How Grace Kelly Went From Hollywood to Royalty
What To Know
- Grace Kelly rose to fame as an acclaimed Hollywood actress in the early 1950s, winning an Academy Award and starring in several Alfred Hitchcock films.
- In 1956, at the height of her career, she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco, retired from acting, and devoted herself to royal duties and philanthropy.
Many people love to keep up with Hollywood stars and the Royals. Not often does one person become both in their lifetime. Grace Kelly is a perfect example of a beautiful Hollywood legend who traded a life as a movie star to become a real-life princess. In honor of the 70th anniversary of her wedding to Prince Rainier III, let’s explore how this transition unfolded and why the world lost her far too soon.
Grace Patricia Kelly was born on November 12, 1929, in Philadelphia, into a wealthy and well-connected family. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and began working in theater and early television before moving into films in the early ’50s. She moved into major roles in films like High Noon and Mogambo, the latter earning her an Academy Award nomination.
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By 1954, she had become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses. That year alone, she appeared in Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, and The Country Girl, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for the latter. She also became closely associated with Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her in three films.
At just 25, she had already reached a level many actors spend decades chasing. However, everything changed in 1955 when Kelly attended the Cannes Film Festival and took part in a scheduled photo session at the Palace of Monaco, where she met Prince Rainier III. Over the next year, they stayed in touch and spent time together, forming a romantic relationship.
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When they married in April 1956, the event drew global attention. An estimated 30 million people watched the ceremony, making it one of the earliest examples of a modern televised royal event. Kelly was just 26 years old and at the height of her career, but she decided to retire from acting to become Princess of Monaco. Instead, she focused on charitable work, particularly in children’s and arts-related causes, and later established the Princess Grace Foundation to support emerging artists.
In the ’60s, she almost returned to acting as Hitchcock wanted her to star in Marnie, and she showed interest in the role. But public reaction in Monaco was strongly against it, so she didn’t take it.
Everett Collection
In 1976, she joined the board of 20th Century-Fox, becoming one of its first female members; later, she published My Book of Flowers in 1980 and even collaborated with Rainier on a short independent film titled Rearranged, which drew interest for expansion but was never completed or released following her death.
She and Rainier had three children, Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, and Princess Stéphanie, and she became a central figure in Monaco. It was devastating for those in Monaco and fans around the world when her life ended suddenly on September 14, 1982. While driving along a winding road in Monaco, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, lost control of her car, and crashed down a steep mountainside. She died the following night at the age of 52. Early reports pointed to brake failure, but later investigations found no mechanical issue, confirming the medical event as the cause of the accident.
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