Perhaps the greatest song and dance man during the ‘golden age’ of Hollywood,
Gene Kelly – born Eugene Kelly in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 23, 1912 –
is best known for his roles in musicals such as On the Town (1949), An American
in Paris (1951), Invitation to the Dance (1956), and his career-defining role in
1952’s Singin’ in the Rain. He began his career on stage, performing in his
hometown of Pittsburgh before landing a job in 1938 as a dancer in Cole Porter’s
Leave it to Me on Broadway. By the early 1940s, he was playing lead roles on
Broadway in shows like Pal Joey, ...