Tag: actress

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Grace Kelly: The American Princess Who Captivated Monaco

L.M. Hosler

Don’t most little girls dream of being a princess? A princess costume is generally a favorite costume of girls for Halloween. But what are the chances of that dream ever coming true?

I imagine that Grace Kelly was at one time one of those little girls who dreamed of being a princess. But Grace Kelly loved the spotlight and truly wanted to be an actress. . As an actress she played the role of Princess Alexandra in her final film. Shortly after that Grace Kelly did indeed become the wife of Prince Rainier of Monaco making her a royal princess.

Young Grace Kelly Her Early Years

Grace Patricia Kelly was born in, “The City of Brotherly Love”, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 12, 1929. She was the third child for John (Jack) and Margaret Kelly. While athletics played a big part in the Kelly family, Grace was not much for athletics. She had more of an avid interest in drama and acting.

When Grace was about twelve, she became interested in acting. But at twelve many considered her to be an ugly duckling of sorts. She was small, thin, and she needed glasses because she was nearsighted. But Grace Kelly was destined to turn into a beautiful swan, an actress and eventually a royal princess.

Grace Kelly the Actress

In 1942, she appeared in “Don’t Feed the Animals” which was a small theater group near her home. In the fall of 1947, she enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, located in New York. It was during this time that she became a successful model. She appeared on covers of many women’s magazines, while also making appearances on TV dramas.

In 1949, Grace made her debut on the Broadway stage. Shortly after that Grace made the move to Southern California and motion pictures. Her first motion picture was “Fourteen Hours” in 1951, which also starred Gary Cooper and Lloyd Bridges. She starred in the movie “Country Girl” in 1954 with Bing Crosby. Her performance won her the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for best actress.

Grace Kelly Movies

  • The Swan 1956
  • Fourteen Hours 1951
  • High Society 1956
  • Dial M For Murder An Alfred Hitchcock thriller 1954
  • Mogambo 1953
  • To Catch A Thief 1954
  • High Noon 1952
  • The Country Girl 1954 Won the Oscar for Best Actress
  • The Rear Window 1954 Another Alfred Hitchcock movie

Grace Kelly was a highly talented, beautiful, and sought after actress of the 1950s.

The American Actress Meets her Prince

In May 1955, Grace met Prince Rainier of Monaco, the richest bachelor in the world. She had agreed to attend the Cannes Film Festival and to be photographed with the Prince. Grace was just twenty six and the Prince was thirty two. After the photo session ended, the Prince took Grace to visit the gardens and his zoo. Over time, the Prince and Grace began a courtship that would lead to marriage. It was a union between the beautiful American actress and the Prince of Monaco. Marrying into a royal family, a bride must meet certain conditions like providing a dowry to the husband.

Grace’s family was required to send a sizable dowry in the amount of $2,000,000. Grace had to take a fertility test to ensure that she could produce an heir to the throne. It was also agreed that Grace would give up her acting career. She would move to Prince Rainier’s home in Monaco, which was a 235 room palace that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. The hardest thing for Grace to accept was the possibility of giving up all rights to her children. If the marriage did not work, then Prince Rainier would have custody of any children the couple produced.

Wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier

The Wedding

On April 18, 1956, Prince Rainier Grimaldi and Grace Kelly exchanged vows in French in a civil ceremony.  On April 19, 1956 the couple were married again in a religious ceremony officially making Grace Kelly Princess Grace of Monaco. Princess Grace would give birth to three royal children. Princess Caroline was born in 1957, Prince Albert born in 1958, and Princess Stephanie born in 1965.

The Prince and Princess Of Monaco

Tragedy Strikes

Tragedy struck the royal couple on Sept 13, 1982. Princess Grace was driving with her daughter Stephanie on a steep curving road and her car went over one of the steep curves. While Stephanie only had minor injuries, Princess Grace’s injuries were more severe and would claim her life two days later.

There have been many rumors about what caused Princess Grace’s car to plunge down the cliff, akin to the rumors surrounding Princess Diane’s death. However, Dr Louis Chateline, the physician who treated the princess at Monaco states that Princess Grace suffered two strokes. The first stroke struck her while she was driving causing her to lose control of her vehicle. A second stroke took her life.

Grace Kelly will long be remembered for many things. Her movies and her timeless beauty are among them. Her family remembers her as a wife, mother, and daughter. She will also always be known as the American Princess Grace of Monaco

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THE DAME ELIZABETH TAYLOR

L.M. Hosler

Born Beautiful

Some people, it seems, are simply born to be beautiful and famous. Elizabeth Taylor was one of those people.

Elizabeth Her Early Years

Elizabeth Taylor, was born on Febuary 27, 1932 in London. She was the second child of Francis and Sara Taylor, and was welcomed home by an older brother, Howard, who was two at the time. 

For the first seven years of young Elizabeth’s life, her family remained living in London, but as fears of World War began to look quite likely, Francis Taylor decided to move his family back to the safety of  Los Angeles, California. Sara Taylor had been an actress herself before marrying Francis Taylor so it was not surprising that after moving back to Los Angeles, she began actively encouraging her young daughter to seek work as an actress.

The Young Actress

It wasn’t long before Elizabeth began to be noticed and in 1943, she was signed on with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio, which was probably the biggest and the best studio in Hollywood at the time. Liz was cast as the rich Duke’s granddaughter in the highly success “Lassie Come Home”. In 1944, Liz starred in another smash movie “National Velvet” in which she plays a young girl who works with a wild but gifted horse and enters England’s Grand National Sweepstakes. While filming “National Velvet” Liz fell from a horse and broke her back, but she was so committed to her work that she refused to allow this to stop her from finishing the movie. 

Elizabeth loved being an actress. She loved the attention, the clothes, the makeup and the make believe, where she could be whoever her character was at the time. At the young age of fifteen, she was declared “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”.  As a result, while filming movies such as “Little Women” and “A Place in the Sun” Liz managed to acquire a reputation for being difficult, demanding and needing special treatment. Liz’s face was the cover of about one thousand magazines.

Liz, Romance and Marriage

One of the things that Liz would become famous for would be her many romances and her eight marriages. When Liz was barely 18, on May 6, 1950 she married hotel heir Conrad N Hilton Jr. aboard the Queen Mary. They were divorced a year later. On February 21,1952, she married Michael Wilding, with whom she had two sons and whom she divorced in 1956.  Michael Todd was Liz’s fourth husband. They were married on Februaruy 2, 1957 and had one daughter together. Michael Todd was killed on March 21, 1958, when his private plane crashed in New Mexico, on his way to an awards banquet. After losing her husband, Liz found comfort in the arms of Eddie Fisher, who was married to her friend Debbie Reynolds, at the time. Liz and Eddie Fisher were married on May 12, 1959 and divorced in March of 1964. On March 15, 1964 Liz married Richard Burton, whom she had co-starred with in the film “Cleopatra” with Burton playing the part of Marc Anthony. The couple divorced, then remarried Oct 10, 1975 only to be divorced again in July 1976. Liz’s husband number seven was John Warner, who was running for U.S. Senator from Virginia. They were married on December 4, 1976 in a sunset ceremony on his farm in Virginia. They divorced on December 15, 1981. Liz’s eighth and final husband,  was Larry Fortensky, whom she met while at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1988. They were married in 1991 and divorced in 1996.

A Young and Very Beautiful Liz Taylor

Awards and Achievements

Elizabeth Taylor is also know for the many awards she received for her work over her lifetime.  “Raintree Country” (1957) earned her the first of several Academy Award Nominations. “Butterfield 8” was her second nomination while “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” gave her a third nomination. Liz won the best actress Oscar for “Butterfield 8” and another Oscar for “Who’s Afraid of Virigina Woolf”? In 1993 the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences gave Liz Taylor a special humnitarian award for her work with the AIDS Foundation. Liz was also honored by the Queen of England and was given the honorary title of Dame.

After losing several close friends including actor Rock Hudson, fashion designer Halston and her own private secretary, Malcom Forbes to AIDS, Elizabeth Taylor became the first great legendary personality to speak out on behalf on AIDS research. In 1985, she became the co-founder and chair of the American Foundation for AIDS research. In 1999 Elizabeth was awarded the Angel Award for her work with patients inflicted with Aids.

An older but still beautiful Liz Taylor

Queen Elizabeth Honors Liz Taylor

In 2000, Elizabeth visited Buckingham palace with other celebrities where Queen Elizabeth II honored her with the title of Dame. Dame is the female word which is equal to the male term of Knight. This was one of the highest honors given in Britain.

The beautiful Elizabeth Taylor legend will continue and Liz will be remembered for her many husbands, her films, the White Diamonds Perfume, her trips to the Betty Ford Rehab Center and much more. She should always be remembered for her beauty. Perhaps she should be remembered most for the good works she has done in trying to help AIDS victims.