Post by Grobanite19 on Oct 21, 2007 21:52:09 GMT -5
Birth Name
Eugene Curran Kelly
Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)
Mini Biography
M-G-M was the largest and most powerful studio in Hollywood when Gene Kelly arrived in town in 1941. He came direct from the hit 1940 original Broadway production of "Pal Joey" and planned to return to the Broadway stage after making the one film required by his contract. His first picture for M-G-M was For Me and My Gal (1942) with Judy Garland. What kept Kelly in Hollywood were "the kindred creative spirits" he found behind the scenes at M-G-M. The talent pool was especially large during World War II, when Hollywood was a refuge for many musicians and others in the performing arts of Europe who were forced to flee the Nazis. After the war, a new generation was coming of age. Those who saw An American in Paris (1951) would try to make real life as romantic as the reel life they saw portrayed in that musical, and the first time they saw Paris, they were seeing again in memory the seventeen-minute ballet sequence set to the title song written by George Gershwin and choreographed by Kelly. The sequence cost a half million dollars (U.S.) to make in 1951 dollars. Another Kelly musical of the era, Singin' in the Rain (1952), was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry. Kelly was in the same league as Fred Astaire, but instead of a top hat and tails Kelly wore work clothes that went with his masculine, athletic dance style.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Dale O'Connor
Spouse
Patricia Ward (20 July 1990 - 2 February 1996) (his death)
Jeanne Coyne (6 August 1960 - 10 May 1973) (her death) 2 children
Betsy Blair (22 September 1941 - 3 April 1957) (divorced) 1 child
Trade Mark
Known for his innovative, athletic style of dancing
Trivia
During World War II he was a sailor stationed at the U S Naval Photographic Center in Anacostia, DC (where the documentary "Victory at Sea" (1952) was later assembled for NBC-TV). He starred in several Navy films while on active duty there and in "civilian" films while on leave.
Attended Peabody High School in Highland Park, PA.
Ranked #26 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 1992.
He was awarded the National Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1994.
Kelly's father was Al Jolson's road manager in the 1920s.
Had three children: Kerry Kelly, with Betsy Blair, in 1942, and Bridget Kelly and Tim Kelly, with Jeanne Coyne, in the 1960s.
Had a half-moon shaped scar on his left cheek caused by a bicycle accident he had as a young boy.
Was dance consultant for Madonna's 1993 "Girlie Show" tour.
Attended Penn State University before transferring to University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated.
His first two wives were dancers. Actress Betsy Blair met Gene while she was a performer and he a choreographer in the show "Diamond Horseshoe". Second wife Jeanne Coyne was Gene's dancing assistant for many years before they married in 1960. A major talent in her own right, her dazzling footwork can be seen in the "From This Moment On" number alongside partner Bobby Van, Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Carol Haney and Bob Fosse in Kiss Me Kate (1953) (1953). She died of leukemia in 1973.
He and his younger brother Fred Kelly appeared together in a dancing vaudeville act. When Gene got his big break as Harry the hoofer in the dramatic Broadway production of "The Time of Your Life" in 1942, he was eventually replaced by brother Fred, who took it on the road and won a Donaldson award for his efforts.
Working on an autobiography at the time of his death.
Graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in economics.
Kennedy Center Honoree, 1982
Singin' in the Rain (1952) was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 for Outstanding Musical Production, with choreography by Kelly.
Martial arts stars Jackie Chan and David Carradine both cite him as an influence.
Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton in 1994.
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 510-515. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.
He was voted the 42nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Was named the #15 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends list by the American Film Institute
Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna's song "Vogue"
Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 309-312. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959
Ray Bradbury's novel "Something Wicked This Way Comes" was dedicated to Kelly.
He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1994 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
He wore a hairpiece (toupee).
Personal Quotes
[on his working experience with Debbie Reynolds while filming Singin' in the Rain (1952) (1952)] I wasn't nice to Debbie. It's a wonder she still speaks to me.
There was no model for what I tried to do with dance . . . and the thing Fred Astaire and I used to about was that critics didn't know how to categorize us. They called us tap dancers because that was considered the American style. But neither of us were basically tap dancers.
The contract system at Hollywood studios like MGM was a very efficient system in that because we were at the studio all the time we could rehearse a lot. But it also really repressed people. There were no union regulations yet, and we were all indentured servants - you can call us slaves if you want - like ballplayers before free agency. We had seven-year contracts, but every six months the studio could decide to fire you if your picture wasn't a hit. And if you turned down a role, they cut off your salary and simply added the time to your contract.
Kids talk to me and say they want to do musicals again because they've studied the tapes of the old films. We didn't have that. We thought once we had made it, even on film, it was gone except for the archives.
I arrived in Hollywood twenty pounds overweight and as strong as an ox. But if I put on a white tails and tux like [Fred Astaire], I still looked like a truck driver.
If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I'm the Marlon Brando.
I never wanted to be a dancer. It's true! I wanted to be a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Fred Astaire represented the aristocracy, I represented the proletariat.
There is a strange sort of reasoning in Hollywood that musicals are less worthy of Academy consideration than dramas. It's a form of snobbism, the same sort that perpetuates the idea that drama is more deserving of Awards than comedy.
[on his career] I took it as it came and it happened to be very nice.
[on Fred Astaire] I work bigger. Fred's style is more intimate. I'm very jealous of that when I see him on the small screen. Fred looks so great on TV. I'd love to put on a white tie and tails and look as thin as him and glide as smoothly. But I'm built like a blocking tackle.
[on Judy Garland] The finest all-around performer we ever had in America was Judy Garland. There was no limit to her talent. She was the quickest, brightest person I ever worked with.
[on Ginger Rogers] When Ginger Rogers danced with Fred Astaire, it was the only time in the movies when you looked at the man, not the woman.
I got this from www.imdb.com
Eugene Curran Kelly
Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)
Mini Biography
M-G-M was the largest and most powerful studio in Hollywood when Gene Kelly arrived in town in 1941. He came direct from the hit 1940 original Broadway production of "Pal Joey" and planned to return to the Broadway stage after making the one film required by his contract. His first picture for M-G-M was For Me and My Gal (1942) with Judy Garland. What kept Kelly in Hollywood were "the kindred creative spirits" he found behind the scenes at M-G-M. The talent pool was especially large during World War II, when Hollywood was a refuge for many musicians and others in the performing arts of Europe who were forced to flee the Nazis. After the war, a new generation was coming of age. Those who saw An American in Paris (1951) would try to make real life as romantic as the reel life they saw portrayed in that musical, and the first time they saw Paris, they were seeing again in memory the seventeen-minute ballet sequence set to the title song written by George Gershwin and choreographed by Kelly. The sequence cost a half million dollars (U.S.) to make in 1951 dollars. Another Kelly musical of the era, Singin' in the Rain (1952), was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry. Kelly was in the same league as Fred Astaire, but instead of a top hat and tails Kelly wore work clothes that went with his masculine, athletic dance style.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Dale O'Connor
Spouse
Patricia Ward (20 July 1990 - 2 February 1996) (his death)
Jeanne Coyne (6 August 1960 - 10 May 1973) (her death) 2 children
Betsy Blair (22 September 1941 - 3 April 1957) (divorced) 1 child
Trade Mark
Known for his innovative, athletic style of dancing
Trivia
During World War II he was a sailor stationed at the U S Naval Photographic Center in Anacostia, DC (where the documentary "Victory at Sea" (1952) was later assembled for NBC-TV). He starred in several Navy films while on active duty there and in "civilian" films while on leave.
Attended Peabody High School in Highland Park, PA.
Ranked #26 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 1992.
He was awarded the National Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1994.
Kelly's father was Al Jolson's road manager in the 1920s.
Had three children: Kerry Kelly, with Betsy Blair, in 1942, and Bridget Kelly and Tim Kelly, with Jeanne Coyne, in the 1960s.
Had a half-moon shaped scar on his left cheek caused by a bicycle accident he had as a young boy.
Was dance consultant for Madonna's 1993 "Girlie Show" tour.
Attended Penn State University before transferring to University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated.
His first two wives were dancers. Actress Betsy Blair met Gene while she was a performer and he a choreographer in the show "Diamond Horseshoe". Second wife Jeanne Coyne was Gene's dancing assistant for many years before they married in 1960. A major talent in her own right, her dazzling footwork can be seen in the "From This Moment On" number alongside partner Bobby Van, Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Carol Haney and Bob Fosse in Kiss Me Kate (1953) (1953). She died of leukemia in 1973.
He and his younger brother Fred Kelly appeared together in a dancing vaudeville act. When Gene got his big break as Harry the hoofer in the dramatic Broadway production of "The Time of Your Life" in 1942, he was eventually replaced by brother Fred, who took it on the road and won a Donaldson award for his efforts.
Working on an autobiography at the time of his death.
Graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in economics.
Kennedy Center Honoree, 1982
Singin' in the Rain (1952) was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 for Outstanding Musical Production, with choreography by Kelly.
Martial arts stars Jackie Chan and David Carradine both cite him as an influence.
Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton in 1994.
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 510-515. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.
He was voted the 42nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Was named the #15 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends list by the American Film Institute
Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna's song "Vogue"
Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 309-312. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959
Ray Bradbury's novel "Something Wicked This Way Comes" was dedicated to Kelly.
He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1994 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
He wore a hairpiece (toupee).
Personal Quotes
[on his working experience with Debbie Reynolds while filming Singin' in the Rain (1952) (1952)] I wasn't nice to Debbie. It's a wonder she still speaks to me.
There was no model for what I tried to do with dance . . . and the thing Fred Astaire and I used to about was that critics didn't know how to categorize us. They called us tap dancers because that was considered the American style. But neither of us were basically tap dancers.
The contract system at Hollywood studios like MGM was a very efficient system in that because we were at the studio all the time we could rehearse a lot. But it also really repressed people. There were no union regulations yet, and we were all indentured servants - you can call us slaves if you want - like ballplayers before free agency. We had seven-year contracts, but every six months the studio could decide to fire you if your picture wasn't a hit. And if you turned down a role, they cut off your salary and simply added the time to your contract.
Kids talk to me and say they want to do musicals again because they've studied the tapes of the old films. We didn't have that. We thought once we had made it, even on film, it was gone except for the archives.
I arrived in Hollywood twenty pounds overweight and as strong as an ox. But if I put on a white tails and tux like [Fred Astaire], I still looked like a truck driver.
If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I'm the Marlon Brando.
I never wanted to be a dancer. It's true! I wanted to be a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Fred Astaire represented the aristocracy, I represented the proletariat.
There is a strange sort of reasoning in Hollywood that musicals are less worthy of Academy consideration than dramas. It's a form of snobbism, the same sort that perpetuates the idea that drama is more deserving of Awards than comedy.
[on his career] I took it as it came and it happened to be very nice.
[on Fred Astaire] I work bigger. Fred's style is more intimate. I'm very jealous of that when I see him on the small screen. Fred looks so great on TV. I'd love to put on a white tie and tails and look as thin as him and glide as smoothly. But I'm built like a blocking tackle.
[on Judy Garland] The finest all-around performer we ever had in America was Judy Garland. There was no limit to her talent. She was the quickest, brightest person I ever worked with.
[on Ginger Rogers] When Ginger Rogers danced with Fred Astaire, it was the only time in the movies when you looked at the man, not the woman.
I got this from www.imdb.com
