ROBAIRD O’CEARBHAILL
Why would a girl bullied by her parents and sisters become a Hollywood and royalty star? The persona non grata ostracization in her family was her first motivation, the second was the love and care of the Sisters at her secondary school. Surprisingly, an unpopular child of four at home, became, finally, self-confident and talented because of these two factors.
Unloved at home and bullied, Grace Kelly, first found refuge in play with her dolls. She would invent stories, in different voices, for each character. This child acting would continue at teen level, in school dramas. Finishing school she was already emotionally, psychologically, primed for professional acting, but for training she successfully entered the prestigious Academy of American Film Arts.
After graduation Kelly successfully transferred to professional theater where she was noticed by a Hollywood film director. The first foray into movies, Fourteen Hours,as a small part actor was noticed by one of the biggest movie stars Gary Cooper. Whether that played a part in her first major Hollywood film, the legendary High Noon (1952), with Cooper remains to be revealed.
Kelly, not near to being a star, was then being recognized, whether it was for beauty or screen presence, when she was chosen to be the major female character in the Marlon Brando breakthrough movie On The Waterfront (1954), which won eight Oscars and including Brando’s role and the Kelly’s turned down role. But despite that loss of the Oscar award, Kelly’s talent has already shone through, before that film was released, when she got an Oscar for best supporting actress in Country Girl (1953). Her speech at the award was modest and brief: “The thrill of this moment keeps me from saying what I really feel. I can only say thank you with all my heart to all who made this possible for me. Thank you.”
Already a major Hollywood film star, why would she drop that to become European royalty and why would Prince Rainier the monarch of Monaco decide to enchant the film idol to be his princess. From the multiple Princess Grace biographies and from the book of Hollywood producer Robert Evans, The Fat Lady Sings, there are two versions of the story. One is the romance of Prince Rainier and movie star Grace and the other is how tycoon Aristotle Onassis, who owned most of Monaco, wanted the prince to marry a Hollywood star, for glamor to bring in more members of the international elite, and boost his investments in the principality.
It does seem from all the news about Kelly’s marriage and following news that followed that the plan worked. Monaco has attracted some of the world’s richest and most famous people, not just because of low tax but because since Grace Kelly became a princess, it became more the place for the rich to go.
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