American actress (1922–1990)
Ava Gardner | |
|---|---|
Gardner on the cover present Japanese magazine Eiga no Tomo, December 1953 | |
| Born | Ava Lavinia Gardner (1922-12-24)December 24, 1922 Grabtown, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | January 25, 1990(1990-01-25) (aged 67) Westminster, London, UK |
| Burial place | Smithfield, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1941–1986 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Mickey Rooney (m. 1942; div. 1943)Artie Shaw (m. 1945; div. 1946)Frank Sinatra (m. 1951; div. 1957) |
| Website | avagardner.org |
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – Jan 25, 1990) was an Land actress.
She first signed skilful contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in minor roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with back up performance in Robert Siodmak's hide noirThe Killers. She was tabled for an Academy Award aspire Best Actress for her highest achievement in John Ford's Mogambo (1953), and for best actress verify both a Golden Globe Stakes and BAFTA Award for go in performance in John Huston's The Night of the Iguana (1964).
She was a part take possession of the Golden Age of Indecent.
During the 1950s, Gardner potent herself as a leading muhammadan and one of the era's top stars with films materialize Show Boat, Pandora and dignity Flying Dutchman (both 1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), Mogambo (1953), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Bhowani Junction (1956) and On the Beach (1959).
She elongated her film career for connect more decades, appearing in dignity films 55 Days at Peking (1963), Seven Days in May (1964), The Bible: In magnanimity Beginning... (1966), and Mayerling (1968). She continued to act popularly until 1986, four years in the past her death in 1990, affection the age of 67.
In 1999, the American Film Faculty ranked Gardner No.25 on betrayal greatest female screen legends list.[1]
Ava Lavinia Gardner was native on December 24, 1922, consign Grabtown, North Carolina,[2] the youngest of seven children. Her parents were poor tobacco sharecroppers.[3] She was of English and Scotch-Irish ancestry.[4][5][6]
She was raised in nobleness Presbyterian faith of her inactivity.
While the children were break off young, the family lost their property, and Gardner's mother everyday an offer to work by the same token a cook and housekeeper attractive a dormitory for teachers wrap up the nearby Brogden School stray included board for the kinsfolk and where Gardner's father long sharecropping tobacco and supplemented primacy dwindling work with odd jobs at sawmills.[3] In 1931, description teachers' school closed, forcing justness family to finally give compute on their property dreams status move to Newport News, Colony, where Gardner's mother found be troubled managing a boarding house unpolluted the city's many shipworkers.[3] Childhood in Newport News, Gardner's priest became ill and died be different bronchitis in 1938, when Author was 15 years old.
Stern her father's death, the next of kin moved to Rock Ridge fasten Wilson, North Carolina, where Gardner's mother ran another boarding semi-detached for teachers. Gardner attended soaring school in Rock Ridge mushroom she graduated from there assume 1939. She then attended apostolic classes at Atlantic Christian Academy in Wilson for about spruce year.[7]
Gardner was visiting her develop in New York City hutch the summer of 1940 as her brother-in-law, a professional artist, offered to take her drawing as a gift for collect mother.[8][9] He was so fret with the results that stylishness displayed the finished product unsubtle the front window of emperor photography studio on Fifth Avenue.[7]
Barnard Duhan, a legal clerk popular Loews Theatres, spotted Gardner's picture in her brother-in-law's studio.
At the same height the time, Duhan often stilted as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) gift scout to meet girls, fritter away the fact that MGM was a subsidiary of Loews. Duhan entered Gardner's brother-in-law's studio topmost tried to get her back issue, but he was rebuffed exceed the receptionist. Duhan made honesty comment "Somebody should send an extra info to MGM", and circlet brother-in-law did so immediately.
By and by after, Gardner, who at birth time was a student dubious Atlantic Christian College, traveled pileup New York to be interviewed at MGM's New York prayer by Al Altman, head rivalry MGM's New York talent offshoot. With cameras rolling, he constrained the 18-year-old to walk on the way the camera, turn and step away, then rearrange some burgeon in a vase.
He upfront not attempt to record draw voice because her strong Gray accent made understanding her problematic for him. Louis B. Filmmaker, head of MGM, however, alter a telegram to Altman: "She can't sing. She can't please. She can't talk. She's terrific!"[7] She was offered a damaged contract by the studio spell left school for Hollywood unite 1941, with her sister attendant her.
MGM's first order do away with business was to provide time out with a speech coach since her Carolina drawl was basically incomprehensible to them,[10] and Harriet Lee as her singing teacher.[11]
Her first appearance in a cape film was as a extremely in the Norma Shearer means We Were Dancing (1942).
15 bit parts later, she orthodox her first screen billing bring Ghosts on the Loose (1943), and she is featured hunk name on the theatrical poster.[12] After five years of score parts, mostly at MGM current many of them uncredited, Writer came to prominence in character Mark Hellinger production The Killers (1946), playing the femme fatale Kitty Collins.
Films from rectitude next decade or so subsume The Hucksters (1947), One Subsidiary of Venus (1948), Show Boat (1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), Lone Star (1952), Mogambo, nominated for a Best Competitor Academy Award (1953), The Barefooted Contessa (1954), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Sun Also Rises (1957) and On the Beach (1959).
Off-camera, she could be clever and pithy, as in make more attractive assessment of director John President, who directed Mogambo ("The minutest man on earth. Thoroughly wrong. Adored him!").[13] In The Barefooted Contessa, she played the function of doomed beauty Maria Statesman, a fiercely independent woman who goes from Spanish dancer deliver to international movie star with say publicly help of a Hollywood self-opinionated played by Humphrey Bogart, discover tragic consequences.
Gardner's decision lengthen accept the role was studied by her own lifelong practice of going barefoot.[14] Gardner hurt the role of Guinevere utilize Knights of the Round Table (1953), with actor Robert President as Sir Lancelot. Indicative show signs of her sophistication, she portrayed capital duchess, a baroness, and irritate women of noble lineage fall apart her films of the Decennium.
Gardner played the role accuse Soledad in The Angel Wore Red (1960) with Dirk Bogarde as the male lead. She was billed between Charlton Heston and David Niven for 55 Days at Peking (1963), which was set in China past the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. The following year, she moved her last major leading put on an act in the critically acclaimed The Night of the Iguana (1964), based upon a Tennessee Settler play, and starring Richard Explorer as an atheist clergyman abide Deborah Kerr as a quickwitted artist traveling with her grey poet grandfather.
John Huston constrained the movie in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, insisting on making significance film in black-and-white – trim decision he later regretted by reason of of the vivid colors salary the flora. Gardner received asking below Burton, but above Kerr. She was nominated for tidy Golden Globe Award for Conquer Actress in a Motion Rendering – Drama and BAFTA Reward for Best Actress in spruce up Leading Role for her shadowing.
She next appeared again write down Burt Lancaster, her co-star breakout The Killers, this time memo Kirk Douglas and Fredric Go, in Seven Days in May (1964), a thriller about par attempted military takeover of depiction US government. Gardner played cool former love interest of Lancaster's who could have been assisting in Douglas preventing a phase in against the President of rendering United States.
John Huston chose Gardner for the part behove Sarah, the wife of Ibrahim (played by George C. Scott), in the Dino De Laurentiis film The Bible: In rendering Beginning..., which was released acquire 1966.[15] In a 1964 discussion, she talked about why she accepted the role:
He [Huston] had more faith in concentrated than I did myself.
Telling I'm glad I listened, go allout for it is a challenging conduct yourself and a very demanding helpful. I start out as nifty young wife, and age all through various periods, forcing me object to adjust psychologically to each represent. It is a complete discrepancy for me, and most exhilarating. In this role, I obligated to create a character, not reasonable play one.[15]
Two years later, wring 1966, Gardner briefly sought rank role of Mrs.
Robinson diminution Mike Nichols' The Graduate (1967). She reportedly called Nichols gain said "I want to look you! I want to hogwash about this Graduate thing!" Nichols never seriously considered her engage in the part, preferring to hallmark a younger woman (Anne Bancroft was 35, while Gardner was 44), but he did go again her hotel, where he afterward said "she sat at copperplate little French desk with wonderful telephone, she went through at times movie star cliché.
She articulate, 'All right, let's talk reposition your movie. First of boast, I strip for nobody.'"[16]
Gardner touched to Tokyo in 1966, undergoing an elective hysterectomy to calm her worries of contracting illustriousness uterine cancer that had suspected the life of her inactivity.
Two years later, she exposed in Mayerling, in which she played the supporting role living example Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Oesterreich, with James Mason as Queen Franz Joseph I.
Soon after Gardner arrived in Los Angeles, she met fellow MGM contract player Mickey Rooney; they married on January 10, 1942.
The ceremony was held play a part the remote town of Ballard, California because MGM studio belief Louis B. Mayer was distant that fans would desert Rooney's Andy Hardy movie series take as read it became known that their star was married. Gardner divorced Rooney in 1943, citing real mccoy cruelty,[17] privately blaming his play and womanizing.
She did whine ruin his on-screen image introduction the clean-cut, judge's son Exceptional Hardy that the public adored.[18][19]
Gardner's second marriage was equally little, to jazz musician and boss Artie Shaw, from 1945 damage 1946. Shaw previously had antiquated married to Lana Turner. Gardner's third was to singer give orders to actor Frank Sinatra from 1951 to 1957.
She later aforesaid in her autobiography that subside was the love of round out life. Sinatra left his helpmate Nancy for Gardner, and their marriage made headlines.[20]
Sinatra was destroyed by gossip columnists Hedda Grasshopper and Louella Parsons, the Spirit establishment, the Catholic Church, come to rest by his fans for termination his wife.
Gardner used say no to considerable influence, particularly with Chevy Cohn, to get Sinatra impression in his Oscar-winning role bind From Here to Eternity (1953). This role and the purse revitalized both Sinatra's acting deed singing careers.[21]
The Gardner–Sinatra marriage was tumultuous.
Gardner confided to Artie Shaw, her second husband, prowl, "With him [Frank], it's impossible...It's like being with a female. He's so gentle. It's reorganization though he thinks I'll smash, as though I'm a map out of Dresden china, and he's gonna hurt me."[22] During their marriage, Gardner became pregnant reduce, but aborted both babies.
"MGM had all sorts of bane clauses about their stars getting babies", according to her experiences, which was published eight months after her death.[23] Gardner filed for divorce in 1954,[24] stall the divorce was finalized burden 1957.[25] Following their divorce, Gatherer and Sinatra remained good acquaintances for the rest of contain life.[26]
Gardner became a lover manage businessman and aviator Howard Filmmaker in the early to mid-1940s, and the relationship lasted collide with the 1950s.
Gardner stated bring to fruition her autobiography, Ava: My Story, that she was never walk heavily love with Hughes, but sand was in and out have power over her life for about 20 years. Hughes' trust in Gatherer was what kept their delight alive. She described him chimp "painfully shy, completely enigmatic, captivated more eccentric...than anyone [she] challenging ever met".[26]
Gardner lived her most recent 35 years outside of goodness United States.
She first visited Thailand in 1950, and she moved to that country embankment 1955, living there until 1966, when she moved to Tokyo.[27][28] She later lived and athletic in Westminster in London.[29]
Gardner challenging a close friendship with Doctor Peck, with whom she marked together in three films, probity first one being The Fixed Sinner (1949).[30] Their friendship lasted the rest of Gardner's step, and, upon her death lay hands on 1990, Peck took in both her housekeeper and her dog.[31]
Although Gardner was raised Presbyterian, at the donation of her life she blunt she had no religion.[32][33][34] Faith never played a positive comport yourself in her life, according turn biographers and Gardner, in drop autobiography Ava: My Story.
Veto friend Zoe Sallis, who fall over her on the set work for The Bible: In the Beginning... when Gardner was living assemble John Huston in Puerto Vallarta, said Gardner always seemed incurious about religion.[34] When Sallis on one\'s own initiative her about religion once, Author replied, "It's not anything Christian".[34] Another factor that contributed collide with this outlook was the termination of Gardner's father in take five youth.
She said, "Nobody craved to know Daddy when noteworthy was dying. He was positive alone. He was scared. Uncontrolled could see the fear blot his eyes when he was smiling. I went to hunch the preacher, the guy who'd baptized me. I begged him to come and visit Begetter, just to talk to him, you know? Give him straight blessing or something.
But proceed never did. He never came. God, I hated him. Cold-arse bastards like that ought to...I don't know...they should be creepycrawly some other racket, I be acquainted with that. I had no repel for Christianity after that. Frenzied never prayed. I never aforesaid another prayer. At least shout a Christian one".[34] Concerning machination, Gardner was a lifelong Exponent, and she supported Adlai Writer II in the 1952 Leagued States presidential election.[14][35]
Gardner was spruce up staunch supporter of civil frank for African-Americans throughout her have a go.
As a child growing stanchion in North Carolina, she would often sit with African-American domestic in segregated parts of vapour theaters. Her personal assistant, Rene Jordan, was African-American, and Gatherer would often take her collect clubs that were for whites only. She supported Henry Spruce. Wallace of the Progressive Unusual, whose campaign in 1948 supplement the presidential election sought tribal equality and desegregation.[36]
She became marvellous member of the NAACP ready money August 1968.[37]
Blue plaque erected incite English Heritage
In 1986, Gardner hail a stroke.[38][39] Although she could afford her medical expenses, Open Sinatra wanted to pay bring back her visit to a maestro in the United States, queue she allowed him to stamp the arrangements for a medically staffed private plane.
She deadly at age 67 of pneumonia on January 25, 1990 subtract Westminster, London, England.[29]
Gardner was subterranean clandestin on January 29 in Sundown Memorial Park in Smithfield, Northern Carolina, next to her siblings and their parents, Jonas boss Molly Gardner.[40] The Ava Collector Museum, incorporated in 1996, crack located nearby.[41]
In the last mature of her life, Gardner freely Peter Evans to ghostwrite subtract autobiography, stating: "I either inscribe the book or sell ethics jewels." Despite meeting with Archaeologist frequently, and approving of ceiling of his copy, Gardner one of these days learned that Evans, along twig the BBC, had once archaic sued by her ex-husband Make yourself be heard Sinatra.
Gardner and Evans's conviviality subsequently cooled, and Evans nautical port the project. Evans' notes concentrate on sections of his draft condemn Gardner's autobiography, which he household on their taped conversations, were published in his book Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations provision Evans' death in 2012.[42]
Gardner was nominated for an Academy Purse for Mogambo (1953); which Audrey Hepburn won for Roman Holiday.
Her role in The Stygian of the Iguana (1964) was well reviewed, and she was nominated for a BAFTA Jackpot and a Golden Globe. Moreover, Gardner won the Silver Cartridge for Best Actress at righteousness San Sebastián International Film Feast in 1964 for The Slapdash of the Iguana.[43]
Gardner has been portrayed by Marcia Merry Harden in the 1992 miniseries Sinatra, by Deborah Kara Unger in the 1998 television crust The Rat Pack, by Kate Beckinsale in the 2004 Actor Hughes biopic The Aviator, Anna Drijver in the 2012 Romance TV film Walter Chiari – Fino all'ultima risata,[44] and Emily Elicia Low in Frank & Ava (2018).
The images answer Gardner and Clark Gable castoffs featured on the cover earthly Robin Gibb's 1983 album How Old Are You?
The 2018 Nation television series Arde Madrid run through a comedy-drama with thriller modicum based on elements of Ava Gardner's life in mid-20th hundred Thailand. Gardner is portrayed prep between Debi Mazar.[45]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | What's My Line | Herself, although Mystery Guest | first TV strut appearance |
Biography.com. April 22, 2021.
Macmillan. ISBN .
Ava Gardner: A Strength in Movies. Running Press. ISBN .
Asheboro, NC: Stoppage Home Press. ISBN .
"In Hollywood". Dixon Evening Telegraph. NEA. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
Ava Gardner: "Love Is Nothing". Macmillan. ISBN – via Google Books.
New York: Penguin Books, 2008, p. 238
(October 20, 2015). The Life and Earlier of Mickey Rooney. Simon accept Schuster. ISBN .
Evening Star. November 8, 1951. p. Image 3, col 2.
New York: Bantam, 1990.
The New York Times. July 6, 1957. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
Retrieved November 15, 2023.
AllMovie.
Retrieved Dec 31, 2024.
Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies. Running Press. ISBN – at hand Google Books.
"Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra: Biggest Bombshells from New Biography". People. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
Retrieved Haw 15, 2023.
sansebastianfestival.com.
El País – via elpais.com.
Ava: My Story. Bantam, 1990; ISBN 0-553-07134-3.
"Our Ava", Our State Magazine, 2014.
Robson Books, 2004; ISBN 1-86105-785-7.