Gene Kelly
- Acting
- August 23, 1912 · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- February 2, 1996
Biography
Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks, and the likable characters that he played on screen. He starred in, choreographed, or co-directed some of the most well-regarded musical films of the 1940s and 1950s, until they fell out of fashion in the late 1950s. Kelly is best known today for his performances in films such as Cover Girl (1944), Anchors Aweigh (1945), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, On the Town (1949), which was his directorial debut, An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Brigadoon (1954), and It's Always Fair Weather (1955). Kelly made his film debut with Judy Garland in For Me and My Gal (1942), and followed by Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), Thousands Cheer (1943), The Pirate (1948), Summer Stock (1950), and Les Girls (1957) among others. After musicals he starred in two films outside the musical genre: Inherit the Wind (1960) and What a Way to Go! (1964). In 1967, he appeared in French director Jacques Demy's musical comedy The Young Girls of Rochefort opposite Catherine Deneuve. Kelly solo directed the comedy A Guide for the Married Man (1967) starring Walter Matthau, and later the extravagant musical Hello, Dolly! (1969) starring Barbra Streisand, recognized with an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Kelly co-hosted and appeared in Ziegfeld Follies (1946), That's Entertainment! (1974), That's Entertainment, Part II (1976), That's Dancing! (1985), and That's Entertainment, Part III (1994). His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical, and he is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form commercially acceptable to film audiences. Kelly received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952 for his career achievements; the same year, An American in Paris won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He later received lifetime achievement awards in the Kennedy Center Honors (1982) and from the Screen Actors Guild and American Film Institute. In 1999, the American Film Institute also ranked him as the 15th greatest male screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
Known for
Filmography
- Gene Kelly: An American in Hollywood · Self
- The Royal Rascal Talkie · Writer
- True Blue · (Archive Footage)
- Il était une fois Champs-Élysées · Self
- Starstruck: Gene Kelly's Love Letter to Ballet · Choreographer
- Sid & Judy · Self
- La La La · Various Roles (archive footage)
- JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala · Self
- Talking Pictures · Self
- Directing Dolly: Gene Kelly Remembered · Self
- Frank Sinatra: Around the World · Self
- Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing · (archive footage)
- Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical · Self
- Summer Stock: Get Happy! · Joe D. Ross (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Happy Again · Don Lockwood (archive footage)
- Reunited at MGM: Astaire and Rogers Together Again · Self
- Easter Parade: On the Avenue · Self
- Get Aboard! 'The Band Wagon' · Self
- AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies · Don Lockwood
- Judy Garland: By Myself · Self
- Cole Porter in Hollywood: Ça c'est l'amour · Self
- Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer · Self
- Hollywood Musicals of the 40's · Self
- A Bing Crosby Christmas · Self / Narrator (archive footage)
- Cats Don't Dance · Thanks
- The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies · Self
- That's Entertainment! III · Self
- The Young Girls Turn 25 · Self
- Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash · Self
- You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story · Self
- Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town · Self
- Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues · Self
- The Movie Palaces · Self
- James Stewart: A Wonderful Life · Self
- Sins · Eric Hovland
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years · Self
- North and South · Sen. Charles Edwards
- That's Dancing! · Self
- Olympic Gala
- James Bond: The First 21 Years · Self
- Showbiz Goes to War · (archive footage)
- Sylvie Vartan: Live in Las Vegas · Self
- Night of 100 Stars · Self
- Champs-Elysées · Self
- The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell · Self
- Reporters · Self
- Xanadu · Danny McGuire
- Olivia Newton-John: Hollywood Nights · Self
- Lucy Moves to NBC · Self
- Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years · Self
- The Kennedy Center Honors · Self
- The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait · Self
- Mickey's 50 · Self
- Cinderella at the Palace · Host
- Ersatz · Don Lockwood (voice) (archive sound)
- Yabba Dabba Doo! The Happy World of Hanna-Barbera · Self
- Viva Knievel! · Will Atkins
- An Evening with Gene Kelly · Self
- NBC: The First Fifty Years · Self
- The Muppet Show · Self
- That's Entertainment, Part II · Self, Director
- Cérémonie des César · Self
- It's Showtime · Self
- Doug Henning's World of Magic · Self
- Numéro un · Self
- The Lion Roars Again · Self
- The Sandy Duncan Special · Self
- That's Entertainment! · Self
- The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli · Self
- Frank Sinatra: Ol' Blue Eyes is Back · Self
- The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts · Self
- 40 Carats · Billy Boylan
- The American Film Institute Salute to ... · Self
- Hollywood: The Dream Factory · Self
- Film '72 · Self
- The Funny Side · Self
- Great Performances · Self
- The Cheyenne Social Club · Director, Producer
- Hello, Dolly! · Director
- Omnibus · Self