Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929—September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and assumed the title of Her Serene Highness, the Princess of Monaco.

After embarking on an acting career in 1948, at the age of 18, Grace Kelly appeared in New York City theatrical productions as well as over forty live broadcasts during the early 1950s Golden Age of Television. In 1954, she became a movie star with the release of five films, one of which, The Country Girl, provided her with an Academy Award-winning role as Best Actress. Retiring from acting at 26 and entering upon her duties in Monaco, she and Prince Rainier became the parents of three children: Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie. She also retained her American roots, maintaining a dual U.S. and Monegasque citizenship. Her death, two months before her 53rd birthday, was the result of an automobile accident. In June 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her #13 amongst the Greatest Female Stars of All Time.

A native of Philadelphia, Grace Kelly was born to John Brendan "Jack" Kelly (1889–June 20, 1960), the son of Irish immigrants, and his wife, Margaret Katherine Majer (1899–January 6, 1990), whose parents arrived in America from Germany. The newborn was named in memory of her father's sister who died at a young age. The family lived in a house at 3901 Henry Avenue in the East Falls neighborhood of the city. Margaret studied Physical Education at Temple University and later became the first woman to head the Physical Education Department at the University of Pennsylvania. Jack Kelly was a local hero as a triple Olympic-gold-medal-winning sculler. Kelly's brick business was the largest on the East Coast and he was a self-made millionaire. He ran for mayor of Philadelphia as a Democrat in 1935 and lost by the closest margin for any Democrat in Philadelphia. He later served on the Fairmount Park Commission. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him National Director of Physical Fitness during World War II.