Grace Kelly, both literally and metaphorically, was the cinema's fairy-tale
princess; beautiful, elegant, and impossibly glamorous, she transcended the limits of Hollywood
aristocracy to attain the power and glory of true royalty. She was born the third of four children
on November 12, 1929 to a rich Irish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Grace’s father was a
wealthy industrialist while her mother was a onetime cover girl. One of her uncles was the stage
actor Walter Kelly. Another one was the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist George Kelly, author of
the plays "The Show-Off" and "Craig's Wife”. It was he, who gave little Grace her passion for acting
at a very early age.
After she graduated from High School in 1947, Grace left for New York in the hope of becoming a
student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She was accepted and during the following
years she paid for her studies by taking on jobs as a model and acting on Broadway and on TV.
Her friends at the AADA remember her working relentlessly at perfecting her voice. This training
made her pronunciation sound more British than American. Two years later, after moving to
California, she landed a small part in 'Fourteen Hours'.
Her second film was 'High Noon', which
became one of the most beloved films of all times. However, Grace went farely unnoticed. In
1953, Grace landed the part of Linda Nordley in 'Mogambo' and a seven-year contract with
MGM. Her performance won her an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
But it was with her next movie that she would really become a star. The movie was 'Dial M
For Murder' of Alfred Hitchcock. During the filming of Dial, Hitchcock's mind was on his next
picture: “Rear Window”. The director could imagine no other actress than Grace in the lead.
“Rear Window” turned out to be one of Hitchcock's masterpieces. After the movie was
completed, Grace was one of the greatest stars in Hollywood. She desperately wanted to
play the part of Georgie Elgin in “The Country Girl” (1954), for which she won an Academy Award
for best actress as Bing Crosby's dowdy wife. That year, Grace Kelly appeared also in “Green Fire”,
“The Bridges at Toko-Ri” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief”. To Hitchcock, Grace was the
epitome of the perfect leading lady: she had poise, elegance, sophistication, breathtaking beauty
and above all unparalleled class. She symbolized the perfect Hitchcock blonde: her outward
aloofness clashing with her inward fire.
After making The Swan (1956) and High Society (1956), she married Prince Rainier and became
princess of Monaco. She never acted again, though remained active in other ways, as a narrator
and a member of the Board of Directors of 20th Century Fox. She had three children -- Caroline,
Albert, and Stephanie. In the early 70s, Grace and Rainier's diverging interests led to their
gradual separation. Still, they went on with their respective roles and duties. Princess Grace died
of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She and her daughter Stephanie were driving on
a winding road at Cap-d'Ail when Princess Grace suffered a heart attack and lost control of the
car, which plunged down a 45-foot embankment.
Stephanie was initially thought to have sustained only cuts and bruises in the crash but
was later found to have a serious spinal injury. Grace fell into a coma and died thirty-six
hours later in a hospital at the age of fifty-two. This was on September 14, 1982.
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."
Grace Kelly’s beauty and determination conquered Hollywood in a few years' time and her short
but brilliant career will shine forever in movie history.
