A tragic end for fairytale marriage

GRACE PATRICIA KELLY was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to John Brendan Kelly Sr and Margaret Majer; her Irish Catholic family were new but prominent figures in Philadelphia society.

Her father was a self-made millionaire and a gold-medal-winning Olympic sculler, and her brother ‘Jack’ followed in that tradition. Kelly Drive in Philadelphia is named for John Jr, who was a city councilman there.

Though her family had opposed her becoming an actress, Kelly became a fashion model and appeared in her first film, Fourteen Hours (1951), when she was 22. The following year, she starred in High Noon, with Gary Cooper.