Eugene Curran Kelly

@Dancers, Family and Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Read about the famous American film actor and director, Gene Kelly, in the biography below which has all the information pertaining to his profile, childhood, life and timeline. School Dropouts American Film & Theater Personalities Actors Leo Celebrities Gene Kelly, whose name is synonymous with dance, was a leading figure of Hollywood musical films of the mid-1940s. His dancing style which was based on ballet, made a serious impact on the film industry for the first time. He proved that dance is not typically a woman’s forte and that men can excel in it too. At that time when dance, especially ballet, was restricted to the theatres only, he was instrumental in introducing it into the films. Soon, dancing was not just a part of the film, but films began to be made on dance! He danced his way to glory in the peak days of Hollywood musicals, choreographing in almost all of his films. Kelly laid a great impression upon the film industry owing to his innate ability to think out of the box. He was not just focused on achieving perfection in dancing, but also experimented with his style in almost every film, making the best use of lighting, camera techniques and special effects to render extraordinary visuals. He believed that dancing in films is not any different, but if one is to make a film on dancing, it is bound to have more than just plain dancing. Kelly certainly achieved what he aspired to and also made way for other actors/dancers who come to Hollywood with similar dreams.

Personal Details

Birthday: August 23, 1912 Died on: February 2, 1996 Nationality: American Famous: Dancers, School Dropouts, Film & Theater Personalities, Actors Spouses: Betsy Blair (m. 1941–1957), Jeanne Coyne (m. 1960–1973), Patricia Ward (m. 1990–1996) Siblings: Fred Kelly Known as: Gene Kelly Information Detail Birthday August 23, 1912 Died on February 2, 1996 Nationality American Famous Dancers, School Dropouts, Film & Theater Personalities, Actors Spouses Betsy Blair (m. 1941–1957), Jeanne Coyne (m. 1960–1973), Patricia Ward (m. 1990–1996) Siblings Fred Kelly Known as Gene Kelly Childrens Bridget Kelly, Kerry Kelly, Timothy Kelly Universities Pennsylvania State College University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh School of Law Birth Place Pittsburgh Gender Male Father James Patrick Joseph Kelly Mother Harriet Catherine Sun Sign Leo Born in Pittsburgh Famous as American dancer Died at Age 83

Pittsburgh

Eugene Curran Kelly born at Unsplash Birth Place

Kelly’s first marriage was with Betsy Blair in 1941, with whom he had a daughter Kerry, before they got divorced in 1957. Unsplash Personal Life

He married Jeanne Coyne, his choreographic assistant, in 1960 and was with her till her death in 1973. The couple had two children Bridget and Tim. Unsplash Personal Life

His last marriage was to Patricia Ward which took place in 1990. Unsplash Personal Life

Kelly was born to Harriet Catherine and James Patrick Joseph Kelly as their third son. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

At the age of eight, he was enrolled to dance classes against his wish. He dreamt of playing baseball for the ‘Pittsburgh Pirates’ a Major League Baseball club from his hometown, Pittsburgh. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He was sent to the St. Raphael Elementary School and later to the Peabody High School, from where he graduated in 1929. With the ambition of studying journalism, he enrolled to the Pennsylvania State College, but financial difficulties forced him to work in order to support his family. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1931, he attended the University of Pittsburgh where he studied economics. There, under the department of theatre and arts, he joined the ‘Cap and Gown Club’. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He graduated from the university in 1933, with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Then he went on to join the University of Pittsburgh Law School, while still in contact with the University of Pittsburgh and serving as the director of ‘Cap and Gown Club’ in 1934. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Not being able to find any suitable job in New York, Kelly returned to Pittsburg where he choreographed the musical show ‘Hold Your Hats’ in April, 1938, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. The same year, in November, he made his Broadway debut as a dancer in the musical ‘Leave It to Me!’ Unsplash Career

In 1939, he appeared in the famous five-act play ‘The Time of Your Life’, which established him as a dancer in the industry. Unsplash Career

In 1940, his extraordinary performance in the famous musical ‘Pal Joey’ shot him to fame and grabbed the attention of MGM executive, Louis B. Mayer who offered him a film contract with his company. Unsplash Career

Thus, he made his first film ‘For Me and My Gal’ in 1942 in which he was cast along with Judy Garland. Unsplash Career

In 1945, he danced remarkably well in ‘Anchors Aweigh’, with the famous cartoon character ‘Jerry’, an act of its kind. Unsplash Career

One of his earlier movies ‘Anchors Aweigh’ in which he starred alongside actor Frank Sinatra was a huge success. In the movie, for the first time in the history of film industry, Kelly danced with ‘Jerry’, a famous cartoon character. Not only the movie received several awards and nominations but also amassed a massive $4.5 million at box-office. Unsplash Major Works

The musical film ‘An American in Paris’ in which the actor exhibited his dance virtuosity, turned out to be his most successful film, winning several awards. Made with a budget of $2,723,903, it went on to earn $8,005,000 worldwide. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	August 23, 1912
Died on	February 2, 1996
Nationality	American
Famous	Dancers, School Dropouts, Film & Theater Personalities, Actors
Spouses	Betsy Blair (m. 1941–1957), Jeanne Coyne (m. 1960–1973), Patricia Ward (m. 1990–1996)
Siblings	Fred Kelly
Known as	Gene Kelly
Childrens	Bridget Kelly, Kerry Kelly, Timothy Kelly
Universities	Pennsylvania State College University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Birth Place	Pittsburgh
Gender	Male
Father	James Patrick Joseph Kelly
Mother	Harriet Catherine
Sun Sign	Leo
Born in	Pittsburgh
Famous as	American dancer
Died at Age	83

Eugene Curran Kelly

American

Aug 23, 1912

Biography

Personal Details

Pittsburgh