Gene Kelly photos

As a dancer, choreographer, actor, singer and director, Gene Kelly, pictured here circa 1970, played an influential role in shaping Hollywood musicals on film. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Gene Kelly made his screen debut as vaudeville hoofer Harry Palmer, co-starring with Judy Garland as Jo Hayden, in Busby Berkeley's 1942 musical fiim For Me and My Gal. (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns)

In 1944, Kelly's career took off, starring opposite Rita Hayworth in the film Cover Girl, directed by Charles Vidor. With the help of Stanley Donen, who would later co-direct Singin' in the Rain, Kelly used trick photography to make it appear as though he was dancing with himself in the "Alter-Ego Dance." (Photo by Ned Scott/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)

In 1945, Kelly starred with Frank Sinatra in MGM's Anchors Aweigh, directed by George Sidney. Sinatra wasn't Kelly's only co-star - he also danced with Jerry the cartoon mouse from Tom & Jerry in a groundbreaking dance number he choreographed using live action and animation. (Photo by John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)

In 1949, Kelly and Sinatra played sailors again in On the Town, which also featured Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin and Vera-Ellen. (Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

The 1945 musical comedy film Ziegfeld Follies paired Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire in a dance challenge called The Babbitt and the Bromide. Kelly said of the dance off: "My style is strong, wide open; Fred's is intimate, cool, easy. He can give an audience pleasure just by walking across a dance floor." (Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

Vincent Price and Gene Kelly in a scene from the 1948 film The Three Musketeers, which featured innovative fight choreography that influenced combat scenes in later movies. (Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

A film poster for An American In Paris, the 1951 MGM musical which was directed by Vincente Minnelli and featured legendary choreography by Gene Kelly to the music of George Gershwin. (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns)

In American in Paris, Kelly starred as Jerry Mulligan, an American painter in Paris, with Leslie Caron playing Lise Bouvier, a French girl he meets in a restaurant. The centerpiece of the film is a stunning 17-minute ballet Kelly choreographed for himself and Caron that cost more than $500,000 to produce. (Photo by John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)

A film poster for Singing In The Rain, the 1952 movie masterpiece starring Kelly, who also co-directed with Stanley Donen and choreographed the famous dance sequences. (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns)

Kelly in a performance surrounded by a collection of umbrellas, a nod to the famous Singin in the Rain dance scene where he splashes his way through a downpour. (Photo by John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)

In Singin' in the Rain, Gene Kelly choreographed and performed one of the most famous dances in movie history. Unbeknownst to audiences, he was sick with a fever while filming and his wool coat shrunk from the rain and hot movie lights. (Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

Debbie Reynolds was 18 when she starred as Gene Kelly's love interest in Singin' in the Rain. She had never sung or danced before, but she said learned a lot from Kelly whom she has described "as the most exacting director I ever worked for." (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Kelly, pictured here in Singin' in the Rain, was a charismatic performer, who could dance and sing, as well as bring his characters to life as an actor. (Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

Donald O'Connor and Gene Kelly jump off of chairs in a scene from Singin' In The Rain. Kelly brought athleticism and a laid-back masculinity to his roles and choreography. (Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

In the ballet finale of Singin' in the Rain, Gene Kelly chose Cyd Charisse to partner with him because Debbie Reynolds was not a trained dancer. Kelly and Charisse would later team up for 1954's musical film Brigadoon. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Kelly directed, choreographed and starred iin the 1956 MGM musical Invitation to the Dance, which featured this live action/animated scene with Sinbad the Sailor and his henchman. (Photo by Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

As a choreographer, Gene Kelly, pictured here coaching chorus girls on the set of The Invitation To The Dance, was always experimenting and bringing new ideas to the screen. In this film, there was no spoken dialogue; characters communicated solely through dance. (Photo by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)

In 1958, the television show Omnibus invited Kelly to create Dancing: A Man's Game, a documentary about the relationship between dance and athleticism. (Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank)

In 1959, Kelly appeared with 13-year-old Liza Minnelli on The Gene Kelly Show. They sang "For Me and My Gal," the title song Kelly performed with Liza's mother, Judy Garland, in his first movie. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Imges)

In 1965, Gene Kelly made a cameo, dancing with Julie Andrews on The Julie Andrews Show. (Photo by: Gerald Smith/NBCU Photo Bank)

In 1976, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire appeared with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. The legendary dancers appeared in only two movies together - 1945's Ziegfeld Follies and That's Entertainment, Part II in 1976. (Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Gene Kelly with the Folies Bergere showgirls in his 1970 television special Gene Kelly's Wonderful World of Girls. (Photo by Herb Ball/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

After suffering a series of strokes, Gene Kelly died in his sleep on February 2, 1996 at the age of 83. He's remembered for revolutionizing dance on film and leaving behind a legacy of beloved performances that fans continue to enjoy today.