Gene Kelly (b. 08/23/1912 d. 02/02/1996)

While Gene Kelly's dream of playing baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates never panned out, he segued his athleticism into some powerful dancing. Kelly proved to be exceptional as a actor, singer, choreographer and director.

In a variety of musicals for MGM, he often played diamonds in the rough -- a boorish wolf with a twinkle in his eye who would come around by the film's end. Yet he always managed to exude charm in his acting and grace in his footwork.

As a director/choreographer, he devised new film techniques andintroduced unusual dance numbers, including dancing with a cartoon character and dancing with a shadowy reflection of himself.