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Ava Gardner
Born
Died
Place
Acting

Ava Gardner

Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Considered one of the most iconic stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, she was ranked as the 25th greatest female screen legend by the American Film Institute. Initially cast in minor roles, her breakthrough came with the classic film noir The Killers (1946), which established her as a leading lady. Her career flourished in the 1950s with notable performances in films like Mogambo (1953), for which she received an Academy Award nomination, The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and The Night of the Iguana (1964), which earned her a BAFTA nomination.

Off-screen, Gardner's personal life and progressive politics attracted significant attention. Her marriages to Mickey Rooney and Artie Shaw were gossiped about, but her tumultuous relationship with Frank Sinatra particularly headlined. Gardner was a strong supporter of racial equality and desegregation, and became a member of the NAACP in 1968. Gardner was a heavy smoker, which deteriorated her health as she grew older. She continued acting in minor roles in the 1980s before she suffered a stroke in 1986 and retired. Gardner moved to Spain and England, where she spent her final years before passing away from bronchopneumonia on January 25, 1990.

As actor

Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia

Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia

Rat Pack

Rat Pack

Beautiful Like a Poem

Beautiful Like a Poem

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

Ava Gardner, the Gypsy of Hollywood

Ava Gardner, the Gypsy of Hollywood

Chavela

Chavela

Ava Gardner: Life Is Bigger Than the Movies

Ava Gardner: Life Is Bigger Than the Movies

Fallout

Fallout

All Night Long

All Night Long

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical

Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical

De Madrid a la Luna

De Madrid a la Luna

Frank Sinatra glömde aldrig Finspång

Frank Sinatra glömde aldrig Finspång

Året var 1953

Året var 1953

Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies

Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies

Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century

Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century

That's Entertainment! III

That's Entertainment! III

Legends of the West

Legends of the West

John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick

John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick

Harem

Harem

Maggie

Maggie

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Regina Roma

Regina Roma

Priest of Love

Priest of Love

The Kidnapping of the President

The Kidnapping of the President

City on Fire

City on Fire

The Sentinel

The Sentinel

Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti

Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti

The Cassandra Crossing

The Cassandra Crossing

The Blue Bird

The Blue Bird