What was Grace Kelly's Net Worth?
Grace Kelly was an American actress, Princess and fashion icon who had a net worth of $50 million at the time of her death in 1982. That's equal to $150 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation. Grace Kelly was best known for her performances in such 1950s films as "Mogambo," "Rear Window," "To Catch a Thief," "High Society," and "The Country Girl," the lattermost of which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. At the age of 26, she retired from acting to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco, making her Princess. In that role, Kelly did significant charity work related to children and the arts before dying from a car crash in 1982. Grace and Rainier had three children together; Prince Albert II, Caroline, and Stephanie. Kelly lived under the House of Grimaldi by marriage but maintained dual citizenship in the United States and Monaco.
Early Life
Grace Kelly was born on November 12, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania into an affluent, Irish-Catholic family. Her father, Jack, was a three-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing, and also owned a successful brickwork contracting company. During World War II, he served as National Director of Physical Fitness under President Roosevelt.
Kelly's mother, Margaret, was a former P.E. teacher at the University of Pennsylvania. With her siblings John Jr., Margaret, and Elizabeth, Kelly was brought up in the Catholic faith in the close-knit parish of Saint Bridget's. She went to Ravenhill Academy and Stevens School as a youth, participating in dance and drama programs at the latter.
Career Beginnings
In the late 40s, Kelly auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She was ultimately admitted through the influence of her uncle George, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and director. Kelly went on to make her Broadway debut in a production of August Strindberg's "The Father." She also did work as a model with the John Robert Powers agency, appearing in ads for cigarettes and bug spray. Kelly continued to perform in many plays in the early 50s, including "The Apple Tree," "The Mirror of Delusion," and "Episode." She also starred in a live television adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel "Bethel Merriday," the first of almost 60 live television programs in which she appeared during her career.
Film Career
Kelly made her film debut in 1951 with a small part in Henry Hathaway's "Fourteen Hours." She had a bigger role the next year in Fred Zinnemann's Western "High Noon," starring as the Quaker bride of Gary Cooper's main character Marshal Will Kane. Kelly's major breakthrough, however, came in 1953, when she appeared in John Ford's "Mogambo" alongside Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. For her performance, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Following the success of "Mogambo," Kelly had her most prolific year on screen in 1954, appearing in five films. First, she starred in Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers "Dial M for Murder" and "Rear Window." Kelly then starred in "The Country Girl," an adaptation of the eponymous play by Clifford Odets. For her performance as Georgia Elgin, the long-suffering wife of Bing Crosby's character, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Kelly closed out 1954 with roles in the adventure drama "Green Fire" and the war film "The Bridges at Toko-Ri." The following year, she reunited with Alfred Hitchcock to star in "To Catch a Thief" opposite Cary Grant. Kelly's final two films, both released in 1956, were the romance "The Swan" and the musical "High Society," which reunited her with Bing Crosby.
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Princess of Monaco
In 1956, Kelly retired from acting to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco, whom she had met the previous year during a private photo session. Thus, she became Princess of Monaco. The couple had a daughter, Princess Caroline, in early 1957. Prince Albert was born the following year, and the youngest child, Princess Stéphanie, was born in early 1965.
As Princess of Monaco, Kelly became significantly involved in charity work. She served as the president of the Red Cross of Monaco and as a patron of Rainbow Coalition Children, an orphanage. Kelly was also the president of the Garden Club of Monaco. Additionally, she founded the non-profit organization AMADE Mondiale, which works globally to support the health and education of children. Among her other philanthropic endeavors as Princess, Kelly co-founded the Princess Grace Academy, the resident school of the Monte Carlo Ballet.
Late Career
After turning down a number of film roles that were offered to her, Kelly returned to cinema in 1977 to narrate the documentary "The Children of Theatre Street," about the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. In the early 80s, Kelly partnered with the bed linen brand Springmaid Company to release a line of linens, napkins, tablecloths, and placemats.
(Photo by William KAREL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Death and Legacy
In late 1982, Kelly had a mild cerebral hemorrhage while driving from her country home back to Monaco. She consequently lost control of her car, a 1971 Rover P6 3500, and plummeted down a steep mountainside. Taken to the hospital, Kelly passed away the next day.
Kelly has left a rich legacy behind her that encompasses film, television, theater, fashion, and philanthropy. She is remembered as one of the most iconic and glamorous figures to ever work in Hollywood, and is noted for being one of the classic "Hitchcock blondes" for her roles in three of the director's films. After Kelly passed, the Princess Grace Foundation was established by her husband. The Foundation continues the work Kelly did during her lifetime to support the arts through grants, fellowships, scholarships, and awards. Elsewhere, in Monaco, a rose garden in the Fontvieille district is dedicated to Kelly.
