Rita Hayworth facts for kids

Rita Hayworth
Quick facts for kids Rita Hayworth
	Promoting a scrap metal drive during World War II
Born	Margarita Carmen Cansino ; October 17, 1918; Brooklyn, New York City, USA
Died	May 14, 1987 (aged 68); The San Remo, Manhattan, New York City, USA
Cause of death	Alzheimer's disease
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress, dancer
Years active	1926-1972
Spouse(s)	Edward C. Judson; (m. 1937-1943, divorced); Orson Welles; (m. 1943-1948, divorced); Prince Aly Khan; (m. 1949-1953, divorced); Dick Haymes; (m. 1953-1955, divorced); James Hill; (m. 1958-1961, divorced)
Children	Rebecca Welles (dead); Yasmin Aga Khan
Parent(s)	Eduardo Cansino, Sr.; Volga Hayworth
Relatives	Eduardo Cansino, Jr.; (brother, dead); Richard Cansino (nephew)

Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987) was an American actress and dancer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined the term "The Love Goddess" to describe Hayworth after she had become the most glamorous screen idol of the 1940s. She was the top pin-up girl for GIs during World War II.

Hayworth is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1946 film noir Gilda, opposite Glenn Ford, in which she played the femme fatale in her first major dramatic role. Fred Astaire, with whom she made two films, once called her his favorite dance partner. Her greatest success was in the Technicolor musical Cover Girl (1944), with Gene Kelly. She is listed as one of the top 25 female motion picture stars of all time in the American Film Institute's survey, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars.

In 1980, Hayworth was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which contributed to her death at age 68. The public disclosure and discussion of her illness drew attention to Alzheimer's, which was largely unknown by most people at the time, and helped to increase public and private funding for Alzheimer's research.

Images for kids

Columbia Pictures publicity photograph of Rita Hayworth (1940)
With Fred Astaire in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
Iconic photograph of Rita Hayworth for Life (August 11, 1941).
Hayworth as Gilda (1946)
Glenn Ford and Hayworth in Gilda (1946)
Edward Judson and Rita Hayworth (1942)
Wedding of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, with best man Joseph Cotten (September 7, 1943)
Hayworth's grave at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
Hayworth receives the National Screen Heritage Award of the National Film Society (1978)