Kelly, Gene

Kelly, Gene,1912–96, American dancer, choreographer, movie actor, and director, b. Pittsburgh as Eugene Curran Kelly. Kelly started dancing on Broadway in 1938 and first gained fame in the title role of the Broadway musicalPal Joey(1940). He moved to Hollywood in 1941 and soon starred in his first film,For Me and My Gal(1942). His best-known work was in motion pictures, where he excelled in an inventive combination of camera and dance techniques in such films asOn the Town(1949),An American in Paris(1951; Academy Award),Singin' in the Rain(1952)—which contains his single most famous performance—andInvitation to the Dance(1956). A skillful, expressive dancer with a joyfully muscular yet lyrical style, he also sang in a thin yet appealing voice. Among Kelly's other film musicals wereAnchors Aweigh(1945),Take Me Out to the Ballgame(1949),Brigadoon(1954), andLes Girls(1957)。他也是戏剧性的电影角色,如Inherit the Wind(1960), and directed several movies, includingThe Happy Road(1950) andHello Dolly(1969).

See biographies by C. Hirschhorn (1975), A. Yudkoff (1999), and C. and S. Brideson (2017).

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