Starting Friday, the Toronto International Film Festival will be offering a glimpse into the acting and fashion worlds of Grace Kelly, one of the 20th century's most glamorous figures.
The exhibit's name at the Bell Lightbox says it all: "Grace Kelly: From movie star to princess."
Noah Cowan, artistic director for the Lightbox, said the Kelly exhibit is a combination of two shows.
One was called The Grace Kelly Years, and it premiered at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco several years ago. The second is 2010's Grace Kelly: Style Icon, which premiered at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Philadelphia on Nov. 12, 1929. She began her performing career in 1950 and went on to win an Academy Award for best actress.
At the peak of her career, she met and fell in love with Rainer III, the Prince of the small French Riviera city-state of Monaco.
By the age of 26, she left acting behind to marry Rainer and become Princess Grace of Monaco in a royal wedding to rival the recent nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Over the decades, she settled into the life of a princess, becoming a philanthropist and mother of three -- and remaining one of the most photogenic women of her time.
In 1982, Kelly died in an auto crash after suffering a stroke while driving.
During her lifetime she was known not only as one of the world's most beautiful woman, but also as a glamour icon.
Cowan said the exhibit will walk spectators through four phases of Kelly's life:
- her early life and movie career
- her life as a bride
- life as a princess (one tiara has 144 diamonds)
- Kelly's life in her own hand, in part through home movies
According to Cowan, although Kelly's movie career only lasted five years and 11 films, "her presence and the kind of timeless elegance she represents continues to be a part or our culture to this day."
The exhibit, which runs until Jan. 22, will cost $15 but is free for TIFF members.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Andria Case
