Gene Kelly Autograph Card Mounted

Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) 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. He starred in, choreographed, or co-directed some of the most well-regarded musical films of the 1940s and 1950s, until they fell out of fashion in the late 1950s.

Kelly received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952 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 (1982) and from the Screen Actors Guild and American Film Institute. In 1999, the American Film Institute also ranked him as the 15th greatest male screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

Kelly’s health declined steadily in the late 1980s. In July 1994, he suffered a stroke and stayed in a hospital for seven weeks. In early 1995, he had another stroke in Beverly Hills. Kelly died on February 2, 1996 at the age of 83. His body was cremated, without a funeral or memorial service.