Gene Kelly

 

Frank Sinatra + Carol Haney + Gene Kelly in On The TownGeorges Guétary + Gene Kelly + Oscar Levant in An American in ParisGene Kelly in The pirate

Biography

Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly
If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I'm the Marlon Brando.

Remarkable:

He taught Frank Sinatra to dance.

Born:

August 23, 1912

Died:

February 2, 1996

Born as:

Eugene Curran Kelly

Gene, dancing since childhood, was a dance instructor before making it to Broadway. In 1940 got his break with a starring part in Pal Joey. Kelly moved to Hollywood in 1941 and soon starred in his first film, For Me and My Gal (1942).

Gene spent most of his film career at MGM which produced Hollywood's finest musicals, but at the Columbia studio he started to revolutionize the Hollywood musical with his free-flowing, imaginative dance routines. In Ziegfeld Follies (1946) Gene teamed with Fred Astaire and in The Pirate (1948) he danced with Judy Garland.

Anchors Aweigh (1945) was the first cooperation with choreographic partner Stanley Donen and from 1949 they directed three sparkling musicals, including the famous Singing in the rain (1952). Les Girls (1957) was Kelly's last starring musical.

Academy awards

1952 Honorary Award
1946 Nominated Best Actor for: Anchors Aweigh (1945)

Selected Movies:

Books:

Clive Hirschhorn -> Gene Kelly: A Biography (1974/1984)
Alvin Yudkoff -> Gene Kelly: A Life of Dance and Dreams (1999)

 

Gene Kelly in Singing in the rain

News

Poster of The pirate

This week 60 years ago The pirate premiered (May 20, 1948)

Poster of Invitation to the dance

This week 52 years ago Invitation to the dance premiered (May 22, 1956)

Trivia

Gene didn’t like the use of the song Singing in the Rain as the soundtrack in a choreographed murder scene in Stanley Kubric’s film A Clockwork Orange. Source / More (Book)

He taught Frank Sinatra to dance. Sinatra: “Gene’s a born teacher. I felt really comfortable working for him and enjoyed his company, in spite of his manic insistence on hard work”. Source / More (Book)


His half-moon shaped scar on his left cheek was caused by a tricycle accident he had as a young boy. Years later in Hollywood, he would always veto airbrushing his photo’s. The scar had to remain untouched and visible. Source / More (Book)