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Grace Kelly - Grace Kelly was one of the most admired actresses of her day, starring in several significant films in the early- to mid-1950s.

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Background - She was born Grace Patricia Kelly on November 12, 1929, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Early life -

Affluent and influential, the Kelly family lived comfortably in a home built by Grace's father, John B. Kelly, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.

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Career - From an early age, Grace pursued her dream of becoming an actress. In 1948, after appearing on the Broadway stage, she made her debut on television in the play 'Old Lady Robbins' (1948), the first of over 60 appearances on the small screen.

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'Fourteen Hours' (1951) - Success on television eventually led to a role in a major motion picture, the Henry Hathaway-directed crime drama 'Fourteen Hours.'

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'High Noon' (1952) - During filming of 'Fourteen Hours,' actor Gary Cooper visited the set. He subsequently starred alongside Kelly in the celebrated western 'High Noon.'

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'High Noon' (1952) -

Kelly appears as Amy Fowler in the film, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four (Actor, Editing, Music-Score, and Music-Song).

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'Mogambo' (1953) -

In 1952, Kelly flew to Nairobi in Kenya to start filming 'Mogambo,' alongside Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.

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'Mogambo' (1953) - For her role as Linda Nordley, Kelly was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the performance.

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'Dial M for Murder' (1954) - 'Dial M for Murder' marked the first time Kelly worked with Alfred Hitchcock. The director had remembered her from a 1950 screen test and cast her opposite Ray Milland and Robert Cummings.

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Much admired - Many of her leading men expressed their admiration for her professionalism, as well as her beauty. Indeed, her 'High Noon' co-star Gary Cooper once said of her: ["She's] different from all these sexballs we've been seeing so much of."

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'Rear Window' (1954) - Kelly's next movie was again with Hitchcock, this time co-starring with James Stewart in what critics consider one of the director's finest films: 'Rear Window.'

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'Rear Window' (1954) - The mystery thriller garnered Kelly a National Board of Review Best Actress award and a New York Film Critics Circle Best Actress award.

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'The Country Girl' (1954) - The year was proving productive. Indeed, 1954 saw the actress triumph in 'The Country Girl' as the long-suffering wife of co-star William Holden's character, an alcoholic has-been actor.

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'The Country Girl' wins an Oscar - Grace Kelly won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role, a gritty, non-glamorous departure for the actress.

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'Green Fire' (1954) - Unfortunately, her next film, 'Green Fire,' was nowhere near as successful. Shot in Colombia and co-starring Stewart Granger, the movie was plagued by bad weather and a lack of facilities. Granger later quipped: "I had the misfortune to be in the only really bad movie Grace ever made."

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'The Bridges at Toko-Ri' (1954) - The actress rounded off a busy 1954 with 'The Bridges at Toko-Ri,' which teamed her again with William Holden in a film about the Korean war that was well received by critics and public alike.

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'To Catch a Thief' (1955) - Her third and final film for Alfred Hitchcock was this romantic thriller starring Cary Grant.

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'To Catch a Thief' (1955) - The film received mixed reviews, but Kelly was enamored with the French Riviera setting, a corner of the world she would later be famously—and tragically—associated with.

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'The Swan' (1956) -

Her penultimate film role, 'The Swan,' a romantic comedy, had Kelly playing Princess Alexandra, the daughter of a European royal. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival where Kelly met the dashing Prince Rainier. Art imitating life?

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'High Society' (1956) - Kelly's final film role was in this highly successful romantic musical comedy, which saw her appear opposite Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

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'High Society' (1956) - One of Hollywood's most cherished musicals, 'High Society' saw rivals Sinatra and Crosby collaborate for the first time. Sinatra was fascinated with Kelly. But it was Crosby who'd previously had an affair with their female co-star.

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Princess of Monaco - By the time 'High Society' was released, Kelly had married Prince Rainier III of Monaco (in fact, Kelly was wearing the Cartier engagement ring given to her by the prince throughout the film). She subsequently became Princess of Monaco.

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Royal wedding - Her marriage to Prince Rainier in 1956 was a glittering fairy-tale event comprising both a civil ceremony and a religious wedding. The VIP guest list included Aristotle Onassis, Cary Grant, David Niven, Gloria Swanson, Ava Gardner, and the Aga Khan.

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Children - Children followed swiftly. The Prince of Monaco is seen holding Caroline (born in 1957) while Princess Grace presents baby Prince Albert II (born 1958) from the balcony of the Prince's Palace.

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Family life - The Monaco royal family in later years: Princess Caroline, Prince Rainier III, Princess Grace, Prince Albert, and Princess Stéphanie, who was born in 1965.

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Royal duties - The royal couple are spotted Christmas shopping in London in December 1959, much to the bemusement of two road workers.

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Social scene - Life for Grace Kelly post-Hollywood was no less glamorous, and entailed an endless round of high-profile social events. Here she is with her husband arriving at the White House for a luncheon in 1961.

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Charitable - Princess Grace attending the annual Rose Ball in 1979, a major event in Monaco's social calendar that benefits the Princess Grace Foundation charities.

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Perfect couple - The couple remained blissfully in love with each other. By the late 1970s, as their family grew up around them, Princess Grace returned to the arts in a series of on-stage poetry readings and the narration of documentaries and made-for-television films. But tragedy was just around the corner.

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Tragedy - On September 13, 1982, Kelly suffered a stroke while driving near Monaco. Daughter Stéphanie was in the passenger seat. The princess lost control of the vehicle and drove off the edge of a steep mountainside. Critically injured, she died the next day. Fortunately, Stéphanie ended up with non life-threatening injuries. Pictured: A heartbroken Prince Rainier and his children attend the funeral of Princess Grace on September 18.

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Funeral - Grace Kelly was laid to rest under the gilded dome of the Cathedral of Monaco. Her tomb still attracts film fans wishing to pay their respects. 

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End of the fairy-tale -

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco died on April 6, 2005, and is buried beside his wife. He never remarried. Pictured: members of Monaco's royal family follow the coffin as it leaves Monte Carlo's Prince's Palace.

See also: Examining a grim and often overlooked chapter of WWII

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