Guide Note

Gene Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, director, producer, and choreographer, who is known for his energetic and athletic dancing style in musical films. His first Broadway role, in November 1938, was as a dancer in Cole Porter's Leave It to Me! as the American ambassador's secretary who supports Mary Martin while she sings "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". His breakthrough stage role came as the lead in Rodgers and Hart's Pal Joey, which propelled him to stardom. He was consequently signed to his first motion picture in 1942: For Me and My Gal, with Judy Garland. He reigned as the lead Hollywood song and dance man with Fred Astaire until the wane of musical film in the late 1950s. He went on to a successful career on producing and directing. Kelly died in his sleep on February 2, 1996, in Beverly Hills, California, after suffering two strokes, at the age of 83.

Fast Facts

Full Name: Eugene Curran Kelly
Birth Date: August 23, 1912
Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Studied economics, funding his education by working as a soda jerk and a brick layer
Spouse(s)
1. Betsy Blair (1941-1957)
2. Jeanne Coyne (1960-1973)
3. Patricia Ward (1990-1996)
Had a 103-degree fever when he danced to the title song in Singin' in the Rain
Asked Fred Astaire to replace him in Easter Parade breaking his ankle playing touch football
Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton in 1994, but was too sick to attend the ceremony
Selected number 15 on the list of the Greatest Male Lead Actors by the American Film Institute in 1999
Missed out on opportunities to star in the film versions of Guys and Dolls and Pal Joey (the role he originated on Broadway) because MGM refused to loan him out to other studios
Quote: "I got started dancing because I knew it was one way to meet girls"
Died: February 2, 1996

Categories

Entertainment | Actors | Film Actors | Musical Theater

View Note History

Gene Kelly

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Gene Kelly
IMDb: Gene Kelly Filmography
IBDB: Gene Kelly Credits
PBS American Masters: Gene Kelly, An American Life
TV Guide: Gene Kelly
University of Pittsburgh CLO: Gene Kelly Awards
YouTube: "Singin' in the Rain" (Time 4:06)

Gene Kelly News and Articles

Google News: Gene Kelly
Crooks and Liars: I Knew Gene Kelly. The President Is No Gene Kelly (March 29, 2008)
Huffington Post: I Knew Gene Kelly. The President Is No Gene Kelly (March 19, 2008)
Dallas News: In Senate race, Democratic rivals hope this is Gene Kelly's last dance (March 2, 2008)
Washington Post: PBS: "Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer" (June 6, 2005)
RogerEbert.com: Singin' In The Rain Review (June 18, 1998)
The New York Times: Gene Kelly, Dancer of Vigor and Grace, Dies (February 3, 1996)
The Memory Hole: Gene Kelly's Naval Intelligence File

Gene Kelly Photos

Yahoo! Image Search: Gene Kelly
Google Image Search: Gene Kelly
Live Search Images: Gene Kelly
Flickr: Gene Kelly Photos
WireImage: Gene Kelly Photos

Gene Kelly Videos

YouTube & Google Video: Gene Kelly Search
Yahoo! Video: Gene Kelly Search
iFilm: Gene Kelly Search

Movies

YouTube: "The Babbitt and the Bromide" with Fred Astaire (Time 07:17)
YouTube: "Mirror Image" (Time 03:49)
YouTube: "Summer Stock" (Time 05:01)
YouTube: "The Worry Song" with Jerry (Time 04:13)
YouTube: "It's Always Fair Weather" (Time 04:20)

Television

YouTube: "Tapping Game" with Julie Andrews (Time 04:13)
YouTube: "Dean Martin Show" (Time 02:10)
YouTube: "Oscar Tribute" (Time 02:49)
YouTube: "Volkswagen Golf Ad" (Time 01:00)

Gene Kelly Fan Sites, Blogs and Message Boards

Gene Kelly Biographies and Profiles

Turner Classic Movies: Gene Kelly
Rotten Tomatoes: Gene Kelly
Yahoo! Movies: Gene Kelly
The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Gene Kelly
American Film Institute: Gene Kelly
Reel Classics: Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly Quotes

ThinkExist: Gene Kelly Quotes
Wikiquote: Gene Kelly Quotes

Gene Kelly Timeline

Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

August 23, 1912: Born
1930: Opens Gene Kelly School of Dance with 2 locations
1933: Graduates from University of Pittsburgh with a degree in economics
1938: Broadway debut as dancer in Leave it to Me
1941: Marries Betsy Blair
1942: Hollywood debut in For Me and My Gal with Judy Garland
1945: Anchors Aweigh with Frank Sinatra earns nomination for Academy Award Best Actor
1946: Teams up with Fred Astaire in Zeigfield Follies
1949: Directorial debut in On the Town
1951: An American in Paris wins seven Oscars
1952: Co-directs and stars in [Singin' in the Rain]]
1957: Divorces Betsy; Les Girls is last starring musical
1960: Marries Jeanne Coyne
1974: Hosts That's Entertainment
1982: Receives Kennedy Center Honors
1985: Awarded Lifetime Achievement Award from American Film Institute
1996: Dies on February 2 after a series of strokes

Gene Kelly DVDs and Merchandise

Google Book Search: Gene Kelly: A Life of Dance and Dreams
Amazon.com: Gene Kelly Books, Music, and DVDs
eBay: Gene Kelly Books, Music, DVDs, and Memorabilia
AllPosters.com: Gene Kelly Posters
DeepDiscount.com: Gene Kelly DVDs
Overstock.com: Gene Kelly Merchandise

Related Searches

Singin' in the Rain | Brigadoon | Fred Astaire | Judy Garland | Liza Minelli | Frank Sinatra | Stanley Donen | Donald O'Connor | Debbie Reynolds | Leslie Caron | Rita Hayworth | Cary Grant

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