Acquanetta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Acquanetta
Acquanetta in costume for Tarzan and the Leopard Woman, 1946
Born	Mildred Davenport (1921-07-17)July 17, 1921 Newberry, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	August 16, 2004(2004-08-16) (aged 83) Ahwatukee, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1942–1953
Spouse(s)	Luciano Bashuk ​ ​ (m. 1948; div. 1950)​ Henry Clive ​ ​ (m. 1950; div. 1953)​ Jack Ross (m. c. 1955; div.)
Children	5

Acquanetta (born Mildred Davenport; July 17, 1921 – August 16, 2004) was an American actress. She was known for her unique and "exotic" beauty. People often called her "The Venezuelan Volcano." She mostly starred in "B-movies" during the 1940s and 1950s. B-movies are films made with a smaller budget, often shown as the second movie in a double feature.

Early Life and Mystery

Acquanetta's early life is a bit of a mystery. She claimed she was born Burnu Acquanetta in Ozone, Wyoming. She said she was orphaned from her Arapaho parents when she was very young. She then lived with different families before becoming independent at age fifteen.

However, other stories suggest she was born Mildred Davenport in Pennsylvania. Some believed she was an African American woman who hid her background. This was due to the unfair racial discrimination common at the time. Her career was closely watched by African American newspapers.

In 1942, Life magazine wrote about her mysterious background. They reported that she had lived with a Spanish family in Spanish Harlem. She pretended to be Venezuelan. Later, she moved to Mexico and Venezuela to try and get citizenship. It was suggested that her Arapaho orphan story was made up. This was because she needed identification for the Screen Actors Guild to act.

Records from 1940 show she had five siblings. One of her brothers, Horace Davenport, became the first African-American judge in Montgomery County.

Film Career

Acquanetta began her career as a model in New York City. She worked with famous modeling agencies like Harry Conover and John Robert Powers. In 1942, she signed a contract with Universal Studios.

She appeared in many B-movies. Some of her films include Arabian Nights and The Sword of Monte Cristo. She also starred in Captive Wild Woman and Jungle Woman. In these movies, Universal tried to create a series of monster films with Acquanetta playing a character who could turn into an ape.

After her contract with Universal ended, Acquanetta worked with other studios. She signed with RKO and starred in her only big-budget movie, Tarzan and the Leopard Woman.

Personal Life

In 1947, Acquanetta had a son named Sergei with Luciano Baschuk. Sadly, Sergei passed away from cancer at age five in 1952. Acquanetta and Luciano divorced in 1950.

In 1950, Acquanetta married painter and illustrator Henry Clive. She then returned to acting. They divorced in 1953. That same year, she stopped making movies. She became a disk jockey for a radio station in Los Angeles.

Around 1955, she married Jack Ross. He was a car dealer who later ran for governor of Arizona. They settled in Mesa, Arizona. Acquanetta became famous again by appearing in Jack's local TV commercials. She also hosted her own local TV show called Acqua's Corner. This show played before late-night movies on Fridays.

Acquanetta and Jack were important members of their community. They supported the Phoenix Symphony and helped build Mesa Lutheran Hospital. They also started the Stagebrush Theatre. They had four sons together: Lance, Tom, Jack Jr., and Rex. They divorced in the early 1980s. In 1987, Acquanetta sold the Mesa Grande ruins to the city of Mesa.

Acquanetta also wrote a book of poetry. It was published in 1974 and called The Audible Silence.

Acquanetta passed away on August 16, 2004, at the age of 83. She had complications from Alzheimer's disease. She is buried in Paradise Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In Popular Culture

Acquanetta's name has inspired others. In 1987, an all-female band called The Aquanettas chose their name based on hers.

Her life also inspired a composer named Michael Gordon. He worked with Deborah Artman to create an opera called Acquanetta. A smaller version of the opera was first performed in Brooklyn, New York, in January 2018.

Opera

An opera based on Acquanetta's life premiered in 2006 in Aachen, Germany. A smaller version of the opera was first performed at the 2018 Prototype Festival. It was also shown at Bard SummerScape in 2019.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Acquanetta para niños