Ava Gardner
Actor
Biography
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was a renowned American actress and one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. Born on December 24, 1922, in Grabtown, North Carolina, she grew up in a rural setting before being discovered by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1941. Initially cast in minor roles, her breakthrough came with the film noir classic The Killers (1946), which established her as a leading lady.
Gardner's career flourished in the 1950s with notable performances in films like Mogambo (1953), for which she received an Academy Award nomination, The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and The Night of the Iguana (1964). Known for her beauty and talent, she worked with some of the most celebrated directors and actors of her time.
Off-screen, Gardner's personal life attracted significant attention, including her marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra. She spent her later years in Spain and London, continuing to act until the mid-1980s. Ava Gardner passed away on January 25, 1990, in London, leaving behind a legacy as one of Hollywood's most enduring legends.
Filmography
The Killers
as Kitty Collins 1946
Earthquake
as Remy Royce-Graff 1974
The Bible: In the Beginning...
as Sarah 1966
The Barefoot Contessa
as Maria Vargas 1954
The Band Wagon
as Ava Gardner (uncredited) 1953
On the Beach
as Moira Davidson 1959
The Cassandra Crossing
as Nicole Dressler 1976
The Sentinel
as Helen Logan 1977
Seven Days in May
as Eleanor Holbrook 1964
55 Days at Peking
as Baroness Natalie Ivanoff 1963
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
as Lily Langtry 1972
Mogambo
as Eloise Y. Kelly 1953
The Night of the Iguana
as Maxine Faulk 1964
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
as Pandora Reynolds 1951
Shadow of the Thin Man
as Passerby at Racetrack (uncredited) 1941
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
as Cynthia Green 1952