Eugene Curran Kelly (August , â€" February , ) was an American actor,
dancer, singer, filmmaker, comedian and choreographer. He was known
for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks, and the
likable characters that he played on screen.Best known today for his
performances in films such as On the Town () which was his directorial
debut, An American in Paris (), Anchors Aweigh ()â€" for which he was
nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actorâ€"and Singin' in the
Rain (), he starred in musical films until they fell out of fashion in
the late s. He starred in, choreographed, or co-directed some of the
most well-regarded musicals of the s and s, debuting with Judy Garland
in For Me and My Gal (), and followed by Du Barry Was a Lady (),
Thousands Cheer (), The Pirate (), and It's Always Fair Weather (),
among others. Later, he starred in two films outside the musical
genre: Inherit the Wind () and What a Way to Go! (). Kelly directed
films without a collaborator (in some of which he starred), including
Hello, Dolly! (), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best
Picture.His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical, and he
is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form
commercially acceptable to film audiences. Kelly received an Academy
Honorary Award in for his career achievements, the same year An
American in Paris won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He
later received lifetime achievement awards in the Kennedy Center
Honors () and from the Screen Actors Guild and American Film
Institute. In , the American Film Institute also ranked him as the th
greatest male screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema.Kelly was born
in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He was the third son
of James Patrick Joseph Kelly, a phonograph salesman, and his wife,
Harriet Catherine Curran. His father was born in Peterborough,
Ontario, Canada to an Irish Canadian family. His maternal grandfather
was an immigrant from Derry, Ireland, and his maternal grandmother was
of German ancestry. When he was eight, Kelly's mother enrolled him and
his brother James in dance classes. As Kelly recalled, they both
rebelled: "We didn't like it much and were continually involved in
fistfights with the neighborhood boys who called us sissies ... I
didn't dance again until I was ." At one time, his childhood dream was
to play shortstop for the hometown Pittsburgh Pirates.
dancer, singer, filmmaker, comedian and choreographer. He was known
for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks, and the
likable characters that he played on screen.Best known today for his
performances in films such as On the Town () which was his directorial
debut, An American in Paris (), Anchors Aweigh ()â€" for which he was
nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actorâ€"and Singin' in the
Rain (), he starred in musical films until they fell out of fashion in
the late s. He starred in, choreographed, or co-directed some of the
most well-regarded musicals of the s and s, debuting with Judy Garland
in For Me and My Gal (), and followed by Du Barry Was a Lady (),
Thousands Cheer (), The Pirate (), and It's Always Fair Weather (),
among others. Later, he starred in two films outside the musical
genre: Inherit the Wind () and What a Way to Go! (). Kelly directed
films without a collaborator (in some of which he starred), including
Hello, Dolly! (), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best
Picture.His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical, and he
is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form
commercially acceptable to film audiences. Kelly received an Academy
Honorary Award in for his career achievements, the same year An
American in Paris won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He
later received lifetime achievement awards in the Kennedy Center
Honors () and from the Screen Actors Guild and American Film
Institute. In , the American Film Institute also ranked him as the th
greatest male screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema.Kelly was born
in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He was the third son
of James Patrick Joseph Kelly, a phonograph salesman, and his wife,
Harriet Catherine Curran. His father was born in Peterborough,
Ontario, Canada to an Irish Canadian family. His maternal grandfather
was an immigrant from Derry, Ireland, and his maternal grandmother was
of German ancestry. When he was eight, Kelly's mother enrolled him and
his brother James in dance classes. As Kelly recalled, they both
rebelled: "We didn't like it much and were continually involved in
fistfights with the neighborhood boys who called us sissies ... I
didn't dance again until I was ." At one time, his childhood dream was
to play shortstop for the hometown Pittsburgh Pirates.
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