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Grace, Princess of Monaco ''née'' '''Grace Patricia Kelly''' ( November 12 1929 – September 14 1982 ) was an Academy Award -winning American film and Stage Actress who, upon marriage to Rainier III, Prince Of Monaco in 1956 , became '''Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco ''', but was generally known as '''Princess Gracia Patricia of Monaco'''. Princess Grace maintained dual American and Monegasque citizenship after her marriage. The principality's current Sovereign Prince, Albert II is the son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace. The American Film Institute ranked Kelly No. 13 amongst the Greatest Female Stars Of All Time . FAMILY Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , where she grew up in the East Falls section, the third of four children to John Brendan Kelly, Sr. , also known as Jack Kelly, and Margaret Katherine Majer Kelly. Grace's siblings, in order of age, were Peggy, John Jr., and Lizzane. Her father was one of ten children of John Henry Kelly (1847-1897) and Mary Costello in an , and George Kelly , a Pulitzer Prize -winning playwright, who outside of Grace was assiduously looked down upon by the family stemming from his Homosexuality .1 In 1935, John Kelly ran for mayor of Philadelphia, losing by the closest margin for any Democrat in Philadelphia. He later served on the Fairmount Park Commission. During World War II , President Franklin Roosevelt appointed him National Director of Physical Fitness, a post that allowed Kelly to use his fame to promote the virtues of physical fitness. Grace's mother, born to Lutheran German parents (Carl Majer and Margaretha Berg), converted to Catholicism on marrying Mr. Kelly. Like her husband, Margaret Kelly was a proponent of health and fitness, studying Physical Education at Temple University and later becoming the first woman to head the Physical Education Department at the University Of Pennsylvania . in 1947 as the top amateur athlete in the country. As a wedding gift, John, Jr., gave his sister his bronze medal from the 1956 Summer Olympics . Kelly Drive in Philadelphia is named for John, Jr., who was a city councilman there. ACTING CAREER
Grace Kelly’s choice of career was reflected in her childhood experiences. While attending the prestigious Ravenhill Academy, Grace modeled fashions at local social events with her mother and sisters. She gained her first acting experience at the age of 12, when she played a lead role in ''Don't Feed the Animals'', a play produced by the Old Academy Players in East Falls.2 During high school, she acted and danced, graduating from Stevens School, a small private school in a mansion on Walnut Lane in Germantown , Philadelphia, in May 1947. Her graduation yearbook listed her favorite actress as Ingrid Bergman ; her favorite actor, Joseph Cotten ; her favorite summer resort, Ocean City ; her favorite drink, a black and white chocolate milkshake; her favorite piece of classical music, Debussy 's " Clair De Lune "; her favorite orchestra, Benny Goodman ; and her favorite female singer, Jo Stafford . Written in the "Stevens' Prophecy" section was, “Miss Grace P. Kelly - a famous star of stage and screen.” Theater Upon her rejection to Bennington College in July 1947, on account of her low mathematic scores (to the dismay of her mother), Grace decided to pursue her dreams of a career in the theater, using a scene from her uncle's play, ''Torchbearers'', for an audition into the American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in New York. Although the school had already selected its quota for the semester, Grace wangled an interview with Emile Diestel, the school's admission officer. Notable talents including Katharine Hepburn , Lauren Bacall , Gene Tierney and Spencer Tracy had all studied there. Living in Manhattan's Barbizon Hotel For Women , a prestigious establishment which barred men from entering after ten at night and working as a model to support her studies, Grace began her first term the following October. A diligent student, she would use a 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 in ''The Philadelphia Story'', a role with which she would also end her film career. She caught the eye of television producer Delbert Mann , who cast her as Bethel Maraday in her first of nearly 60 live television programs. Success on television eventually brought her a role in a major motion picture. Kelly appeared in a small role in '' Fourteen Hours '' ( 1951 ), that was her first role in a film. She was 22 years old, which led to many offers, all of which she turned down for independence and another chance at the theater. She was performing in Colorado’s notable Elitch Gardens when she received a telegram from Hollywood producer Stanley Kramer , offering her the starring role opposite Gary Cooper in '' High Noon '' ( 1952 ). According to biographer Wendy Leigh, Kelly had an off-set romance with both Cooper and director Fred Zinnemann . High Noon became very popular in the fifties. ]] Actress for MGM In September to begin production. She later told famed 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."3 Critics praised Grace's patrician beauty, despite receiving third billing. The role garnered her a Golden Globe Award For Best Supporting Actress and her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress . After the heightened success of ''Mogambo'', Grace starred in a TV play "''The Way of an Eagle''" with Jean-Pierre Aumont before being cast in the film adaptation of Frederick Knott 's Broadway hit '' Dial M For Murder ''. Alfred Hitchcock was at the director's helm. Hitchcock soon became one of Kelly's last mentors. Hitchcock also took full advantage of Kelly's virginal beauty on camera. In a scene in which her character Margot Wendice is nearly murdered, a struggle that breaks out between her and her would-be-killer Tony Dawson clearly accentuates her curves and statuesque figure, which is closely hugged by a flimsy Nightgown as she kicks her legs and flails her arms attempting to fight off her killer. ''Dial M for Murder'' opened in theaters in May 1954 to both positive reviews and box-office triumph. The role of Margot Wendice was a beginning for Grace as a poised and confident role-playing actress. Grace began filming her scenes for her next film, The Bridges At Toko-Ri , in January 1954 with William Holden . The role of Nancy, the cordially wretched wife of naval officer Harry, played by Holden, proves to be a minor, but pivotal part of the story. Released in January 1955, '' The New Yorker '' wrote of Kelly and Holden's unbridled onscreen chemistry, taking note of Grace's performance on part "with quiet confidence." In October 1954 Grace received a telegram that Alfred Hitchcock had scheduled her a wardrobe fitting with Edith Head , arguably Hollywood's most premier and elite costume designer, for the director's next film, '' Rear Window ''. In going forth with the role of Lisa Freemont, Grace unhesitatingly turned down the opportunity to star alongside Marlon Brando in '' On The Waterfront '', which won her replacement Eva Marie Saint , an Academy Award. "All through the making of ''Dial M for Murder'', he {Link without Title} sat and talked to me about ''Rear Window'' all the time, even before we had discussed my being in it."4 Much like the shooting of ''Dial M for Murder'', Grace and Hitchcock shared a close bond of humor and admiration. Sometimes, however, minor strifes would emerge on set concerning the wardrobe.
''.]] Grace's new co-star James Stewart was highly enthused about working with Grace.5 The role of Lisa Freemont, a wealthy Manhattan socialite and model, was unlike any of the previous women which she had played. For the very first time, she was an independent career woman. Stewart played a speculative photographer with a broken leg, bound to a wheelchair, who is curiously reduced to observing the happenings of tenants outside his window. Grace is not seen until twenty-two minutes into the movie. Just as he had done earlier, Hitchcock graciously provides the camera with a slow-sequenced silhouette of Grace, along with a close-up of the two stars kissing and finally lingering closely on her profile. With the film's opening in October 1954, Grace was yet again praised. Variety 's film critic embracingly tells of the idealistic casting, commenting about the "earthy quality to the relationship between Stewart and Miss Kelly. Both do a fine job of the picture's acting demands." She was awarded the role of Bing Crosby 's long-suffering wife in '' The Country Girl '', after a pregnant Jennifer Jones bowed out. Already familiar with the play, Grace was desperate for the part. This meant to MGM's dismay, that she would have to be loaned out to Paramount . Grace threatened the studio that she would pack her bags and leave for New York for good. The vanquished studio caved in, and the part was hers. Much to the audience's surprise, ''The Country Girl'' was shot in black and white, having become accustomed to seeing the alluring blonde in Technicolor . The film also paired Grace again with William Holden. The wife of a washed-up alcoholic singer, played by Crosby, Grace is emotionally torn between two lovers. Holden wilfully begs Grace to leave her husband and be with him. A piece of frail tenderness manages to cloak itself inside of her, even after having been demonized by Crosby, describing "a pathetic hint of frailty in a wonderful glowing man. That appeals a lot to us. It did to me. I was so young. His weaknesses seemed touching and sweet, they made me love him more." The following March, Grace would be honored with the Academy Award For Best Actress . Her character's modest appearance and the film's demanding scenes were a departure from her on-screen persona of the graceful heiress, which she perfected and embodied through her last role in '' High Society '' ( 1956 ), the musical remake of '' The Philadelphia Story '' ( 1940 ). In April 1954, Grace flew to Colombia for a brief ten-day shoot to film her next project, '' Green Fire '', with Stewart Granger . Grace plays Kathy Noland, an extremely small role as a coffee plantation owner. In Granger's autobiography he writes of his distaste for the film's script, while Grace confided to Hedda Hopper later, "It wasn't pleasant. We worked at a pathetic village - miserable huts and dirty. Part of the crew got shipwrecked ... It was awful."6 ''Green Fire'' was a critical and box-office failure. It is undoubtedly looked down upon as Grace's least appealing film. After the back-to-back shooting of ''Rear Window'', ''Toko-Ri'', ''Country Girl'', and ''Green Fire'', Grace, exhausted, flew to ], I much preferred Grace. She had serenity."7 The character she plays, Frances Stevens, an American oil heiress, mirrors Grace's own persona, equally sharing sex appeal, sensuality, and dignified elegance. The celebrated fireworks scene is among favorites for any romantic. Hitchcock subliminally peppers an undertone of sexual innuendo during the sequence. In the now famous speedy picnic drive, dressed in a peach and white dress, with her trademark white gloves, Grace's real life fear of driving and her inability to properly function an automobile, are eerily captured on film. The same long, and spiraling strip of road would one day hurtle her to her death. Though her film career lasted just five years and eleven films, Kelly's beauty and charm left an impression on the hearts of Americans and all moviegoers that persists to this day. MARRIAGE .]] In April 1955, Grace Kelly was asked to head the U.S. delegation at the Cannes Film Festival . While there, she was invited to participate in a photo session at the Palace of Monaco with Prince Rainier III , the ruling sovereign of the principality. After a series of delays and complications, Kelly was finally able to make it to Monaco, where she met the prince. Upon returning to America, Grace began work on her next feature film, '' The Swan '' ( 1956 ), 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 had stated that if Rainier did not produce an heir, Monaco would revert to France. 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 asked: "If you ''were'' pursuing a wife, what kind would you like?" Rainier smiled and answered, "I don't know—the best." Rainier met with Grace and her family, and after three days, the prince proposed. Grace accepted and the families began preparing for what the press called "The Wedding of the Century". The wedding was set for 19 April 1956 . News of the engagement was a sensation even though it meant the possible end to Grace's film career. Industry professionals realized that it would have been an impracticality for her to continue acting and wished her well. Alfred Hitchcock had quipped that he was “very happy that Grace has found herself such a good part.” Preparations for the wedding were elaborate. The Palace of Monaco was painted and redecorated throughout. The voyage of the American contingent to Monaco was an ordeal: on April 4, 1956, leaving from Pier 84 in New York Harbor, Grace, with her family, bridesmaids, poodle, and over eighty pieces of luggage boarded the ocean liner SS Constitution for the Riviera. Some 400 reporters applied to sail, though most were turned away. Thousands of fans sent the party off for the eight-day voyage. In Monaco, more than twenty-thousand people lined the streets to greet the future princess. The wedding consisted of two ceremonies. On April 18, in the Palace Throne Room, was the 40-minute civil ceremony, which was broadcast across Europe. To cap the ceremony, the 142 official titles (counterparts of Rainier's) that she acquired in the union were formally recited. PRINCESS OF MONACO The following day, the event concluded with the church ceremony at Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral . Grace's wedding dress, designed by MGM 's Academy Award-winning Helen Rose , had been worked on by three dozen seamstresses for six weeks. The 600 guests included Hollywood stars David Niven , his wife Hjordis, Gloria Swanson , Ava Gardner , the crowned head Aga Khan and Conrad Hilton , as an estimated 30 million people watched on television. Frank Sinatra initially accepted the invitation to attend, but at the last minute decided otherwise, afraid of upstaging the bride on her wedding day. Queen Elizabeth flatly refused to attend on the grounds of there being "too many movie stars." The prince and princess left that night for their 7-week Mediterranean cruise honeymoon on Rainier's yacht, ''Deo Juvante II''. Children and family Nine months and four days later, Princess Grace gave birth to the royal couple's first child, Princess Caroline . Twenty-one guns announced the event, a national holiday was called, gambling ceased, and free champagne flowed throughout the principality. A little over a year later, 101 guns announced the birth of their second child, Prince Albert. Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had three children:
Acting Princess Grace never returned to acting, choosing rather to fulfill her responsibilities as the consort of Monaco's Prince. In 1962, when Hitchcock offered Grace the lead in his film, '' Marnie '', she was eager to take the opportunity to return to the screen. Rainier consented, but public outcry against her involvement made her reconsider and ultimately reject the project. Grace was able to return to the arts in a series of poetry readings on stage and the narration of the 1977 film documentary '' The Children Of Theater Street ''. As princess, she 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. In 1981, the Prince and Princess celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. SPECULATION AND GOSSIP ON PERSONAL LIFE Grace Kelly was the object of tabloid speculation and gossip throughout her life. Her love life was a particular focus of this speculation. Stories of affairs circulated from her first major role in motion pictures and eventually included the names of almost every major actor at the time. This eventually distressed Kelly herself. Grace and the Shah Of Iran became acquainted near the end of 1949 at the Waldorf , during the Shah's official visit to America. Grace's childhood friend (and later, her bridesmaid) Maree Frisby Rambo said in an interview with biographer Wendy Leigh, that Kelly and the Shah dated at least six times. The Shah had been the ruler of Iran since 1941, was thirty years old at the time, and besieged Kelly with vast amounts of jewelery: a gold birdcage housing a diamond sapphire bird, a gold vanity case with a clasp set with thirty-two diamonds, and a gold bracelet with an intricate pearl and diamond face. Grace, however, had never had any intention of marrying the Shah, and immediately sent the gifts back. She decided to keep the jewels and later presented the pieces to her bridesmaids as keepsakes on the eve of her wedding.8 Despite the brutality of the Shah's regime, Grace fiercely defended him until his death.9 During the making of '' Dial M For Murder '', Kelly seduced her co-star Ray Milland ; he was twenty-four years older than she, but just as charming and suave as he was when she swooned over him years earlier as a teenager watching '' The Lost Weekend ''. Milland was a married man of thirty years, with a son by his wife Muriel. The attraction between Kelly and Milland could not have been any more different from their circumstances in the film. Grace Kelly was in love. Milland assured her that he had left his wife, which she would later find out to have been a lie.10 After Muriel Milland found out about the affair, she and Ray Milland separated. Kelly was branded a home-wrecker. Muriel Milland was one of the most popular wives in Hollywood, and she had the support of many friends, including gossip columnist Hedda Hopper . After Kelly gave a press interview explaining her side of the story, the town seemed to lose interest in the scandal. It was reported to the press that Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby met for the first time when they were introduced during the making of ''The Country Girl''. This however was untrue. Sue Ladd , the widow of Alan Ladd , told Grace Kelly biographer James Spada , that while Bing's then wife Dixie was battling terminal cancer, Bing and Grace had been trysting in the Ladds' home.11 What Kelly didn't know was that, by the time filming commenced on ''The Country Girl'', Crosby had already been dating actress Kathryn Grant . Three days before the date scheduled for Crosby's marriage to Grant, he confessed to having had an affair with Grace Kelly, and that he no longer wished to marry her. Unbeknownst to Kelly, throughout their affair, Bing had continued to express his love for Grant. Kelly was determined to become Crosby's wife. He later reconciled with Kathryn Grant and proposed to her once again, explaining to her that he had broken off the relationship with Grace Kelly. In a strange twist of fate, Russian fashion designer Oleg Cassini , having just seen ''Mogambo'' earlier that evening, encountered Grace Kelly that same night having dinner at Le Veau d'Or. Cassini, who was raised in Florence , having an abundance of charm and courtliness and whose ex-wife was the beautiful actress Gene Tierney , became just as captivated by Kelly in person, as he had previously watching her in the film. Kelly's curiosity was soon piqued after she began receiving a bouquet of red roses every day. Cassini's persistence paid off when Kelly accepted his invitation to lunch, with the provision that she bring her sister Peggy along. The two became engaged within the first month of meeting. Their desire to marry quickly was later revealed to have been prompted by the fact that she was pregnant. "The couple planned to have a small secret wedding, with Grace taking time off to have the baby," John Glatt wrote. "But at the last minute she changed her mind. Torn between her devout Catholic upbringing, her movie career and her love of Cassini, Grace decided she could not risk a scandal. So, instead of going through with the marriage, she had an Abortion ." When Cassini was asked by Glatt about the abortion, he remained defensive and evasive, commenting that, "It's too delicate a matter. I don't have to answer this and I will make no comment about that. Absolutely no comment. Let people think what they want to think," Cassini explained.1213 In a 1960s interview, Kelly explained how she had grown to accept the scrutiny as a part of being in the public eye, but expressed concern for her children’s exposure to such relentless scandalmongering. After her death, celebrity biographers chronicled the rumors with renewed enthusiasm. DEATH On September 13, 1982, while driving with her daughter Stephanie to Monaco from their country home, Princess Grace, then 52, suffered a Stroke , causing her Rover P6 http://www.channel4.com/4car/ft/feature/top+ten/1737/8 4Car Feature, Top Ten: Notorious cars to plunge down the mountainside. Princess Grace died the next day without regaining consciousness. Princess Stephanie suffered only minor injuries. It was rumored that she had been driving on the same stretch of highway that had been featured in her 1955 movie ''To Catch a Thief'', although her son says that it was not. Princess Grace is interred in Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco ; Prince Rainier was buried alongside her following his death in 2005. Nearly 100 million people worldwide watched her funeral. Princess Grace was one of the most remembered princesses in Monegasque history. 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." During her lifetime, Princess Grace of Monaco was committed to helping emerging artists realize their career goals. Following her death, Prince Rainier of Monaco mobilized a group of individuals to establish the Princess Grace Foundation-USA as a tribute to her legacy. Since then — and until his death in 2005 — Prince Rainier and his children have been active in the oversight and direction of the organization. Now in its 25th year, the Foundation continues its mission to assist emerging performing artists in film, dance and theater, in honor of Princess Grace. TITLES Miss Grace Patricia Kelly (1929-1956) HSH The Princess of Monaco (1959-1982), informally Grace, Princess of Monaco (or) Princess Grace. FILMOGRAPHY CULTURAL REFERENCES - MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
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"3" style="background: #C1D8FF" Princess Consort to the Reigning Monarch of Monaco |
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