Just the mere mention of her name stirs up so much admiration and fascination in me. She was always my idea of what a real woman was like; someone undeniably beautiful, mouth like a trucker and unapologetic about the way she lived her life. I've always felt a sort of kinship towards her (even though she passed away when I was 3 years old) There is no way I can say everything I'd want to say about her in just one post so while this one will be a Little bit longer, I'll just provide the basics.
She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers (1946). She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953). She appeared in several high-profile films from the 1950s to 1970s, including Bhowani Junction (1956), On the Beach (1959), The Night of the Iguana (1964), Earthquake (1974), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976). Gardner continued to act on a regular basis until 1986, four years before her death of pneumonia, at age 67, in 1990. Married three times (Mickey Rooney,Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra)
I highly recommend reading her most recent biography, Ava Gardner: "Love is Nothing" by Lee Server. It is very interesting and I learned alot about her. Here is a small excerpt for you; 'She was who she was:Ava Gardner. Actress,love goddess. Resident of London, Madrid, Hollywood, and Grabtown. She liked jazz and driving too fast and nights that went on forever. She loved gin and dogs and four-letter words and Frank Sinatra. Once upon a time she was thought to be the most beautiful woman in the world. She had luminescent white skin,eyes like Andean emeralds, eminent cheekbones, a wide, sensuous crescent mouth, a sleek,strong body that moved with a feline insolence and a dancer's grace. She played temptress,adventurers,restless woman, in the movies and in private life. On the silver screen she conveyed a powerful image of dark desirability. To see her in the flesh was said to have made the blood race, the hair on the arms stand up. To know her more intimately was to surrender to mad passions, to risk all. "I'm a plain simple girl off the farm," she liked to say, "and I've never pretended to be anything else."-(Love is nothing Pg.4)
There are two videos today. This first one is of her in the film noir 'The Killers'(1946) The casting directors wanted a woman so beautiful that you could understand why Burt Lancaster's character would go to jail for a crime he didn't commit. They nailed it! (Please be aware that the pace of film noir movies is a bit slower than you might be used to, but it is well worth it! ;) ) This is also one of the few films where ms.Gardner was allowed to sing in her real voice.
(Video Credit-YouTube User:sweetheart60)
It's almost like haunting beauty to me. ;) The next video is a scene from 'The Barefoot countess' co-starring Humprey Bogart. The storyline is almost eerily close to her real life. Ava's character called for a Spanish accent. This is such a great scene to me, Enjoy!
-L
(Credit-Youtube user:sweetheart60)
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