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.
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
eBay: Gene Kelly Books, Music, DVDs, and Memorabilia
AllPosters.com: Gene Kelly Posters
DeepDiscount.com: Gene Kelly DVDs
Overstock.com: Gene Kelly Merchandise
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References
Fast Facts
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Full Name
Eugene Curran Kelly
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Birth Date
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Place of Birth
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Fact:
Studied economics, funding his education by working as a soda jerk and a brick layer
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Spouse(s)
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Had a 103-degree fever when he danced to the title song in Singin' in the Rain
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Asked Fred Astaire to replace him in Easter Parade breaking his ankle playing touch football
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Awarded the [http
//www.nea.gov/honors/medals/index.html National Medal of Arts] by President Clinton in 1994, but was too sick to attend the ceremony
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Selected number 15 on the list of the Greatest Male Lead Actors by the American Film Institute in 1999
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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
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Quote
"I got started dancing because I knew it was one way to meet girls"
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Died
