Ava Gardner

She was briefly married to actor Mickey Rooney from 1942 to 1943. She did not fare much better in her second marriage as well—she wed jazz musician Artie Shaw in 1945 only to divorce him in 1946.

Her final marriage was to singer and actor Frank Sinatra whom she wed in 1951. Even though she claimed that Frank was the love of her life, even this marriage ended in divorce in 1957.

She was a lifelong smoker and suffered from several health complications because of this addiction. She died of pneumonia at the age of 67 in 1990.

Ava was born into a rural farming community to poor parents Jonas Bailey Gardner and Mary Elizabeth. She was the youngest of seven children.

She grew up during the Great Depression amid rampant poverty. The death of her father when she was a teenager plunged the poverty stricken family into even greater despair. Her mother ran a boarding school for teachers, and in spite of all difficulties, insisted that Ava go to school.

She graduated from Rock Ridge high school in 1939 and attended secretarial classes at Atlantic Christian College for some time.

Her sister’s husband, Larry Tarr, a professional photographer took pictures of the strikingly beautiful teenager which he sent to the MGM Studio. Impressed by her beauty, Al Altman, the head of MGM’s New York Talent Department called her for an interview and offered her a contract in 1941.

During her initial years she got only small roles in the MGM movies; she played up to 15 minor parts before her career actually took off. She was loaned to Universal Studios which cast her as the seductress Kitty Collins in the film noir, ‘The Killers’ in 1946. This was the breakthrough performance that got her acting skills noticed.

She was chosen to play the role of Julie Laverne in the musical ‘Show Boat’ in 1951. The film was a commercial success. It was followed by her appearances in ‘The Snows of Kilimanjaro’ (1952), ‘Lone Star’ (1952), and ‘Mogambo’ (1953).

In 1954, she appeared in what would become her signature film, ‘The Barefoot Contessa’ which revolved around the story of a fictional Spanish sex symbol, Maria Vargas. The movie also had Humphrey Bogart in the cast.

She acted along with Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins in the post-apocalyptic drama film, ‘On the Beach’ in 1959. The story was set in the future, months after the World War III which had destroyed the complete northern hemisphere.

She played the wisecracking Honey Bear Kelly in the 1953 film ‘Mogambo’ which also starred box-office hero Clark Gable and Grace Kelly. The movie was a remake of the classic ‘Red Dust’.

Her portrayal of Maxine Faulk in ‘The Night of the Iguana’ which was based on a play of the same name was much appreciated. The movie won several awards and she was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA as best actress.