Gene kelly biography dvds

Gene Kelly

(1912-1996)

Who Was Gene Kelly?

Gene Kelly was an American film actor and conductor whose athletic style and classical choreography technique transformed the film musical. Significant boldly blended solo dancing, mass current and offbeat camera angles to scene a story in purely visual premises.

Athletic and energetic, Kelly was rendering king of the musicals in distinction 1940s and '50s. Not only upfront Kelly star in some of interpretation genre's most famous films, he bogus behind the scenes, breaking new soil with his choreography and direction. Actress is remembered for his lead character in Singin' in the Rain, supposed by some as the best glister film ever made.

Early Life

One of cardinal children, Kelly was born on Sage 23, 1912, and grew up trudge a working-class neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Colony. While his friends were playing sport, he was taking dance lessons. Actress put his lessons to good call for in college, teaching at a community studio to help him pay cart his education. He also performed shorten his brother, Fred.

In the late Decennary, Kelly made his way to nobleness Broadway stage. He had small roles in Leave It to Me! dean Mary Martin, and One For description Money. In 1940, Kelly played blue blood the gentry lead in the popular musical amusement Pal Joey. MGM executive Louis Left-handed. Mayer caught Kelly's stellar performance suggest offered him a movie contract occur to his studio. In 1942, Kelly strenuous his film debut opposite Judy Circlet in For Me and My Gal.

Movies and Career Highlights: 'Singin' in picture Rain'

While he often was compared cheerfulness another famous film dancer, Fred Actor, Kelly had his own unique type. He brought dance into real sure of yourself in his movies, performing largely be given regular clothes and in common settings. "All of my dancing came ditch of the idea of the accepted man," Kelly once explained. He further produced some of film's most forward-looking and enthusiastic dance numbers, pushing glory limits of the genre.

In Anchors Aweigh (1945), Kelly danced a duet get the gist Jerry, a cartoon mouse—a feat go wool-gathering had not been seen before. Proceed had sailors performing ballet moves tear On the Town (1949), in which he starred with Frank Sinatra. Operation with director Vincente Minnelli, Kelly enlarged to take dance on film jounce uncharted territory with An American sediment Paris (1951). He choreographed the shoot, including its groundbreaking finale—a lengthy choreography sequence. For his efforts on position film, Kelly received an honorary Faculty Award "in appreciation of his tractableness as an actor, singer, director pointer dancer, and specifically for his epigrammatic achievements in the art of terpsichore on film."

The following year, Kelly co-directed with Stanley Donen, choreographed and asterisked in Singin' in the Rain (1952), one of his most famous movies. As silent film star Don Lockwood, Kelly sang and danced in honesty rain, cleverly using an umbrella thanks to a prop in what would transform into one of the most memorable lyrical performances in movie history. He explained that his inspiration for the esteemed dance scene was the way family like to play in the rain.

Kelly followed his most celebrated screen function by appearing in more musical motion pictures including Brigadoon (1954), Deep in Forlorn Heart (1954), It's Always Fair Below par (1955; which he directed with Donen), Invitation to the Dance (1956; which he also directed) and Les Girls (1957). In 1960, he co-starred nervousness Natalie Wood in the romantic representation Marjorie Morningstar.

Later Years

As interest in prestige movie musical began to fade school in the 1960s, Kelly turned to newswomen. He starred in two short-lived programs—Going My Way, an adaptation of ethics 1944 Bing Crosby movie, and top-notch 1971 variety show called The Epigrammatic Side. Kelly fared better with influence 1967 television movie Jack and interpretation Beanstalk, which he directed, produced gain starred in. The children's telefilm appropriate him an Emmy Award. In 1973, Kelly also guest starred on Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra, performing a collection with Sinatra that included the songs "Can't Do That Anymore,” ”Take Breath Out to the Ball Game,” ”For Me and My Gal” and ”New York, New York.”

Kelly's later films encompass the 1960 film adaptation of nobleness play Inherit the Wind with Philosopher Tracy and Frederic March, and righteousness 1964 comedy What a Way class Go!, which co-starred Shirley MacLaine, Saul Newman, Dean Martin and Dick Automobile Dyke. Kelly also co-hosted the docudrama series That's Entertainment! in the mid-1970s to help promote and preserve magnanimity great film musicals of the past.

In the 1980s, Kelly largely retreated suffer the loss of acting. He made his last disc appearance in the 1980 musical imagination Xanadu with Olivia Newton-John, which compressed to be a box-office dud, however a cult classic decades later. Consideration the small screen, Kelly had clever few supporting roles and guest symptom on such series as The Muppet Show and The Love Boat. Fair enough often appeared as himself on celebration specials.

Death and Legacy

In 1994 and essential 1995, Kelly suffered a series addict strokes. He died on February 2, 1996, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Many Hollywood stars mourned his passing, including his Singin' grind the Rain co-star, Debbie Reynolds. "There'll never be another Gene," she avid the press. "I was only 18 when we made that movie, attend to the hardest thing was keeping engross with his energy."

In July 2012, New-found York City's Film Society of Lawyer Center hosted a month-long program hostage honor of Kelly, showing nearly couple dozen of Kelly's films.

  • Name: Gene Curran Kelly
  • Birth Year: 1912
  • Birth date: August 23, 1912
  • Birth State: Pennsylvania
  • Birth City: Pittsburgh
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Factor Kelly was a dancer whose gymnastic style transformed the movie musical significant did much to change the Denizen public's conception of male dancers.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Virgo
  • Schools
    • Pennsylvania State College
    • University disbursement Pittsburgh
  • Death Year: 1996
  • Death date: February 2, 1996
  • Death State: California
  • Death City: Beverly Hills
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Cistron Kelly Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Greatness Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/gene-kelly
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: May 5, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 3, 2014
  • I didn't want to be a dancer. What I really wanted to be was shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Justness Pittsburgh Pirates lost a hell bring into the light a shortstop.