Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an Oscar-winning American film actress who, as a result of marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco on April 19, 1956, became Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco. She was the mother of the principality's current reigning Sovereign Prince, Albert II of Monaco. Princess Grace was required to renounce her American citizenship upon her marriage.
Early life
Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Brendan Kelly, Sr., also known as Jack Kelly, and Margaret Katherine Majer, a Catholic convert from Lutheranism. Kelly's father's Irish American Catholic family (originally from Kidney Lake, Newport, Co. Mayo, Ireland) were new but prominent figures in Philadelphia society. Her father was a self-made millionaire and a gold-medal-winning Olympic sculler, and her brother John B. Kelly, Jr., sometimes known as "Jack, Jr." followed in that tradition. John, Jr., purportedly gave his sister as a wedding present the bronze medal he won at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Kelly Drive in Philadelphia is named for John, Jr., who was a city councilman there. Her father's family was large and she had two prominent uncles in the arts: one, Walter Kelly, was a vaudevillian, and the other was the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, George Kelly. Kelly's maternal grandparents, Carl Majer and Margaretha Berg, were of German descent.
Career
Though 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. The following year she "starred" (with a supporting role) in High Noon (1952), a generally praised but somewhat controversial western starring Gary Cooper.
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. Whilst filming this movie she had an affair with Gable later memorably commenting "What else is there to do if you're alone in a tent in Africa with Clark Gable?" 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.
In 1955, she was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Country Girl. 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
Princess Grace at a press conference in Montreal, during
Expo 1967.
Princess Grace of Monaco's gravesite in St. Nicholas Cathedral, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The musical comedy High Society (1956) was her last film, as her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco marked her retirement from acting. Before her marriage, she was previously allegedly involved with Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Ray Milland, William Holden, Oleg Cassini, and Jean-Pierre Aumont. She reportedly was surprised to learn from Rainier that she was expected to give up her film career entirely, but followed his wishes grudgingly.
Her Catholicism and ability to bear children were key factors in her being chosen to marry Prince Rainier. Tales were circulated that Monaco would revert to France in the absence of an heir; and though there is no requirement for a Catholic marriage, it was thought unlikely that a Catholic prince would divorce and remarry if his chosen wife were barren. In fact, there was really little actual danger that Monaco would revert to France since, in 1882, a childless prince of Monaco adopted an unrelated heir, thereby ensuring Monaco's survival as a principality. Prince Rainier's maternal grandfather, Prince Louis II of Monaco also legitimized his illegitimate daughter Charlotte Louvet, who would become Rainier's mother and made her his heir Princess Charlotte of Monaco.
Before Grace Kelly drew Rainier's attention, French film star Gisèle Pascal (neé Giselle Marie Madeleine Tallone) had been his love interest for six years. Gisèle and Rainier supposedly parted when a physical examination reportedly found her to be infertile, but Giséle later married Raymond Pellegrin on October 8, 1955, and bore at least one child.
Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had three children:
In 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. Due to Prince Albert's enduring bachelorhood, Monegasque law now states that in the event of a reigning prince's lack of descendants, his siblings and their children will inherit the throne. The line of succession is now Princess Caroline, then her children by her late second husband Stefano Casiraghi, who died in 1990, and her daughter by her third husband, HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover.
At the age of 52, in September 1982, Princess Grace suffered a stroke while driving. It had been rumored that she was driving on the same stretch of highway in Monaco that had been featured in To Catch a Thief, although her son claims that it was not. It resulted in an accident, and she died the next day without regaining consciousness. Princess Stéphanie, who was alleged by some sources to have been the actual driver of the car, suffered only minor injuries.
Princess Grace is interred in St. Nicholas Cathedral, Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Filmography
Trivia
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier on a 1956 stamp of
Monaco.
She was the first actress ever to appear on a postage stamp. (Source: The Book of Useless Information, published 2002.)
The French haute couture fashion house Hermès named one of its most famous, and now sought-after, products for Grace Kelly - the "Kelly Bag." Waiting lists of up to two years are not unusual for this handbag, and prices start at $5000 for the small bag in plain leather, rising past $50,000 for crocodile skin or other unusual materials.
The classic head-wrap using a silk scarf which is crossed under the chin and knotted at the side or nape of the neck is universally known as the "Grace Kelly." This chic look is still copied by many female Hollywood stars when they wish to retain a degree of anonymity in the public eye. Famous users include: Sharon Stone, Madonna, Annette Bening, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
See also
