The name Gene Kelly epitomizes show business. The legendary singer, dancer, actor, choreographer and director who is lauded for his work on the extravagant Hollywood musicals of yesteryear is best known for his performance in 1952's Singin' in the Rain.

Eugene Curran Kelly was born in Pittsburgh in 1912 and was initially forced into taking music and dance lessons by his mother. When the Depression interrupted his education at Pennsylvania State College, he taught gymnastics, and although he eventually received a degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh, he returned to dance by working for a dance school partly owned by his mother. After a few years spent directing in his home state, Kelly moved to New York at age 27 and landed his first job in the Big Apple as a Broadway chorus boy in 1938's Leave It to Me. The following year, Kelly earned critical acclaim for his comedic role in The Time of Your Life, which led to his being cast in the 1940 musical Pal Joey. Kelly left New York for Hollywood in 1941 and scored initial success with the 1942 non-musical film For Me and My Gal, followed by a string of minor parts until his career really took flight when he starred alongside Rita Hayworth in 1944's Cover Girl.

Kelly joined the Navy in 1944 but tended to the musical ranks once again after the war with 1948's The Pirate. Four years later Kelly would help direct and choreograph the last of the nig MGM musicals, the iconic Singin' in the Rain, released in 1952. The title number featured Kelly dancing and singing up a storm with an umbrella as his famous prop, making cinematic history in one of the most famous scenes to grace the big screen. Kelly continued to be a major contributor to the arts and passed away at age 83 in 1996.