Grace Kelly: 5 years in Hollywood, forever a star

"I would like to be remembered as a person who did her job well. An understanding, kind and decent human being," Grace Kelly once said. Today, 90 years after her birth, she remains well remembered as an iconic American actress with a short but lauded career, and for her philanthropic dedication as the princess of Monaco.

Kelly was born on November 12, 1929 to a successful, well-off family in the eastern US state of Pennsylvania. Her father's family had Irish roots, while her mother's family came from Düsseldorf, Germany. Her parents disapproved of her wish to become an actress, but she nonetheless launched her career in 1950 at age 20, starting in New York theaters before moving to TV and then Hollywood.

Her first major Hollywood film, the 1952 Western "High Noon," had her acting opposite established star Gary Cooper. Yet it wasn't until "Mogambo" one year later that she had her breakthrough. Filmed across equatorial Africa, Kelly played a wife on safari with her husband who becomes involved in a love triangle. The film earned her an Oscar and Golden Globe nod for best supporting actress.

Legendary suspense director Alfred Hitchcock first saw Kelly in her 1950 screen test. He went on to cast her in three of his films, including "Rear Window" (1954; above). In it she played James Stewart's glamorous yet spunky girlfriend. "It was thanks to Alfred Hitchcock that I understood that murder scenes should be shot like love scenes and love scenes like murder scenes," she once said.

Kelly, who became known as a "classic Hitchcock blonde," also starred in the director's 1955 film "To Catch a Thief" with Cary Grant (above R). The two developed a lifelong respect for one another and remained friends throughout their later lives. When asked to name his favorite actress, Grant reportedly said, "With all due respect to dear Ingrid Bergman, I much preferred Grace. She had serenity."

In the 1954 movie "The Country Girl," Kelly starred in a rather untypical role for her — the wife of an depressed, alcoholic singer who relies entirely on her. Dressed in decidedly unglamorous houses clothes, Kelly wowed critics, winning a best actress Oscar and Golden Globe in 1955 for her performance (above at Oscar awards, alongside actor Marlon Brando).

Her film career, which barely spanned five years, included 11 films. In 1956, she starred in the musical comedy "High Society" (1956) alongside Bing Crosby (L) and Frank Sinatra (R). It was her only musical role — and her last cinematic appearance. In 1955 at the Cannes Film Festival, she had met her future husband, Monaco's Prince Rainier III, and her acting career ended with their marriage.

Kelly and Prince Rainier III's marriage in April 1956 included a lavish ceremony that cost $2 million (€1.8 million). It was attended by throngs of stars and 3,000 Monegasque citizens. An additional 30 million people watched the live TV broadcast to see her become Princess Grace. Though she was offered film roles in subsequent years, family and public pressure forced her to turn them down.

Princess Grace and her husband had three children: Caroline, Albert and Stephanie. In addition to her daily duties as a mother and a member of Monaco's royal family, Kelly immersed herself in philanthropic work. In 1963 she founded the children's charity AMADE and one year later the Princess Grace Foundation to support local artists.

While no longer a silver-screen star, as a princess, Kelly remained very much in the public eye. Throughout her life and after, she was considered to be superbly dressed and elegant, yet fresh and unfussy. This blend was captured in 1959, when she used a designer Hermes scarf as a sling after injuring her arm while aboard millionaire Aristotle Onassis' yacht (above).

On September 13, 1982, while driving with her daughter Stephanie, Kelly lost control of the car, perhaps due to a stroke. She died the next day of traumatic brain injury. She was 52. At her funeral, actor James Stewart said in his eulogy that "she was just about the nicest lady I ever met." Many sites in Monaco have been named in her honor, and her foundation continues operating to this day.