Gene Kelly

Biography

Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, 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 is best known today for his performances in films such as Cover Girl (1944), Anchors Aweigh (1945), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, On the Town (1949), which was his directorial debut, An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Brigadoon (1954), and It's Always Fair Weather (1955). Kelly made his film debut with Judy Garland in For Me and My Gal (1942), and followed by Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), Thousands Cheer (1943), The Pirate (1948), Summer Stock (1950), and Les Girls (1957) among others. After musicals he starred in two films outside the musical genre: Inherit the Wind (1960) and What a Way to Go! (1964). In 1967, he appeared in French director Jacques Demy's musical comedy The Young Girls of Rochefort opposite Catherine Deneuve. Kelly solo directed the comedy A Guide for the Married Man (1967) starring Walter Matthau, and later the extravagant musical Hello, Dolly! (1969) starring Barbra Streisand, recognized with an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Kelly co-hosted and appeared in Ziegfeld Follies (1946), That's Entertainment! (1974), That's Entertainment, Part II (1976), That's Dancing! (1985), and That's Entertainment, Part III (1994). His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical, and he is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form commercially acceptable to film audiences. 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.

Known For

Michael

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Mike Douglas Show

Great Performances

The Merv Griffin Show

What's My Line?

Champs-Elysées

All Movies (103)

• Michael2026 · as Self (archive footage)
• True Blue2025 · as (Archive Footage)
• Gene Kelly - An American in Hollywood2025 · as Self - Portrait Subject & Interviewee (archive footage)
• Sid & Judy2019 · as Self (archive footage)
• La La La2018 · as Various Roles (archive footage)
• JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala2017 · as Self
• Directing Dolly: Gene Kelly Remembered2013 · as Self (archive footage)
• Frank Sinatra: Around the World2011 · as Self - Guest
• Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing2009 · as (archive footage)
• Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical2009 · as Self (archive)
• Summer Stock: Get Happy!2006 · as Joe D. Ross (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Happy Again2006 · as Don Lockwood (archive footage)
• Reunited at MGM: Astaire and Rogers Together Again2005 · as Self (archive footage)
• Easter Parade: On the Avenue2005 · as Self (Archive Footage)
• Get Aboard! 'The Band Wagon'2005 · as Self (archive footage)
• AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies2004 · as Don Lockwood
• Judy Garland: By Myself2004 · as Self - Actor (archive sound)
• Cole Porter in Hollywood: Ça c'est l'amour2003 · as Self (archive footage)
• Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer2002 · as Self (archive footage)
• Hollywood Musicals of the 40's2000 · as Self (archive footage)
• A Bing Crosby Christmas1998 · as Self / Narrator (archive footage)
• The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies1995 · as Self
• That's Entertainment! III1994 · as Self - Co-Host / Narrator
• The Young Girls Turn 251993 · as Self (archive footage)
• Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash1990 · as Self
• You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story1990 · as Self
• Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town1988 · as Self (archive footage)
• Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues1988 · as Self
• The Movie Palaces1987 · as Self
• James Stewart: A Wonderful Life1987 · as Self
• The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years1986 · as Self (archive footage)
• That's Dancing!1985 · as Self - Host
• James Bond: The First 21 Years1983 · as Self
• Showbiz Goes to War1982 · as (archive footage)
• Sylvie Vartan: Live in Las Vegas1982 · as Self
• Night of 100 Stars1982 · as Self
• The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell1982 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
• Reporters1981 · as Self
• Xanadu1980 · as Danny McGuire
• Olivia Newton-John: Hollywood Nights1980 · as Self
• Lucy Moves to NBC1980 · as Self
• Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years1979 · as Self
• The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait1978 · as Self
• Mickey's 501978 · as Self
• Cinderella at the Palace1978 · as Host
• Ersatz1978 · as Don Lockwood (voice) (archive sound)
• Yabba Dabba Doo! The Happy World of Hanna-Barbera1977 · as Self - Host
• Viva Knievel!1977 · as Will Atkins
• An Evening with Gene Kelly1977 · as Self
• NBC: The First Fifty Years1976 · as Self
• That's Entertainment, Part II1976 · as Self - Co-Host / Narrator
• It's Showtime1976 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Lion Roars Again1975 · as Self
• The Sandy Duncan Special1974 · as Self
• That's Entertainment!1974 · as Self - Host / Narrator
• Frank Sinatra: Ol' Blue Eyes is Back1973 · as Self - Guest Performer
• 40 Carats1973 · as Billy Boylan
• The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli1973 · as Self (archive footage)
• Hollywood: The Dream Factory1972 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Young Girls of Rochefort1967 · as Andy Miller
• Jack and the Beanstalk1967 · as Jeremy Keen, the Peddler
• Behind the screens : Les demoiselles de Rochefort1966 · as Self
• The Julie Andrews Show1965 · as Self
• What a Way to Go!1964 · as Pinky Benson
• Hollywood: The Golden Years1961 · as Self - Host
• Let's Make Love1960 · as Gene Kelly (uncredited)
• Inherit the Wind1960 · as E.K. Hornbeck
• Dancing, a Man's Game - Gene Kelly1958 · as Self
• Marjorie Morningstar1958 · as Noel Airman
• Les Girls1957 · as Barry Nichols
• The Happy Road1957 · as Michael J. Andrews
• The Life You Save May Be Your Own1957 · as Tom T. Triplett
• Invitation to the Dance1956 · as Host / Pierrot / The Marine / Sinbad
• It's Always Fair Weather1955 · as Ted Riley
• Deep in My Heart1954 · as Performer in Dancing Around
• Brigadoon1954 · as Tommy Albright
• Seagulls Over Sorrento1954 · as Lieutenant Bradville
• The Devil Makes Three1952 · as Jeff Eliot
• Singin' in the Rain1952 · as Don Lockwood
• Love Is Better Than Ever1952 · as Gene Kelly (uncredited)
• It's a Big Country1951 · as Icarus Xenophon
• An American in Paris1951 · as Jerry Mulligan
• Summer Stock1950 · as Joe D. Ross
• The Costume Designer1950 · as Self (archive footage)
• Black Hand1950 · as Giovanni E. 'Johnny' Columbo
• On the Town1949 · as Gabey
• Take Me Out to the Ball Game1949 · as Eddie O'Brien
• Words and Music1948 · as Gene Kelly
• The Three Musketeers1948 · as D'Artagnan
• The Pirate1948 · as Serafin
• Living in a Big Way1947 · as Leo Gogarty
• The Story of Submarine Warfare in the Pacific1945 · as Narrator (voice)
• Ziegfeld Follies1945 · as Gentleman (segment "The Babbit and the Bromide")
• Anchors Aweigh1945 · as Joseph Brady
• Combat Fatigue Irritability1945 · as Seaman Bob Lucas
• Christmas Holiday1944 · as Robert Manette
• Cover Girl1944 · as Danny McGuire
• Twenty Years After1944 · as (archive footage)
• The Cross of Lorraine1943 · as Victor
• Thousands Cheer1943 · as Private Eddie Marsh
• Du Barry Was a Lady1943 · as Alec Howe / Black Arrow
• Pilot #51943 · as Vito S. Alessandro
• For Me and My Gal1942 · as Harry Palmer

All TV Shows (35)

• Il était une fois Champs-Élysées2022 · as Self (archive footage)
• Talking Pictures2013 · as Self (archive footage)
• Sins1986 · as Eric Hovland
• North and South1985 · as Sen. Charles Edwards
• Champs-Elysées1982 · as Self
• The Kennedy Center Honors1978 · as Self
• The Muppet Show1976 · as Self - Special Guest Star
• Cérémonie des César1976 · as Self - President
• Doug Henning's World of Magic1975 · as Self
• Numéro un1975 · as Self
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts1973 · as Self
• The American Film Institute Salute to ...1973 · as Self
• Film '721971 · as Self
• The Funny Side1971 · as Self - Host
• Great Performances1971 · as Self
• Omnibus1967 · as Self
• Hollywood and the Stars1963 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Danny Kaye Show1963 · as Self
• Going My Way1962 · as Father Chuck O'Malley
• The Merv Griffin Show1962 · as Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1962 · as Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1962 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Mike Douglas Show1961 · as Self - Co-Host
• Musikalische Unterhaltung1961 · as Self
• MGM Parade1955 · as Performer in 'Ziegfeld Follies' (archive footage)
• MGM Parade1955 · as Self - Actor
• MGM Parade1955
• MGM Parade1955 · as Self
• MGM Parade1955 · as self
• Reflets de Cannes1954 · as Self
• The Oscars1953 · as Self
• Omnibus1952 · as Self (segment)
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951 · as Tom T. Triplett
• What's My Line?1950 · as Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show1948 · as Self