Grace Kelly

After her marriage she abandoned her acting career and embarked into philanthropic works.

She founded the charitable organization named ‘AMADE Mondiale’ which was also recognized by the UN as an NGO.

She was born to John B. Kelly, Sr. and Margaret Katherine Majer, on 12th November, 1929, in Philadelphia. Her father was a sports personality and won three gold medals at the Olympics for rowing. Her mother was a teacher of physical education at the ‘University of Pennsylvania’. Grace had three siblings named Margaret, John Jr. and Elizabeth.

She received education from institutions such as ‘Ravenhill Academy’ and ‘Stevens School’. During her school days, she participated in many fashion events and also acted in a few plays.

After completing her studies, she decided to pursue a career in acting and thus enrolled at the ‘American Academy of Dramatic Arts’, New York, in 1947. Simultaneously, she carried on modelling for earning a livelihood. In her last performance at the academy, she played the role of Tracy Lord in the play ‘The Philadelphia Story’.

After graduating from the drama school, she embarked into a career in Broadway, and her first play there was ‘The Father’ in 1949. However, after failed attempts at the Broadway, she directed her career into Hollywood.

She acted in a few television shows and in 1951, she appeared in a minor role in the film ‘Fourteen Hours’. In the sets of this film, her acting potentials were noticed by actor Gary Cooper.

In 1952, she got her major breakthrough into Hollywood when she starred opposite actor Gary Cooper in the film ‘High Noon’. This film earned her huge acclamation as well as a seven-year contract with the media company ‘Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’ (MGM)

The following year, she worked in the film ‘Mogambo’ along with actors Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. In this film her acting was critically acclaimed and even won her a ‘Golden Globe Award’.

She then worked in a television play ‘The Way of an Eagle’ and soon after, she earned a role in director Alfred Hitchcock’s film ‘Dial M for Murder’ which was based on Frederick Knott’s play by the same name. Her next project was ‘The Bridges at Toko-Ri’ where she worked with actor William Holden.

The film which became a milestone in Kelly’s career was ‘The Country Girl’, where she portrayed the character of Georgie Elgin, who was distressed by her husband’s drinking habits. Her co-stars in the movie were Bing Crosby and William Holden. This film earned her the ‘Academy Award’ in the ‘Best Actress’ category.