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Eugene Curran Kelly
1912-1996
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Graduated from Pittsburgh University with an
Economics Degree before turning to dancing as a career.His stage
debut was in the chorus of "Leave it to Me" (1938). His lead
performance in "Pal Joey" (1939) led to his film debut in for "Me
and My Girl" (1942). He went on to star in many film musicals
including "Cover Girl" (1944), "Anchors Aweigh" (1945), "On the
Town" (1949), "An American in Paris" (1951) and his most famous
film "Singin' in the Rain" (1952). He received a special Academy
Award in 1951 for his achievments in the art of film choreography.
With the demise of original film musicals, he turned to dramatic
acting in "Marjorie Morningstar" (1958), "Inherit the Wind" (1960)
and directed a number of films including "Hello Dolly!" (1969). In
1985 he received the American Film Institute Life Acheivement
Award.
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