August 23, 1912

Irish American actor, singer and dancer Gene Kelly is born on August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Kelly was first enrolled in dance classes by his mother at the age of eight and did not like it at first, but decided to return to dance at age fifteen. After graduating from University of Pittsburgh, Kelly moved to New York City in search of work as a choreographer. Instead, he was cast as a dancer in Cole Porter’s “Leave It to Me!” and became well established on Broadway after that. Kelly went on to become famous in Hollywood after starring alongside Judy Garland in MGM’s “For Me and My Gal.”