Grace Kelly

Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 12 November 1929 to John and Margaret Kelly. John B. Kelly was a wealthy contractor. At a young age, Grace decided she wanted to become an actress, and studied acting (primarily theater) at American Academy of Dramatic Art and worked as an actress and model in New York before moving to Hollywood. When in New York, Grace promoted Old Gold cigarettes and appeared on the covers of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Redbook.

Grace debuted in the film 14 Hours, in a minor supporting role, but then starred in High Noon, in which she played a "mousey" Quaker bride. Grace then appeared in Mogambo, which won her an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Her work in High Noon and a screen test for the film Taxi piqued the interest of director Alfred Hitchcock, who, with the aid of Edith Head, pruned Grace into his ideal of the elegant, beautiful blonde. She gave Hitchcock wonderful performances in Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief. Grace went against Hitchcock's vision of her for the film The Country Girl, which won her the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role of 1954. The success of the song "True Love" from the movie High Society earned Grace a gold record. In 1956, she was voted the Golden Globe's World Film Favorite Actor, Female.

In 1956, she married Prince Rainier Grimaldi III of Monaco to become Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco. Because of her royalty, she was forced to give up her successful acting career, in which she made eleven films. She had three children: Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie. Grace died on 14 September 1982 after her car went off a road in the cliffs of Monaco.

Source: www.gracekellyonline.com