Ava Gardner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ava Gardner
Gardner as Julie LaVerne in Show Boat (1951)
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, England
Resting place	Sunset Memorial Park, Smithfield, North Carolina
Alma mater	Atlantic Christian College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1941–1986
Spouse(s)	Mickey Rooney ​ ​ (m. 1942; div. 1943)​ Artie Shaw ​ ​ (m. 1945; div. 1946)​ Frank Sinatra ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1957)​
Signature

Gardner in The Killers (1946)

Gardner as Cynthia Green in The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)

Studio publicity photo approx. 1952–54

Mogambo (1953) cast with (L-R) Donald Sinden, Grace Kelly, Clark Gable, Denis O'Dea, Gardner and Philip Stainton

Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was a famous American actress. She was known for her beauty and talent. Ava was a big star during the "Golden Age of Hollywood" in the 1940s and 1950s.

She started her acting career in 1941 with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). At first, she had small roles. But she became famous in 1946 with her role in the movie The Killers. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Mogambo (1953). She also received nominations for Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards for The Night of the Iguana (1964).

Throughout the 1950s, Ava Gardner became a top movie star. She appeared in many popular films. These included Show Boat (1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), and On the Beach (1959). She continued acting in movies for three more decades. Some later films were 55 Days at Peking (1963) and Earthquake (1974). In the 1980s, she also acted on TV shows like Knots Landing. She acted until 1986, four years before she passed away at age 67.

In 1999, the American Film Institute named Ava Gardner one of the greatest female movie stars. She was ranked number 25 on their list of classic American cinema legends.

Early Life

Ava Lavinia Gardner was born on December 24, 1922. She grew up in Grabtown, North Carolina. She was the youngest of seven children. Her parents, Molly and Jonas Gardner, were poor farmers. They grew tobacco.

Ava's family was part of the Baptist faith. When she was young, her family lost their farm. Her mother, Molly, found work as a cook at a school. This helped the family have a place to live. In 1931, the family moved to Newport News, Virginia. Molly managed a boarding house there.

Ava's father, Jonas, became sick and died in 1938. Ava was 15 years old then. After his death, her family moved to Rock Ridge, North Carolina. Molly ran another boarding house. Ava finished high school in Rock Ridge in 1939. She then took secretarial classes at Atlantic Christian College. She studied there for about a year.

Becoming a Star

In the summer of 1940, Ava visited her sister Beatrice in New York City. Beatrice's husband, Larry Tarr, was a photographer. He took a beautiful picture of Ava. He liked it so much that he put it in his studio window.

A clerk from Loews Theatres saw Ava's photo. He suggested that her information be sent to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). MGM was a big movie studio. Soon after, Ava went to New York for an interview with MGM. She was offered a contract with the studio. In 1941, she left college and moved to Hollywood. Her sister Beatrice went with her.

MGM helped Ava improve her speaking. She had a strong accent from North Carolina. They also gave her a singing teacher. Her first small role was in the movie We Were Dancing (1942). After many small parts, she got her first credited role in Ghosts on the Loose (1943). She became well-known after starring in The Killers (1946). She played a character named Kitty Collins.

Gardner on the cover of Modern Screen magazine, January 1952

Over the next decade, Ava starred in many successful films. These included Show Boat (1951) and Mogambo (1953). In The Barefoot Contessa (1954), she played a Spanish dancer. She often went barefoot in real life, which influenced her decision to take the role. She also played Queen Guinevere in Knights of the Round Table (1953).

In 1960, Ava starred in The Angel Wore Red. She also appeared in 55 Days at Peking (1963). This movie was set in China in 1900. Her last big leading role was in The Night of the Iguana (1964). She was nominated for awards for her performance in this film.

Gardner in a trailer for Bhowani Junction (1956)

Ava also worked with Burt Lancaster again in Seven Days in May (1964). This was a thriller movie. She played Sarah, the wife of Abraham, in the film The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966).

In 1968, Ava moved to London. That year, she played Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Mayerling. In the 1970s, she appeared in disaster films. These included Earthquake (1974) and The Cassandra Crossing (1976). Her last movie was Regina Roma (1982). In the 1980s, she mainly acted on television. She had a role in the TV show Knots Landing in 1985.

Personal Life

Marriages

Ava Gardner was married three times. Her first marriage was to actor Mickey Rooney. They married in 1942. Their wedding was kept secret. This was because MGM studio worried it would affect Rooney's fan base. They divorced in 1943.

Her second marriage was to jazz musician Artie Shaw. They were married from 1945 to 1946. Ava's third and last marriage was to singer and actor Frank Sinatra. They were married from 1951 to 1957. Ava later said he was the love of her life.

Third husband Frank Sinatra and Gardner in 1951

Frank Sinatra faced criticism for leaving his first wife for Ava. Ava helped Sinatra get a role in the movie From Here to Eternity (1953). He won an Oscar for this role. This helped his acting and singing careers. Even after their divorce, Ava and Frank remained good friends.

Friendships

Dining with Stewart Granger in 1950

Ava Gardner was friends with many famous people. She was friends with businessman and aviator Howard Hughes in the 1940s and 1950s.

In 1957, Ava traveled to Spain. She became friends with writer Ernest Hemingway. She had starred in a movie based on his book, The Sun Also Rises, that same year. Hemingway had also helped her get a role in The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952).

Beliefs

Gardner at Kastrup Airport CPH in Copenhagen (1955)

Ava Gardner grew up in a Christian home. However, she later became an atheist. She felt that religion did not play a positive role in her life.

Ava was a strong supporter of Democratic Party ideas. She believed in civil rights for African-Americans. When she was a child, she would sit with African-American children in segregated movie theaters. Her personal assistant was African-American. Ava would often take her to clubs that were only for white people. She supported political leaders who wanted racial equality. In 1968, she joined the NAACP. This group works for the rights of African-Americans.

Later Years and Death

Blue plaque erected by English Heritage

Gardner's statue in Tossa de Mar, Spain. Here The Barefoot Contessa was filmed.

In 1986, Ava Gardner had a stroke. This left her partly paralyzed. She passed away in January 1990, at age 67. She died at her home in London.

Ava Gardner is buried in Sunset Memorial Park in Smithfield, North Carolina. She is buried next to her family. The Ava Gardner Museum is located nearby. It was created in 1996 to honor her life and career.

Book

Blue plaque indicating Gardner's apartment. Main entrance:

In her later years, Ava Gardner decided to write a book about her life. She worked with a writer named Peter Evans. She said, "I either write the book or sell the jewels." Their conversations were recorded. However, their friendship ended. This was because Ava learned that Evans had problems with her ex-husband, Frank Sinatra.

After Evans passed away in 2012, his notes and parts of the book were published. The book is called Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations.

Awards and Recognition

Ava Gardner was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Mogambo (1953). However, Audrey Hepburn won the award that year for Roman Holiday. Ava's acting in The Night of the Iguana (1964) was highly praised. She was nominated for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe for this role. She also won the Silver Shell for Best Actress at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 1964.

Gardner as Maria Vargas in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Portrayals in Film and TV

Other actresses have played Ava Gardner in movies and TV shows.

• Marcia Gay Harden played her in the 1992 TV miniseries Sinatra.
• Kate Beckinsale played her in the 2004 movie The Aviator.
• In 2018, Debi Mazar played Ava in the Spanish TV series Arde Madrid. This show was a comedy-drama about Ava's life in Spain.

Ava Gardner's image has also appeared in other places. Her picture, along with Clark Gable, is on the cover of Robin Gibb's 1983 album How Old Are You?.

Filmography

Movies

Whistle Stop (1946)

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Ava Gardner para niños