12 November: Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly, the actress who would later become Princess Grace of Monaco, was born on this date in 1929. Here are some facts about her:

1. She came from a well-off and sporting family. Her father, Irish-American John B. Kelly Sr. had won Olympic gold medals for sculling and her mother, Margaret, was the first female to coach women's athletics at the University of Pennsylvania. Her father owned a successful brickwork contracting company.
2. Grace's favourite actors were Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten.
3. Her parents didn't want her to be an actress. Her father thought acting was "a slim cut above streetwalker."
4. She made her film debut in a small role in the 1951 film Fourteen Hours. Her big break was in High Noon.
5. She first met Prince Rainier when she headed the U.S. delegation at the Cannes Film Festival in April 1955 and was required to appear in a photoshoot with him. At the time, she was going out with someone else, the French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont. Nevertheless, when she returned to America, she and Ranier kept in contact.
6. In December 1955, Rainier went to America, officially on a tour, but it was widely speculated he was looking for a wife. The pressure was on, because a treaty with France in 1918 had stated that if he didn't produce an heir Monaco would revert to France. He denied at first that he was actively seeking a wife, but four months later, Grace Kelly set out for Monaco with her poodle and over eighty pieces of luggage, having accepted his proposal.
7. It was a good thing her family were rich, since they had to pay a dowry of $2 million before the marriage could take place.
8. Her new role meant she had to give up acting. Her films were banned in Monaco after her marriage. She did miss it, and suffered from depression at times. She almost accepted a role in Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie in 1962, but pressure from the people of Monaco led to her turning it down. She became involved in philanthropic work instead and supported charities for children and artisans.
9. She was the first actress to appear on a US Postage stamp, in 1993.
10. She suffered a minor stroke while driving at the age of 52, which caused her to lose control of the car which careered off the road and down a 120ft drop, despite the efforts of her passenger, her daughter Stephanie, to regain control of the vehicle. Princess Grace died of the injuries sustained in the crash.