Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly made just a handful of movies before transforming from a Hollywood princess into a real life one following her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. Let’s take a look back in the photo gallery above of all 11 of her films, ranked worst to best.
Kelly got her start performing onstage and in television before being drafted by Hollywood to appear in Henry Hathaway‘s ripped-from-the-headlines nail-biter “Fourteen Hours” (1951) when she was just 22-years-old. The next year found her starring as the concerned wife to an imperiled town marshal (Gary Cooper) in Fred Zinnemann‘s landmark western “High Noon” (1952).
She got her first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for John Ford‘s adventure yarn “Mogambo” (1953), playing one of two love interests (along with Ava Gardner) to big game hunter Clark Gable. The next year, Kelly upset frontrunner Judy Garland, who made a massive comeback in the second iteration of “A Star Is Born,” to snag the Best Actress prize for her performance in “The Country Girl” (1954). It was one of five films she released that year, proving the Academy has always loved rewarding ingenues with busy work schedules.
Kelly is perhaps best known for her collaborations with master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, starting with “Dial ‘M’ for Murder” (1954) and leading to “Rear Window” (1954) and “To Catch a Thief” (1955). It’s a shame she retired from the screen in 1956, because she’s just the kind of cool, sexy, whip-smart blonde the director loved to headline his films with.
Though she disappeared from the spotlight, several offers came Kelly’s way during her royal reign, including lead roles in Hitchcock’s “Marnie” (1964) and Herbert Ross‘ “The Turning Point” (1977). Her life was cut tragically short at the age of 53 when she suffered a stroke while driving, causing her to lose control of the vehicle and crash. Her daughter, who was in the passenger’s seat, survived.
Tour through our photo gallery at all 11 of Kelly’s films and see if your favorite made it to #1.
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11. GREEN FIRE (1954)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Andrew Marton. Screenplay by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, based on the memoir by Peter W. Rainier. Starring Stewart Granger, Paul Douglas, John Ericson, Murvyn Vye, Jose Torvay, Robert Tafur.
“Green Fire” is B-movie malarky with an A-movie sheen, a big-budget, Cinemascope romp that’s as shallow as a birdbath. Stewart Granger plays an emerald prospector searching for treasures while romancing a coffee plantation owner (Kelly) and fighting off bandits. What should be an entertaining-enough romp buckles under the weight of its massive production. This was one of five movies Kelly released in 1954, including her Best Actress-winning “The Country Girl” and the Hitchcock thrillers “Dial ‘M’ for Murder” and “Rear Window,” so at least the year wasn’t a total bust.
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10. THE SWAN (1956)
Image Credit: MGM/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Charles Vidor. Screenplay by John Dighton, based on the play by Ferenc Molnar. Starring Alec Guinness, Louis Jourdan, Jessie Royce Landis, Estelle Winwood, Brian Aherne, Agnes Moorehead.
The role of Princess Alexandra in this third remake of Ferenc Molnar’s classic play was one of the last Kelly would portray before becoming a real life royal herself. MGM, in fact, held the release of the film to correspond with the star’s wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, and that’s perhaps the most memorable thing about this cinematic trifle. The story of a young princess encouraged to marry the crown prince (Alec Guinness) so that her family can regain the throne is handsomely produced, but rather staid and unadventurous. Fans of pretty costumes will rejoice; all others might take a nap.
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9. FOURTEEN HOURS (1951)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Henry Hathaway. Screenplay by John Paxton, based on the short story by Joel Sayre. Starring Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart, Barbara Bel Geddes, Debra Paget, Agnes Moorehead, Robert Keith.
Kelly made her big screen debut with a bit part in this nail-biter from Henry Hathaway. Richard Basehart stars as a mentally-disturbed man threatening to jump from the 15th floor of a hotel. He spends 14 hours atop the ledge as a police officer (Paul Douglas) tries to talk him down. Kelly co-stars as a one of the observers from the ground, woman about to sign divorce papers who decides to reconcile with her husband after witnessing the near-tragedy. The film was based in part on the real life suicide of John William Warde, who leapt from the 17th floor of the Gotham Hotel in New York City.
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8. HIGH SOCIETY (1956)
Image Credit: MGM/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Charles Walters. Screenplay by John Patrick, based on the play ‘The Philadelphia Story’ by Philip Barry. Starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm, John Lund, Louis Calhern, Sidney Blackmer, Louis Armstrong.
“High Society” was the last film Kelly made before becoming Princess consort of Monaco, and it’s perhaps as fitting a swan song as fans could hope for. This glossy, Technicolor remake of “The Philadelphia Story” can’t match the sparkle and wit of the original, but it’s an entertaining enough adaptation of Philip Barry’s play. Kelly plays a spoiled socialite who must choose between the romantic advances of her ex-husband (Bing Crosby), her new fiancé (John Lund), and a reporter (Frank Sinatra). Cole Porter provides the soundtrack and Louis Armstrong shows up to play some tunes, which are perhaps the most notable additions to this version.
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7. THE BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI (1954)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Mark Robson. Screenplay by Valentine Davies, story by James Michener. Starring William Holden, Mickey Rooney, Fredric March, Robert Strauss.
This ambitious, moving adaptation of James Michener’s novel stars William Holden as a lawyer recalled by the Navy to fly fighter jets during the Korean War. He must grapple with his own ambivalence towards the ongoing conflict while strategically bombing heavily defended enemy bridges. Kelly brings a lot of grit and determination to what could’ve been the rather thankless role of Holden’s wife. A surprisingly thoughtful war epic, the film also features some truly remarkable flying sequences that brought it an Oscar for Best Special Effects. (It also competed in Best Film Editing.)
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6. DIAL ‘M’ FOR MURDER (1954)
Image Credit: Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Screenplay by Frederick Knott, based on his play. Starring Ray Milland, Robert Cummings, John Williams, Anthony Dawson.
The first of three films Kelly made with the master of suspense was this adaptation of Frederick Knott’s Broadway hit. Ray Milland plays a successful tennis player who frames his unfaithful wife (Kelly) for first-degree murder after she thwarts his own attempt to have her killed. Alfred Hitchcock keeps the action decidedly stage-bound with one notable exception: the use of 3D. While it’s fun to see the director making use of the new technology, it’s not essential to your enjoyment of this murder mystery. (Viewers in fact, largely opted for the 2D version after a loss in interest for the 3-D format, proving history often repeats itself.)
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5. MOGAMBO (1953)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by John Ford. Screenplay by John Lee Mahin, based on the play ‘Red Dust’ by Wilson Collison. Starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Donald Sinden, Philip Stainton, Eric Pohlmann, Laurence Naismith, Denis O’Dea.
Kelly reaped her first Oscar nomination for this remake of the 1932 adventure yarn “Red Dust.” Clark Gable repeats his role from the original as a raffish safari hunter who starts an affair with a socialite (Best Actress nominee Ava Gardner) and an anthropologist’s unfaithful wife (Kelly). Whereas the previous version was filmed on the MGM backlot, director John Ford insisted on location shooting in Africa in glorious Technicolor, giving this reimagining an extra bit of scope and authenticity. Though Kelly won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, she lost at the Academy to Donna Reed (“From Here to Eternity”).
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4. TO CATCH A THIEF (1954)
Image Credit: SNAP/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Screenplay by John Michael Hayes, based on the book by David Dodge. Starring Cary Grant, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Charles Vanel, Bridgitte Auber.
“To Catch a Thief” is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most stylish efforts, the kind of movie where you can almost drink the scenery. Cary Grant plays a retired cat burglar who must clear his reformed name by catching an imposter ripping off wealthy tourists in the French Riviera. Kelly co-stars as his cool-as-a-cucumber love interest, who looks stunning with the help of Edith Head’s Oscar-nominated costumes. It’s too bad the actress only made three films with the director, as she’s the quintessential Hitchcock blonde: chic, sexy, and alluring, with a sharp mind and quick wit that make them more than mere playthings for their male counterparts.
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3. HIGH NOON (1952)
Image Credit: Stanley Kramer/United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Screenplay by Carl Foreman, based on ‘The Tin Star’ by John W. Cunningham. Starring Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Katy Jurado, Otto Kruger, Lon Chaney Jr., Henry Morgan.
The clock is ticking for Will Kane (Best Actor winner Gary Cooper), a retired marshal who must face down a posse of gunmen arriving on the noon train despite the protestations of his newlywed Quaker wife (Kelly). Though he seeks the help of the townspeople, he soon realizes he’s on his own. Director Fred Zinnemann and screenwriter Carl Forman keep the tension tight, with the action apparently unfolding in real time (as evidenced by the many clocks referenced throughout). Made at the height of McCarthyism (Forman was blacklisted during production), this is a tough little western about doing the right thing no matter how daunting it might be.
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2. THE COUNTRY GIRL (1954)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by George Seaton, based on the play by Clifford Odets. Starring Bing Crosby, William Holden, Anthony Ross, Gene Reynolds.
Kelly won the Oscar as Best Actress for this adaptation of Clifford Odets’ melodramatic stage hit. She plays the wife of an alcoholic Broadway has-been (Bing Crosby) plotting a comeback with the help of an ambitious young director (William Holden). At first, Holden thinks Kelly is the cause of all her husband’s woes, but he soon grows to love her himself. Kelly’s victory was a shocking upset, as Judy Garland was widely expected to prevail for “A Star is Born.” A camera crew was actually dispatched to Garland’s hospital room — where she was recuperating from the birth of her son — to capture her reaction live, which couldn’t have been cheery.
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1. REAR WINDOW (1954)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Screenplay by John Michael Hayes, based on the short story ‘It Had to Be Murder’ by Cornell Woolrich. Starring James Stewart, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr.
Throughout his career, Alfred Hitchcock proved a master not just of suspense but of making good use of confined spaces. In “Rear Window,” he creates an entire world inside one apartment complex, as seen through the window of a photographer (James Stewart) confined to a wheelchair who passes his time spying on his neighbors. When he becomes convinced that one of them (Raymond Burr) murdered his wife, he enlists his devoted girlfriend (Kelly) and sarcastic housekeeper (Thelma Ritter) to uncover the truth. In many ways, this story of a nosy neighbor works as a metaphor for the voyeuristic act of filmgoing itself. Most of the praise goes to Stewart’s performance and Hitchcock’s Oscar-nominated direction. Yet Kelly proves their equal as a determined, clever woman who’s not just a necessary participant in her lover’s plan, but in his life as well.
