In the XX century, thanks to her determination, she became a well-known actress. But then she married and found herself in a golden cage. Although, her life was challenging before and after she became a Hollywood star. Find out more at philadelphianka.
Early years before acting
Grace Patricia Kelly was born November 12, 1929, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She had Irish and German ancestry. Her family was both wealthy and famous. Her father, John Kelly, was engaged in industry and construction and was formerly an Olympic champion in academic rowing. Her mother, Margaret Majer Kelly, was a model in her adolescent years, which helped her gain popularity in certain groups of society. Her uncle, George Kelly, was a well-known playwright who received the Pulitzer Prize for his work. As a result, Grace was surrounded by influential people and wealth since childhood. But she didn’t want to live this way, especially around people who weren’t interested in her future.
The girl was the third child in a family of four children. Her older sister Margaret and brother Jack were born in 1925 and 1927, respectively, and her younger sister Elizabeth was born in 1933. Her parents respected human physical strength and athletic talents. They admired all of their children except Grace, who lacked the talent and desire to be involved in sports and was physically weaker than her sisters and brother. By the way, Jack originally showed no interest in sports, so his parents did not place any bets on him, but he eventually surprised them by following in his father’s footsteps and taking up rowing. While other children were pursuing athletic careers, Grace got interested in acting as a child. This passion, which her parents not only did not share but also did not support, certainly affected the future actress, as her desire to escape from the elite home of her parents became stronger and stronger.
Grace attended Ravenhill Academy, a private religious school where she received a strict Catholic education. She had the chance to become even more in love with her ambition following her experience at this institution. Kelly made her first appearance on stage in college. At the age of 6, she performed as the Virgin Mary in a dramatic Christmas play. At the age of 12, she made her next theatrical performance in the play “Don’t Feed the Animals”. As a student, at Stevens Private School, the girl took part in a variety of drama and dance productions, reinforcing her desire to connect her future with the stage and the audience. After finishing her studies, Grace attempted to enroll at Bennington College but was unsuccessful. As a result, even though her parents remained skeptical about their daughter and her passion, she made the resolute decision to pursue her dreams.
When Kelly turned 18, she went to New York, hoping to grab her luck by the tail. Her father reacted strongly to her actions, claiming that she behaved no better than a street prostitute. This statement, of course, affected the young girl, but she did not stop and moved on.
The path to becoming an actress
When she arrived in New York, she realized that living in such a city requires a significant amount of money, so she took a job as a fashion model, just like her mother once did. Simultaneously, Grace studied chemistry and also entered an academy. Her ultimate objective was to get into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. For the audition, she prepared a scene from her uncle’s play “The Torch-Bearers.” It was largely to George Kelly’s influence that the actress was accepted despite the fact that the Academy had already completed student admissions.
She began to study acting just as she dreamed, but the path to stardom remained closed to her. As a result, the girl decided to try her hand at all available auditions. Her goal was to play in productions, but she was only offered contracts for advertising projects for beer, cigarettes, hats and the like. This was not what Grace wanted. She did, however, break into Broadway in 1949, when she received a role in Strindberg’s play “The Father”. Following that, her career took off, and she appeared in many TV shows.
The peak of the acting career
Following her triumphant Broadway debut, Grace Kelly was invited to appear in her first cameo in the film “Fourteen Hours.” She then appeared as the title character in Fred Zinnemann’s film “High Noon”. The picture gave the actress her first taste of success in the world of cinema. Later, she appeared in John Ford’s film “Mogambo”. For the role, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Following her appearance in the musical drama “The Country Girl”, directed by George Seaton, Grace received her first Academy Award for Best Actress.
As a result of her remarkable success, Grace Kelly began to be mentioned by critics and gained notice from renowned filmmakers. One of them was Alfred Hitchcock, a well-known thriller maker. He initially offered Kelly a role in one film, but the collaboration eventually expanded into two more projects. The films “Dial M for Murder” and “Rear Window”, where Grace appeared, are called one of the best works of the director. Following these roles, the girl rose to prominence as the most attractive and successful actress of her era. Grace’s final famous role was Princess Alexandra in Charles Vidor’s “The Swan”. Following that, she only featured in minor roles. However, during her fast-paced career, the girl made it onto AFI’s 100 Years…100 Stars list, where she took an honorable 13th place.
Marriage and the curse of the Grimaldi family
The woman was popular among men, so she received marriage proposals, but the actress’ father was quite strict and did not give his consent to the marriage. One of the fiancees was fashion designer Oleg Cassini. Grace’s parents were alarmed by the number of divorces in his history, as well as the couple’s 16-year age gap. So they forced their daughter to reconsider the man’s role as her future husband.
In 1955, the young actress met her future husband, Rainier III. This acquaintance was planned, because at that time the woman headed the U.S. delegation at the Cannes Film Festival. She had a scheduled meeting with the Prince of Monaco, where they were to be photographed for the Paris Match magazine. No matter how much Grace attempted to avoid the planned photo shoot, she had to go. At this time, Rainier was looking for the right woman for the role of his wife, although, the first choice was another blonde, Marilyn Monroe. This step was well-planned since if the prince marries an American girl, especially a star, it will be possible to attract investment to Monaco.
Therefore, despite rumors that Kelly had many lovers, Rainier was interested in her. The courtship phase did not last long, and on Christmas Day 1955, the Prince of Monaco proposed. In 1956, the couple traveled to the United States to meet Grace’s parents and get permission from her father to marry, following which they announced their engagement to the whole world. On April 18, 1956, a private ceremony was held, followed by a public one on April 19, which was watched by about 30 million people worldwide. This occasion became known as “the wedding of the century,” with approximately $50 million spent. Although, the majority of it was covered by the MGM film studio, which cooperated with the actress. It was also a thoughtful move, as they were given complete freedom to broadcast the ceremony, and Grace, in turn, received a contract break. She was forced to give up her acting career and her lifelong dream of a happy family with her husband, as he gave her an ultimatum that they would only get married if she quit her job. This was not what Grace pictured her family life to be.
According to a legend, the Grimaldi family was cursed. Rainier’s ancestor, Francois, a devoted Catholic, fell in love with a woman who turned out to be a witch, and he personally burned her at the stake. But before her terrible death, she cursed all of his descendants. Each member of the Grimaldi family was to get fame and money, but no one was to be happy. Nobody will find their love, and if they do, they will undoubtedly lose it. Grace did not anticipate the legend to be true.
The couple lived calmly for the first several years of their marriage and only quarreled once. Though eventually, the woman began to realize that she was in a golden cage, from which she would never escape. The couple continued to live together, but it was no longer a happy marriage, but rather one based on mutual respect. The couple had three children, but when they grew up the woman realized that she was no longer valuable to her husband or her offspring, and fell into depression, feeling only loneliness. The man frequently yelled at Grace, most of the time in public, and in the heat of the moment, he could throw whatever he had in his hand at her. When she received an offer to take a role from a director she knew, Alfred Hitchcock, she informed her husband about it. But he was outraged because his adored and excellent wife could and should not act like that, and she could not be an actress.
Death
On September 13, 1982, it was sunny, so Grace and her youngest daughter Stéphanie decided to spend time together and take a ride. However, this day ended tragically for the woman. During the trip, Grace felt unwell. Later, it was discovered that she had suffered a stroke. As a result, she lost control of the car, which crashed into the mountainside after taking a sharp turn. The girl sustained a slight concussion and a fractured cervical vertebra. Grace was pulled out unconscious and transported to the hospital. She never recovered consciousness due to the severity of her injuries sustained during the accident. She was put on an artificial respiration machine, but the doctor reported that her brain had already died and that she would not wake up. Rainier made a difficult decision, and Grace was disconnected from the system the following day. Her death occurred on September 14, 1982.
However, of course, there are different legends and versions surrounding the death of any famous person. Grace Kelly was no exception. Based on the first version, she felt unwell and let her daughter drive the car. So, the accident was caused by Stéphanie, who allegedly lost control of the steering wheel. According to this story, the family members were unable to forgive her for the death of the woman. According to another theory, the automobile was broken by mafiosi who targeted the Monte Carlo gambling business. Therefore, they damaged the brakes of the car, which is why Grace died. Whatever version of events was correct, the woman was eventually liberated from the golden cage in which she had lived during the marriage. She had anticipated that life in Monaco would be a fantastic journey, but it turned out to be a cage from which she could not escape.