Orry Kelly
Orry George Kelly was born in Kiama on 31 December 1897. His father, William Kelly (1859-1924), emigrated to Australia from the Isle of Man. William was a tailor and opened his shop, W Kelly & Co. Men’s Mercers and General Outfitters, next door to Finlayson’s blacksmith on Terralong Street, in 1888. He moved his shop further up Terralong Street, between Shoalhaven and Collins streets, the following year. This was the block that was then burnt down in the Great Fire of Kiama in 1899.
William married Sarah McLennan (nee Pinkerton) (1862-1893) in 1888. Sarah and William had two children, William John (b.1891) and Corris Ethelenda (b.1893). Sarah died in 1893, three weeks after giving birth to Corris, and is buried in the Kiama Cemetery. In 1894, within six months of Sarah dying, William had married again, to Florence Evaline Purdue (1871-1949). Florence and William had two children, Mona Gladys (1894-1896) and Orry George (1898-1964). Orry's sister Mona died when she was just 16 months old.
The name ‘Orry’ was derived from a variety of carnation in his mother's garden and after an ancient king, King Orry, on the Isle of Man. Orry went to school at Kiama Public School then went to Wollongong High School, as many children did at the time. After he finished school his mother wanted him to get a job in a bank, so he was sent to Sydney to live with his aunt and pursue a career in banking. However, Orry ended up with an apprenticeship in tailoring, and while he was in Sydney he followed his desire to be on the stage and started to mix with the arts crowd around the city and Surrey Hills area and to develop his interest in the theatre.
In 1921, Orry moved to New York, where he designed costumes and sets for Broadway. He formed a friendship with Englishman Archibald Leach (who later changed his name to Cary Grant) and ended up sharing a flat and having a relationship with him until well into the 1930s. In 1932, he moved to Hollywood and Cary Grant helped him get into Fox Studios.
In 1937, Orry convinced his mother to visit him in Hollywood. She wouldn't travel alone so she took her close friend and Orry's drama teacher and mentor from his childhood, Mrs Eleanor Weston. They stayed in Hollywood for six weeks.
Orry Kelly was known for his ability to 'design for distraction' to compensate for difficult figure shapes. He won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Designs and was nominated for a fourth. Orry was also well known as an artist and his paintings can be found all around the world.
Orry was a long-time alcoholic, and eventually died of liver cancer in Hollywood in 1964. When he died, his pall-bearers included Cary Grant and Tony Curtis.
If you want to delve deeper into the life of Kiama's most famous son, we highly recommend his memoir 'Women I've undressed', which can be borrowed from the library.