IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR
Three famous women, noted for their elegance and class, happen to share the same birth year
The arrival of the glamorous couple signalled a new era in the White House. The new First Lady soon made her mark inviting top artists to White House receptions. Alice Lukacs
The year 1929, the year of the Wall Street Crash, was a bad one for many people. However, it was a good year for me — it's the year I was born. I found out that I share the year of my birth with three famous ladies. Sadly they are no longer with us, but their memory endures. Meet the Twenty-Niners!
PRINCESS GRACE OF MONACO
Her name was Grace Kelly. She was born in Philadelphia in 1929 into a wealthy household. Not satisfied with the easy life, she had a yearning to become an actress. In order to achieve her goal, she moved to New York City, where she did some modelling. The next move took her to Hollywood, where, after a few roles, the great director Alfred Hitchcock cast her in several movies.
After she appeared in movies like Rear Window and Dial M for
Murder, it did not take long for the beautiful, talented actress to become a star. An Academy Award for best actress followed for her role in The Country Girl, also starring Bing Crosby. The film High Society, with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, turned out to be her last film.
Marrying Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956, the movie star became a real-life princess, living in the Mediterranean principality. She and Rainier had three children: Caroline, Albert and Stephanie. Then a tragic car accident put an end to her life in 1982. She was 52 years old. Her husband, the Prince, was inconsolable at losing her.
JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS
Jacqueline Bouvier was born into another privileged household in 1929. After a fine education that included Vassar College, she launched her journalism career. However, things took a turn when she met thenU.S. senator John F. Kennedy, whom she married in 1953.
While the young couple welcomed two children — Caroline in 1957 and John Jr. in 1960 — she knew that her husband had high ambitions. She fully supported him in his quest to become president of the United States, a goal he achieved in 1961.
The arrival of the glamorous couple signalled a new era in the White House. The new First Lady soon made her mark inviting top artists to White House receptions. She also initiated work to return the historic building to its original elegance. “Jackie” was also celebrated for her style and elegance.
Then the dream ended in 1963 with the assassination of the president. She continued life with her two children and married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968. After his death in 1975, she enjoyed a career in New York City as an editor at publishing firms. Her untimely death occurred in 1994 at age 64, ending the saga of Camelot.
AUDREY HEPBURN
Born in 1929 to a Belgian baroness and British father, she spent the years during the Second World War in Holland, enduring hardship. After the war, studying ballet and acting, she happened to be in Monte Carlo when the French novelist Colette thought her perfect for the title role in the stage adaptation of her novel, Gigi. Hepburn appeared in the role on Broadway, winning rave reviews.
Her career really took off in Hollywood, where she starred in the movie Roman Holiday alongside Gregory Peck. Displaying her charm and sophistication, her first movie catapulted her to stardom and she earned an Academy Award for best actress for the role.
Her starring position established, several more movies followed — including the movie Sabrina, which started her collaboration with the French designer Hubert de Givenchy. She showed off his creations to perfection in movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany's.
After a rewarding career on stage and screen, and a personal life that included two marriages (the first to actor Mel Ferrer, the second to Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti), as well as two sons, Hepburn embarked on a second career in 1988.
She became a goodwill ambassador to UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Foundation), visiting famine-stricken villages in South America, Asia and Africa. Then cancer ended her new career and life in 1993. She was just 63. Her unique, charming personality will not be forgotten.
Thank you, ladies of 1929, for brightening our lives!