LIFE Magazine's Classic Photos

Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, 1956
By Allan Grant
Allan Grant had a talent and a penchant for making humorous photographs, and his images often appeared in LIFE's Speaking of Pictures section, a repository for funny or otherwise striking shots. But he could make a purely beautiful photo, too, as he did backstage at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood on the night of March 21, 1956. The occasion was the Academy Awards, and in this image you can feel the tension—and these two stars weren't even up for Oscars. They were there to present: Kelly gave the award for Best Actor (Ernest Borgnine won for Marty), while Hepburn bestowed the statue for Best Film (also for Marty). Just by the way, the women got on famously.

• The Book, "Life, the Classic Collection"