth Kelly LeVine

(1933–2009)

colleague:

Alfred Hitchcock

(13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980)

He was an English film director and producer, widely regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.

Friend:

Maureen O'Hara

(17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015)

She was an Irish and American actress and singer.

References

• Grace Kelly
• Grace Kelly of Monaco: The Inspiring Story of How An American Film Star Became a Princess
• High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly
• Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves - the definitive biography of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco
• Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier