Grace Kelly | Success Story Of The Hollywood Princess

Grace Kelly, an American actress and Princess of Monaco. Her success story is about refuting the disapprovals and making your own way. She attained royalty from Hollywood as well as Monaco. In her career, she won numerous awards for her distinguished style of acting. Her remarkable taste in fashion is still an inspiration.

Early Life

On November 12, 1929, Grace Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up in a small Catholic community. The “Steven’s Prophecy” column of her yearbook said “Miss Grace P. Kelly – a famous star of stage and screen”.

Bennington College rejected Kelly in 1974 because of low marks in mathematics. Later she auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatics Arts, New York. Due to her uncle George Kelly’s influence, she was admitted to the university.

Her parents weren’t happy with her decision to be an actress, but eventually, they accepted it. Though her uncle was by her side always acting as a mentor for her. Kelly started as a model and she did commercial acts for a while.

Career

Her first Broadway show ‘Bethel Merriday’ brought her praise. Later she acted in around 60 Broadway shows and TV series. Some of her famous shows are The Father, The Rockingham Tea Set, The Apple Tree, The Mirror of Delusion, & Episode.

Henry Hathaway offered her a small role in the film after seeing her performance. Kelly bagged a minor role, opposite Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart, and Barbara Bel Geddes. After this movie, numerous Grace Kelly fan clubs were organized across the USA. Even after all this hype Kelly wasn’t offered a lot of movies and went back to acting in TV shows.

Stanley Kramer, a producer offered her a role in the movie High Noon (1952), a Western filmed in Columbia, California. This movie got 4 Academy Awards and it is one of the best-reviewed movies to date. Kelly’s debut wasn’t charming in this movie and critics were disappointed. During her screen test for Taxi in 1952, Jhon Ford (director) noticed her talent and signed a 7-year contract.

All the other years after this shined for her and she kept blooming as an elegant actress. Kelly retired after acting in The Swan and High Society in 1956. Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco in a civil ceremony on April 18, 1956. And after a ceremony the following day Kelly became Princess of Monaco. Princess Grace invested herself in charitable and cultural work after marriage. 

Memorable Works

The movie that became a landmark of Kelly’s career was “The Country Girl”. Depicting the character of Georgie Elgin, who was suffering from her husband’s drinking habits. Her co-stars in the film were Bing Crosby and William Holden. This movie won her Academy Award for Best Actress.

The movies ‘Dial M For Murder’, ‘Rear Window’, and ‘The Country Girl’, brought her the ‘New York Film Critics Circle Award’ in the Best Actress category. In 1976 she joined Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation as a board member.

She founded a charitable organization named ‘AMADE Mondiale’. Later it was recognized by the UN as an NGO. After that in 1964, she established the ‘Princess Grace Foundation’. It helped the local craftsmen. She supported the organization ‘La Leche League’ which promotes breastfeeding.

Lessons to Learn

Grace Kelly once said “I’m basically a feminist. I think that women can do anything they decide to do.” She died in a car accident in 1982 but her legacy is inevitable. The vigor and passion she had towards acting are commendable. Over and over she corrected herself and in the path to becoming a powerful actress she succeeded. Learning from one’s own mistakes is a powerful weapon if used wisely it slays.

Also Read: Audrey Hepburn | Success Story Of The British Actress