Best-known for splashing his way through a downpour on a deserted street in the movie masterpiece Singin’ in the Rain , Gene Kelly, who died on 2 February 1996 in Beverly Hills aged 83, was one of the top movie stars of all time.

In the 1952 film, still dubbed as one of America ’s greatest musicals, love-struck Mr Kelly dances athletically using an umbrella as his main prop. He is said to have filmed the segment whilst suffering from a 103-degree fever.

Perhaps his second most famous number was 'dancing' with an animated Jerry the mouse from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. The mixture of animation and live action was hailed as a “cinematic breakthrough”.

He had successful careers on both Broadway and in Hollywood, starring with the likes of Judy Garland , Dean Stockwell and Frank Sinatra .

Eugene Curran Kelly was born on August 23, 1912, in Pittsburgh, PA , the third of five children in a family of Irish Catholic descent.

At the tender age of eight, Mr Kelly’s mother enrolled him and his older brother in dance classes, much to their dislike. They were teased by other youngsters and ended up fighting in the street. But Mr Kelly did go back to dance at the age of 15 after establishing himself as an accomplished sportsman.

Iin the wake of the Wall Street crash, a young Mr Kelly raised money for his family by winning talent contests. Later he was enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh to study economics and left with a good degree.

His first job was as a teacher at his parent’s new dancing studios, renamed the Gene Kelly School of Dance.

After starting to pursue work as a choreographer, Mr Kelly landed a position in the musical Hold Your Hats at the Pittsburgh playhouse in 1938. His debut on Broadway saw him dance in Leave It to Me and then, more prominently, as a comedy hoofer in The Time of Your Life .

In 1941, Mr Kelly decided to make a break for Hollywood. His debut came a year later when he starred alongside Judy Garland in Me and My Gal , a performance which led to numerous other appearances including his first major dancing role in Cover Girl .

Mr Kelly’s flourishing career, however, did not deter him from wanting to serve in World War II. He joined the navy and served in the photographic division of the naval air force until May 1946, achieving the rank of lieutenant.

It was after the war that things really took off with An American in Paris , which won a total of seven Oscars. This was closely followed by Singin’ in the Rain and the dance with Jerry the mouse in Anchors Aweigh .

His first 15 years-long marriage ended in divorce in 1957. He then married his long-time dance assistant Jeanne Coyne and they had two children, Timothy and Bridget. But in 1972 Jeanne died of cancer.

Not only one of the finest choreographers, Mr Kelly was also a successful director. His first film, On the Town, was the first movie to film in real outdoor locations instead of on streets built indoors at a studio.

He was also an advocate of the anti-racism movement years before the Civil Rights Movement came on the scene. Mr Kelly danced on screen with the Nicholas Brothers, who were black, an occasion which is said to have opened the door to many talented performers who were “hidden” because of the colour of their skin.

Writing in the New York Times, Albin Krebbs praised Mr Kelly for bringing “a vigorous athleticism, casual grace and an earthy masculinity to the high romance of lavish Hollywood musicals”.