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On November 12, 1929, Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to wealthy parents. Her girlhood was uneventful for the most part, but one of the things she desired was to become an actress which she had decided on at an early age. After her high school graduation in 1947, Grace struck out on her own, heading to New York's bright lights to try her luck there. Grace worked some as a model and made her debut on Broadway in 1949. She also made a brief foray into the infant medium of television. Not content with the work in New York, Grace moved to Southern California for the more prestigious part of acting -- motion pictures. In 1951, she appeared in her first film entitled Fourteen Hours (1951) when she was 22. It was a small part, but a start nonetheless. The following year she landed the role of Amy Kane in High Noon (1952), a western starring Gary Cooper and Lloyd Bridges which turned out to be very popular. In 1953, Grace appeared in only one film, but it was another popular one. The film was Mogambo (1953) where Grace played Linda Nordley. The film was a jungle drama in which fellow cast members, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner turned in masterful performances. It was also one of the best films ever released by MGM. Although she got noticed with High Noon, her work with director Alfred Hitchcock, which began with Dial M for Murder (1954) made her a star. Her standout performance in Rear Window (1954) brought her to prominence. As Lisa Fremont, she was cast opposite James Stewart, who played a crippled photographer who witnesses a murder in the next apartment from his wheelchair. Grace stayed busy in 1954 appearing in five films. Grace would forever be immortalized by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Georgie Elgin opposite Bing Crosby in The Country Girl (1954). In 1955, Grace once again teamed with Hitchcock in To Catch a Thief (1955) co-starring Cary Grant. In 1956, she played Tracy Lord in the musical comedy High Society (1956) which also starred Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. The whimsical tale ended with her re-marrying her former husband, played by Crosby. The film was well received. It also turned out to be her final acting performance. Grace had recently met and married Prince Rainier of the little principality of Monaco. By becoming a princess, she gave up her career. For the rest of her life, she was to remain in the news with her marriage and her three children. On September 14, 1982, Grace was killed in an automobile accident in her adoptive home country. She was just 52 years old.

Born the sole heir to the throne of the nation of Monaco, Prince Rainier lived his life by duty. The son of Charlotte Grimaldi, the illegitimate daughter of Monaco's Prince Louis, Rainier was the aging Monarch's only grandson and was therefore invested as his heir. He knew the constraints of duty immediately - as he was sole heir, he could not abdicate his throne for any reason, as there was no-one else to take it over. By law, Monaco must have a male Grimaldi as ruler, or the principality reverts to the ownership of France. While still a young man, Rainier was forced to break off plans to marry his girlfriend after tests showed she was infertile. While he cared for her, Monaco had to have an heir. He soon became known as the wealthiest bachelor in the world, and for a short time even Marilyn Monroe was considered for his bride. Instead, he wed famous film star Grace Kelly in what was termed "the Wedding of the Century". A year later the new Princess Grace gave birth to their first child, daughter Princess Caroline of Monaco. A year after this event came the birth of their son and heir Prince Albert of Monaco, Marquis of Baux. A few years later Princess Stéphanie of Monaco arrived to round out the family. After the tragic death of Princess Grace in a car accident, Princess Caroline took on her mother's role as Monaco's unofficial First Lady. Caroline has three children (Andrea, Pierre, and Charlotte) by her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi (who died in a speed-boat accident) and a daughter (Princess Alexandra) by her third husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover. Princess Stephanie has two children by her short-lived marriage to bodyguard Daniel Ducruet and an illegitimate daughter, Camille. Prince Albert remained unmarried, and seemingly inherited his father's former title as the most eligible Prince in the world. Rainer had many health problems in later life, and died in hospital on April 5th 2005 following a long illness, at the age of 81. Following his state funeral, attended by many world dignitaries and royalty, his son formally succeeded him as Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Bella Darvi became a 50s symbol for one of the many movie "Cinderellas" whose bright and beautiful Hollywood fairy tale would come crashing down, ending in bitterness and tragedy. A self-destructive brunette beauty, her life was full of misfortune. Of Polish/French descent, she miraculously survived the tortures of a WWII concentration camp as a youth, only to get caught up in the phony glitter and high-living style of Monaco's casinos as a young adult in Europe. An inveterate gambler and drinker, she was, by chance, "discovered" by movie mogul Darryl F. Zanuck and his wife, Virginia Fox, who thought she had a foreign cinematic allure à la Ingrid Bergman. Despite her lack of acting experience, the Zanucks paid off her gambling debts and whisked her away to Hollywood to be groomed for stardom. Her marquee name "Darvi" was derived from the combined first names of her mentors. It should have been a dream-come-true opportunity. Fate, however, would not be so kind. After three high profile roles in The Egyptian (1954), Hell and High Water (1954) and The Racers (1955) opposite three top male films stars (Victor Mature, Richard Widmark and Kirk Douglas, respectively), Darvi's limited abilities were painfully transparent. Not only was she hampered by an ever-so-slight crossed-eyed appearance, she had a trace of a lisp which, combined with a foreign accent, made her speech appear slurred and difficult to understand. It didn't take long for the actress to go off the deep end. Within a short time, a major sex scandal involving Mr. Zanuck had wife Virginia packing Darvi's bags and any "career" she once had here in America was over. She retreated back to Europe, made a few inconsequential films, and quickly returned to her adverse habits -- liquor and the gambling tables. But this time there was no one to save her. Mounting debts and despair eventually turned her thoughts to suicide. After several attempts, Darvi finally succeeded in 1971 by turning on the gas stove in her apartment. She was only 42.

Lewis Gilbert was a British film director, producer and screenwriter best known for Alfie (1966), as well as three James Bond films: You Only Live Twice (1967), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).

He also directed Reach for the Sky (1956), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Educating Rita (1983) and Shirley Valentine (1989).

For his work on Alfie, Gilbert was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and an Golden Globe for best director.

In 2001 he was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute, the highest accolade in the British film industry.

Gilbert was married to Hylda Tafler for 53 years, until her death in June 2005.

He died from natural causes on 23 February 2018 at the age of 97.

France's major sex siren of the early 50s, this lesser-remembered post-war French dish pre-dated bombshell Brigitte Bardot by a few years. Martine was born Marie-Louise (Maryse) Jeanne Nicholle Mourer on May 16, 1920, but little is known of her childhood. A chance meeting with comedian André Luguet steered her towards a career in the theatre. Trained by René Simon, she made her 1940 stage debut with "Phedre" billed as Maryse Arley.

In unbilled film parts from 1941, she subsequently caught the eye of Henri-Georges Clouzot who hired her for an upcoming film with the working title of "The Cat," based on the novel by Colette, but the project was scrapped. Nevertheless, she did attract attention in the movie La ferme aux loups (1943) (Wolf Farm), which takes advantage of her photogenic beauty and ease in front of the camera despite a limited acting ability.

A pin-up goddess and support actress throughout the 40s, Martine also appeared on the stage of the Theater of the Renaissance. A torrid affair with actor Georges Marchal, who was married to actress Dany Robin at the time, ended disastrously and she attempted suicide by taking an alcohol/drug overdose and throwing herself into the Seine River. She was saved by a taxi driver who accompanied her there. Ironically, the unhappy details surrounding her suicide attempt renewed the fascination audiences had with Martine up until that time. In 1949, she married her first husband, former American actor-turned-restaurateur Stephen Crane, who was once married to Lana Turner.

Continuing on with post-war French filming, she co-starred in such movies as Bifur 3 (1945), L'extravagante mission (1945), Trente et quarante (1946), Voyage surprise (1947), Sextette (1948), I Love Only You (1949), Une nuit de noces (1950), the title role in Dear Caroline (1951) and Adorable Creatures (1952). She scored her first box office blockbuster hit with the French Revolution epic Caroline Cherie (1953). Without a doubt, the success was prompted by her semi-nude scenes and taunting, kittenish sexuality.

From there she was off and running. Her film romps were done tastefully with an erotic twinge of innocence and gentle sexuality plus an occasional bubble bath thrown in as male bait. Her array of costumed teasers included the title role in Lucrèce Borgia (1953), as Lysistrata Daughters of Destiny (1954), Riviera (1954), the title role in Madame du Barry (1954), the title role in Nana (1955), The French, They Are a Funny Race (1955), the title role in Lola Montès (1955) and Defend My Love (1956). Several of the above-mentioned films were guided and directed by her second husband Christian-Jaque, her husband from 1954 to 1959. They later divorced due to professional conflicts and long separations.

A true feast for the eyes and one of the most beautiful actresses of her time, Martine tried to branch out internationally in films in the late 1950s. Unfortunately, Bardot had already taken over the top French sex goddess pedestal and Martine's fan base diminished. She co-starred with Van Johnson in the crime drama Action of the Tiger (1957), but it was met with indifference. She immediately returned to French/Italian films The Foxiest Girl in Paris (1957), The Stowaway (1958), La prima notte (1959), Ten Seconds to Hell (1959) and Atomic Agent (1959).

Problems with substance abuse and a severe accident severely curtailed her career in the 1960's. She continued with such films as The Battle of Austerlitz (1960) (as Empress Josephine), plus Un soir sur la plage (1961), The Counterfeiters of Paris (1961) and Beach Casanova (1962). She made her last film in 1963, which was released four years later as Hell Is Empty (1967).

Depressed, Martine turned alarmingly reclusive as a third marriage to French doctor Andre Rouveix also soured by 1962. One last marriage to fourth husband Mike Eland, an English businessman and friend of first hubby Steve Crane, seemed hopeful, but on February 6, 1967, Martine died of cardiac arrest at age 46 in the bathroom of a hotel in Monaco. Her husband discovered her. Newspapers hinted at a possible drug overdose but nothing was ever proven. She was buried in the cemetery of Cannes.

René Clément was one of the leading French directors of the post-World War II era. He directed what are regarded as some of the greatest films of the time, such as The Battle of the Rails (1946), Forbidden Games (1952) and The Day and the Hour (1963). He was later almost forgotten as a director. He was back in public attention briefly when his epic Is Paris Burning? (1966) (with an all-star cast of famous actors) was released in 1966, but it was much criticized.

During the 1960s and 1970s Clement directed a number of unnoticed international productions, always with his usual brio and technical virtuosity. Indeed, what characterizes most of his films is how, even to serve sometimes very unexceptional scripts, the directing is always breathtakingly original, inventive, featuring technical virtuosity and the use of special effects. When a remarkable script is associated with these qualities, a film such as Forbidden Games (1952) is the result: the masterpiece of a lifetime. I think we can say that René Clément was one of the most unlucky talented filmmakers who existed, but unfortunate career choices damaged his legacy.

He died in March 1996.

Although often seen in the St. Trinian's movies, written by Sidney Gilliat and her husband, Frank Launder, it was her role as Maid Marian in the long-running Robin Hood series that catapulted her to stardom. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955) became one of the first British Television programs to succeed in the United States, having over 30 million viewers. O'Farrell left the series in 1957 despite receiving thousands of letters asking her to stay. She was born in Birr, County Offaly, Ireland, in 1926. Her father was a bank teller, and her mother was an amateur actress. After being educated at a local convent, she was working as a secretary when she was invited to an audition by Sir Carol Reed. Through Reed, she met Frank Launder, who gave her a small part in Captain Boycott (1947) opposite Stewart Granger. After several movies, including Launder's St. Trinian's series, some stage work and Robin Hood, she starred in her last movie, The Bridal Path (1959) in 1959. She retired from acting to spend time with her family on their farm in Buckinghamshire, England, UK. She and Launder were married in 1950 and had two daughters. They later moved to Monaco and become active in local charities and stage productions. While living in Monaco, Frank suffered a serious stroke in 1989 and, finally, a fatal heart attack in 1997. Bernadette O'Farrell died on September 29, 1999, after a battle with cancer.

Lady Colyton was born on 13 December 1915 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Lady is known for The Addams Family (1992). Lady was married to Henry Hopkinson and Charles Addams. Lady died on 15 January 2004 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Franco Cristaldi was born on 3 October 1924 in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. He was a producer and writer, known for The Name of the Rose (1986), Cinema Paradiso (1988) and Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958). He was married to Zeudi Araya Cristaldi, Claudia Cardinale and Carla Simonetti. He died on 1 July 1992 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Sports writer, screenwriter and novelist Paul Gallico was born in 1897 in New York City. His parents were immigrants (father from Italy, mother from Austria) who emigrated to the US in 1895. He was educated in the New York City public school system, and entered Columbia University in 1916, graduating in 1921--his education was interrupted by an 18-month stint in the Army during World War I--with a B.S. degree. He soon got a job with the National Board of Motion Picture Reviews, but left after a few months to take a job as the film critic for the New York Daily News. He lost that job because his reviews were considered too "smart alecky" and he wound up in the sports department. One of his assignments was to cover the training camp of champion Jack Dempsey. Rather than just do a "puff-piece" interview with Dempsey, Gallico got a different idea--he would actually spend some sparring time with Dempsey in the ring, to get an idea of what it was like to be in the ring with the world's heavyweight champion. He soon found out--Dempsey knocked him unconscious within two minutes--but he got the story he was looking for, and his sports career took off.

In 1923 he was promoted to Sports Editor of the Daily News and received his own daily sports column. His interest in boxing resulted in his organizing the now famous Golden Gloves amateur boxing competition. He became one of the first celebrity sportswriters, but he had always harbored a desire to be a fiction writer, and had occasionally had short stories published in magazines like "Vanity Fair" and the "Saturday Eening Post". In 1936 he sold a story idea to Hollywood for $5000, which gave him the wherewithal to retire from sports writing and devote his full time to fiction writing. He moved to Europe and soon published his first major book, "Farewell to Sport"

In 1941 he had his first international best-seller, "The Snow Goose". His writing was interrupted--again--by war, and he spent the years from 1943-46 as a war correspondent. After the war he traveled around Europe and South America--he liked to personally research the locales his stories and novels were set in, and his research took him to such places as Mexico, Liechenstein, Paris and Monaco, where he eventually settled. He spent the last four years of his life in Antibes, a coastal resort area in the south of France between Cannes and Nice. He died there on July 15, 1976, less than two weeks before his 79th birthday.

Frank Launder, initially a civil servant and repertory actor, started as a scriptwriter in the late 1920s on such classics as The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Night Train to Munich (1940). He joined forces with Sidney Gilliat and together they wrote, directed and produced over 40 films. Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat are well-known for their St. Trinian's films, among many others.

Lily Langtry was born on 13 October 1853 in Jersey, Channel Islands. She was an actress, known for His Neighbor's Wife (1913). She was married to Sir Hugo de Bathe, Edward Langtry and Frederick Gebhardt. She died on 12 February 1929 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Once one of Sweden's hardest working actors, he has descibed himself as a workaholic during the 1940s. He has played all kinds of roles, both comedy as in Fram för lilla Märta eller På livets ödesvägar: Ett biografdrama i prolog, epilog och ett antal tableauxer (1945) as well as the psychotic teacher Caligula in Alf Sjöberg's Torment (1944). And although he only did smaller roles in a lot of films, his characterizations never went unnoticed. He was also an actor on the stage, both in revues and dramas. He spent his last years in Rocquebrune at the French Riviera with his wife Aase.

Thelma Connell was born on 30 June 1912 in London, England, UK. She was a producer and editor, known for Alfie (1966), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955) and Tale of Three Women (1954). She was married to Paul Connell and Douglas Myers. She died on 29 April 1976 in Monaco.

Mike Bongiorno was born on May 26th, 1924 in New York City, New York, USA as Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno. He was known as the king of the Italian Quiz show. He hosted, among others: Lascia o raddoppia? (1955), Rischiatutto (1970), Telemike (1987), Tutti x uno (1992), and 3,125 episodes of La ruota della fortuna (1987). Bongiorno was married 3 times and with his last wife, Daniela Zuccoli, had 3 children: Michele Bongiorno, Nicolò Bongiorno and Leonardo (born on September 5th, 1989). Bongiorno died on September 8th, 2009 in Monte Carlo, Monaco, at 85.

Maud Grimes, the mother-in-law from hell of television's Coronation Street, was tough, rough, domineering, embitteredly disabled and altogether not an obvious candidate for socialite of the year. The actress Elizabeth Bradley played the character for six years and 476 episodes - until she was written out in 1999 - was charming, invariably courteous, bubbly, mentally sharp and physically active to the last. Unlike the downmarket Maud, she was also the daughter of a senior civil servant, Sir John Abraham, who was deputy under-secretary at the Air Ministry from 1940 until he died in Winston Churchill's private plane when it crashed in 1945.

Bradley, who successfully played so many roles unlike herself, was trained in the hard school of repertory theatre, at Bexhill, Bradford and Tunbridge Wells. Late in life, she also took her place at the National Theatre and the Royal Court. On stage, she used her father's middle name, Bradley, and it stuck.

No one in her family had worked in show business, but Sir John, who had come to London from farming stock in Macclesfield, enjoyed the theatre, and delighted in taking his daughter to any performance remotely suitable for a child; from those trips her interest in theatre grew.

During the second world war, she served as a nurse. She studied at the Webber Douglas school of acting, and then went into repertory, where she met her future husband, the actor Gareth Adams, who appeared with her in several productions. In the 1950s, she stopped acting to raise her children, although, in the mid-1960s, she appeared in the Garrick Theatre production of the farce, Thark, with Kathleen Harrison.

When Gareth died suddenly in 1978, Elizabeth threw herself into a fulltime stage and television career. She was in the police series Z Cars and Softly Softly, and in a number of notable productions, such as Momento Mori and The Men's Room, as well as Casualty, Shine On Harvey Moon, The Nine Tailors, Dr Finlay's Casebook and Juliet Bravo.

She starred in David Storey's play Home, with John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, when Dandy Nichols was taken ill, and she always gave distinctive and memorable life to her supporting roles. She joined Coronation Street in 1993.

That same year, after playing in Billy Liar at the National, she was nominated for an Olivier Award For Best Actress In A Supporting Role. At the Royal Court, she appeared in My Mother Said I Never Should, Women Beware Women, Restoration, and Touched. At the National for Sir Richard Eyre, who found her "a really fine actress and a witty and generous woman", she appeared in Abingdon Square, The Crucible, Black Snow and Caritas.

Her last stage role was as Alan Bennett's mother in the playwright's The Lady In The Van, which starred Dame Maggie Smith; her films included An American Werewolf In London (1981) and Dennis Potter's Brimstone And Treacle (1982).

She always put her resurgence as an actress down to a friend's remark after the death of her husband. He told her that Gareth had always said she would make it to the top.

She was survived by her three children, Brad, Johanna and Sodge.

Nicole Milinaire was born on 29 June 1920 in Paris, France. She was a producer and actress, known for Foreign Intrigue (1956), Playhouse 90 (1956) and Sherlock Holmes (1954). She was married to John Russell and Henri Milinaire. She died on 6 September 2012 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Harry d'Arrast's entry into the movie industry was somewhat unusual--he was wounded while serving in the French army during WW I, and while recuperating in a military hospital met French-born American film director George Fitzmaurice, who invited him to come to Hollywood after he had recovered. He did so, and got work as a researcher and technical adviser on several films, including Charles Chaplin's A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate (1923), then became Chaplin's assistant on The Gold Rush (1925). He made his directorial debut in 1927 and directed seven films until he left Hollywood in 1933. Although his output was sparse, his films were universally acclaimed for their wit, sophistication, beautiful photography and smooth pacing. D'Arrast often found himself in conflict with his producers, however, for his refusal to cut corners and speed up production, and in 1933 departed Hollywood for Europe. He made one film in Spain, then returned to his home in France. He spent the rest of his life at his family estate outside of Monte Carlo, and made his living at the roulette tables in the Monte Carlo casino.

Gian Carlo Menotti was born on 7 July 1911 in Cadegliano-Viconago, Lombardy, Italy. He was a writer and composer, known for The Medium (1951), Great Performances (1971) and Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951). He was married to Samuel Barber. He died on 1 February 2007 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark was born on 2 February 1882 in Athens, Greece. He was married to Princess Alice of Battenberg. He died on 3 December 1944 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Jeanne Stuart was born on 13 August 1908 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Kathleen (1937), The Great Defender (1934) and Edgar Wallace's White Face the Fiend (1932). She was married to Baron Eugene de Rothschild and Bernard Docker. She died on 12 February 2003 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Whatever her limitations as an actress, Charlott Daudert made up for with wide-eyed effervescence and a cute, feisty personality. The bubbly blonde began working life as editor of the children's section of a newspaper (as 'Aunty Charlotte') in her home town of Königsberg, East Prussia. She also dabbled in drafting costume designs. The abandonment of her journalistic career seems to have come about all of a sudden and quite by accident: accompanying a friend to a theatrical audition as 'moral support' resulted in Charlotte, not the friend, being signed up for drama school. Her 'discovery' is generally credited to the renowned actor Max Pallenberg who took on the role of her mentor. Known by her peers as 'Charly', she made her debut in a minuscule part in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" and spent the next three years at Tilsit's Stadttheater under Pallenberg's direction. Following a brief stint in local radio, she then moved on to wider canvases in Berlin where she underwent further tuition by Leopold Jessner. By 1933, Charly had developed into an accomplished comedienne and come to the attention of Trude Hesterberg. She began performing comedy routines and singing in various popular cabarets, including "Musenschaukel" and "Die Katakombe". At the same time, she spiced up the screen as perpetually naive, sexy friends of the heroine. Her output was rather heavily weighted towards escapist entertainments, some of them not at all bad: April, April! (1935), Der Etappenhase (1937), Kitty und die Weltkonferenz (1939). Resuming in the same vein in the aftermath of World War II, the ever likeable, pert, dizzy Charlott warbled a popular hit song ("Ach du liebe Zeit, hat den kein Mensch mehr für die Liebe Zeit") in the ruins of Berlin in Nacht ohne Sünde (1950). There were diverse other supporting roles in box-office hits, including the caper comedies Klettermaxe (1952) and Der blaue Stern des Südens (1951). Sadly, despite her enduring popularity as a conveyor of uncomplicated happiness, genuine stardom was never to be on the cards. The decline of Charly's career was to be exacerbated by depression and alcoholism. On occasion, she would come on stage and forget or fumble her lines. By the autumn of 1960, she was making plans to retire from acting and run an artists B & B in Monaco. It never came to pass. Just four months later she was dead from a blood disorder at the age of 47.

Roy Salvadori was born on 12 May 1922 in Dovercourt, Essex, England, UK. He died on 3 June 2012 in Monaco.

Charles Pathé was born on 25 December 1863 in Chevry-Cossigny, Seine-et-Marne, France. He was a producer and director, known for À la conquête du pôle (1912), Arrivée d'un train (1896) and Débarquement d'un bateau (1896). He was married to Marie Foy. He died on 25 December 1957 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Sandro Moretti was born on 9 October 1931 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for Goliath and the Dragon (1960), Sandokan alla riscossa (1964) and Giallo club - Invito al poliziesco (1959). He died on 19 March 2021 in Monaco.