Film actress and princess, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. After studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Art, she acted in television and on Broadway, and made her film debut in 1951. Her short but highly successful film career as a coolly elegant beauty included such classics as the Western High Noon (1952), Rear Window (1954), The Country Girl (1954, Oscar), To Catch a Thief (1955), and High Society (1956). In 1956 she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and retired from the screen. She was killed in a car accident.
| Grace Patricia Kelly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Princess of Monaco | ||
| Titles | HSH The Princess of Monaco | |
| Born | November 12, 1929 | |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. | ||
| Died | September 14, 1982 | |
| Monte Carlo, Monaco | ||
| Consort | April 19, 1956 - September 14, 1982 | |
| Consort to | Rainier III | |
| Issue | Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, Princess Stéphanie | |
| Royal House | Grimaldi | |
| Father | John B. | |
| Mother | Margaret Katherine Majer | |
Grace, Princess of Monaco, née Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an Academy Award-winning American film actress who, upon marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco on April 19, 1956, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco.
Early life
Grace Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Brendan Kelly, Sr., also known as Jack Kelly, and Margaret Katherine Majer Kelly, a German American Catholic convert from Lutheranism. Kelly's father's Irish American Catholic family (originally from Kidney Lake, Newport, County Mayo, Ireland) were new but prominent figures in Philadelphia society. During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed the senior Kelly as his National Director of Physical Fitness, a public relations post which allowed Kelly to use his fame to extoll the virtues of physical fitness. Her father's large family included two prominent uncles in the arts: Walter Kelly, a vaudevillian, and the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright, George Kelly.
Career
Although her family had opposed her becoming an actress, Kelly became a fashion model and appeared in her first film, Fourteen Hours (1951), when she was 22.
Her next film, Mogambo (1953), was a drama set in the Kenyan jungle which centers on the love triangle portrayed by Kelly, Clark Gable, and Ava Gardner. The movie earned Kelly an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but the award went to Donna Reed for her role in From Here to Eternity. Kelly made three films with Alfred Hitchcock: Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief. While it was being filmed, she was romanced by co-star Bing Crosby, a fellow Irish Catholic (who had recently lost his wife), but Kelly always denied that they had an affair.
Life as Princess
The musical comedy High Society (1956) was her last film, as her marriage to Rainier III marked her retirement from acting. Prince Rainier's maternal grandfather, Louis II also legitimized his illegitimate daughter Charlotte Louvet (later Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois), who would become Rainier's mother and made her his heir.
Before Kelly drew Rainier's attention, French film star Gisèle Pascal had been his love interest for six years.
Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had three children:
Hereditary Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite, born January 23, 1957, and now heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco Albert II, Prince of Monaco, born March 14, 1958 Princess Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth, born February 1, 1965In 2002 a new treaty between France and Monaco clarified that even if there are no direct heirs of the reigning prince, the principality will remain an independent nation, rather than reverting to France.
Princess Grace is interred in St. Nicholas Cathedral, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Prince Rainier was buried alongside her following his death in 2005.
Filmography
Fourteen Hours (1951) High Noon (1952) Mogambo (1953) Dial M for Murder (1954) Green Fire (1954) Rear Window (1954) The Country Girl (1954) The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) To Catch a Thief (1955) The Swan (1956) High Society (1956) The Nativity(1982)[short, voice only]|
Preceded by: Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday |
Academy Award for Best Actress 1954 for The Country Girl |
Succeeded by: Anna Magnani for The Rose Tattoo |
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