Ava Gardner

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Ava Lavinia Gardner, born on December 24, 1922, in Grabtown, North Carolina, was an American actress known for her striking beauty and fiery spirit.

 

Raised in a poor sharecropping family, Gardner’s life changed when a photograph of her displayed in her brother-in-law’s New York studio caught the attention of an MGM talent scout. She signed a contract with the studio in 1941, and her breakthrough came with the film noir The Killers in 1946.

 

 

Gardner’s career flourished in the 1950s, establishing her as a leading lady in Hollywood. She received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Mogambo (1953) and starred in notable films such as The Barefoot Contessa (1954) and The Night of the Iguana (1964).

 

 

Despite her success, Gardner often felt insecure about her acting abilities, compensating for this via a hellraising lifestyle. In her personal life, Gardner was known for her high-profile and tumultuous marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and, particularly, Frank Sinatra.

 

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She moved to Spain in 1955, seeking a quieter life away from Hollywood’s spotlight, and then onto London in 1968. Gardner continued to act until the mid-1980s, passing away on January 25, 1990, at her London home.