Ava Lavinia Gardner was born on
December 24, 1922 in Grabton,
North Carolina. She grew up in a poor household and was the youngest of seven
children.
While Ava was working as a secretary, her brother-in-law snapped photos of her and sent them to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and in 1941 they offered her a contract.
She married Mickey Rooney in 1941 and they divorced in 1943. Artie Shaw was her next husband, and they split up in 1946. During this time she landed a lead role opposite Burt Lancaster in The Killers, and this catapulted her career. Ava was soon one of the most sought-after actresses, and she was in movies such as Show Boat, Mogambo and The Barefoot Contessa.
Ava married Frank Sinatra in 1948. Their marriage was a tempestuous one and they eventually divorced in 1957. After they split she moved to Europe and took fewer roles. She died of pneumonia in London in 1990.
Other movies she starred in include:
"Lost Angel"
"Three Men in White"
"Swing Fever"
"Whistle Stop"
"The Hucksters"
"The Great Sinner"
"Knights of the Round Table"
"The Band Wagon"
"The Sun Also Rises"
"The Angel Wore Red"
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