Grace: A Biography

Description

Movie Star. Princess. Philanthropist. Icon. The compassionate, revealing, and surprising biography of Grace Kelly, one of the most admired women in Hollywood history. On September 14, 1982, Grace Kelly was tragically killed when her vehicle tumbled forty meters from the serpentine roads of Monaco. She has since become a myth, a style icon existing between the glamour of Hollywood and the royalty of Monaco. As Hitchcock's favourite actress to work with, Kelly acted in classic films including Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, opposite actors such as James Stewart and Cary Grant. Yet her private life remained in the shadows. Her marriage to Prince Rainier III was not anchored by love, and her life on the Riviera was more akin to a golden cage. She was an individual torn between illusion and reality, simultaneously idolised by millions. This comprehensive biography draws from previously unreleased documents from the Grimaldi family archive and, for the first time, access to the letters between Kelly and Hitchcock. It is also based on interviews with Kelly's companions and relatives, including an exclusive interview with Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Thilo Wydra was born in 1968 in Wiesbaden, Germany. He is an author and journalist. He studied literature, art and film history in France and Germany. His articles have been published in various renowned German newspapers (Der Tagesspiegel), magazines, and websites. He also works for German television (ZDF) and radio broadcasting companies. From 2004 to 2011, he was the German correspondent of the Cannes International Film Festival. He has written numerous film books and biographies, including Margarethe von Trotta (2000), Romy Schneider (2008), Alfred Hitchcock (2010), Ingrid Bergman (2017), Hitchcocks Blondes (2019), and Romy Schneider and Alain Delon (2020). He resides in Munich, Germany, and loves New York City.

"A profound sensitive psychological portrait." - Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin) "I am currently reading one of the best biographies that I have ever read. It is about Grace Kelly. It is named "Grace. A Biography". It is written by Thilo Wydra. A very detailed biography (...)." - Mr. Francis C. Donnelly (Pennsylvania) "Wydra draws a picture of a torn woman: joyful, funny and wild, on the other hand introverted, anxious and withdrawn." - Associated Press