Every Grace Kelly Film Performance Reviewed & Ranked

Six years in showbusiness rarely gets you recognised, let alone remembered. But from 1951 to 1956, one actress defied those odds to become a staple of classic Hollywood filmdom. Grace Patricia Kelly a.k.a. Grace Kelly, the Philadelphia native who burst through the Western entertainment sphere like a raging wildfire and oozed such pure talent and arresting beauty which courted the likes of directors John Ford and Alfred Hitchcock to work with her (the latter cast her thrice in a span of 2 years!). However, just when Kelly began to hit her career stride, another courtship – this time of the romantic ilk with Prince Rainier III of Monaco – saw the eponymous actress ascend from newfound Hollywood royalty to actual regal stature in 1956 by virtue of marrying the prince, becoming the Princess of Monaco.

Despite starring in just 11 feature films, Grace Kelly left an indelible mark on classic Hollywood. She’s ranked 13^th among the American Film Institute’s 25 Greatest Female Stars of Classical Hollywood Cinema with her legacy spreading into popular culture through fashion and music. But what truly made her film performances standout among the sea of actresses during her time? In this article I’ll attempt to dissect, review and rank all 11 of Kelly’s performances on the silver screen to unravel the intricacies of what made Kelly truly one of a kind in her field.

 

11. Fourteen Hours (1951)

Often overlooked by many due to her reduced onscreen presence and overall insignificance to the main film’s arc, nevertheless Kelly’s film debut in this classic thriller helped solidify her claim to filmdom (she had previously clocked in several television appearances and plays). Her performance is really nothing to write home about with only one full scene allotted to her, but it’s commendable she puts in a solid turn as distraught wife Louise Anne Fuller who’s on the verge of divorce. It’s funny that besides the suicidal main character played by Richard Basehart, Kelly’s character shows the most intense emotions of any character in the film – her pain somewhat indirectly foreshadowing the inner turmoil of Basehart’s character.