Ava Gardner

See also: Ava (first name), Gardner

Ava Lavinia Gardner (born the December 24th 1922 with Grabtown in North Carolina and deceased the January 25th 1990 with London) was an American actress . She was called the most beautiful animal of the world .

Biography

The beauty of Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner was born one evening from Christmas in 1922, it is youngest of the seven children of Mary Elizabeth and Jonas Gardner, of the farmers operating of plantations of tobacco. It makes its studies in Atlantic City Christian College of Wilson in North Carolina and follows courses of shorthand typist.

During a poor and studious youth with Grabtown, Brogden, Newport News and Wilson, it makes frequent passages to New York in her older sister Béa, called Bappie, married to a professional photograph, Larry Tarr. Impressed by the beauty of the young girl, then 17 years old, it takes hundreds of photographs of her and exposes them in the windows of its studio of photographs. It is there that an employee of MGM the remark and suggests in Larry sending them to the movie studio. Marvin Schenck, which deals with the young talents of the MGM, discovers these photographs, contacts it and makes him pass a screen test. In 1941, it signs a seven year old contract with the MGM with fifty dollars the week and leaves, accompanied by his/her Bappie sister, in Hollywood…

Very handicapped by a terrible accent of the soil, Ava must be satisfied to start, series of photographs of pinup and small roles in minor films where she learns her trade. Ava was not even credited in 14 films where it appeared of 1942 in 1943. Its name appears for the first time at the credits of Three men in white in 1944. It follows courses to place its voice, courses of diction to remove it from the accent of North Carolina and courses of dramatic art.

First loves

For this period, it meets on the plates of the MGM, Mickey Rooney, young senior actor of the MGM and popular actor of the series of the Andy Hardy . The champion of the Box office makes him discover the Hollywood whole and does not leave it any more. It temporarily leaves the shade when it marries Mickey Rooney, with the assent of Louis B. Mayer the big boss of the MGM. The marriage took place, organized simply by the studio, on January 10th, 1942 with Ballard. “Whereas people wondered much whether the fact of being married in Mickey had not helped me to take down my first series of figurations, I must with the plain truth say that to be Mrs. Rooney at the city of nothing has contributed to propel me to the firmament of stars. Never Mickey tried to make ego an actress, never it taught me anything, never it did not obtain the least role to me. ” The marriage will last 16 month.

She meets thereafter the multimilliardaire Howard Hughes which courts it and will continue it its assiduities during long years. Going even until the espionner by making it follow by its henchmen and put on listenings. Ava is hardly worried these “spinning mills” and will always refuse its advances and proposals while preserving its friendship.

After some time, it makes a second marriage with the musician Artie Shaw in 1945, but the marriage is a new failure and they divorce one year later.

Venus birth

The films without much interest followed one another but the chance smiles to him finally in 1946, to start with Tragique go where it gives the counterpart, in its first great role, with George Raft but it is especially in the Killers that the butterfly leaves its chrysalis. Its character of femme fatale is created with this Black film of Robert Siodmak where she interprets the Vamp which deceives Burt Lancaster (for the first time at the screen). “Much of people affirmed me thereafter that my image and my career of star took shape in the Killers , where I asserted myself in fatal siren on the undulating hips and the vertiginous low neckline, able to flank fire with planet while remaining leant against a piano. ” It is in this role that it receives for the first time of the eulogistic comments on behalf of criticism.

But its career has still evil to start. However, very quickly, its name becomes synonymous with sex appeal: it does not matter if she plays badly or does not play, she has to only appear, that is enough. The MGM benefits from the success of Ava, while “lending it” to other companies of cinema. The studio uses with dimensions torrid one of the actress, it plays with the idol of its youth, Clark Gable which insisted to have it like partner in Marchands of illusions . For Universal Pictures, it will incarnate Venus the goddess of the love in a Venus whim where the Censure recovers the naked statue representing Ava Gardner of modest draped. Follows some minor films where it côtoie Robert Taylor, Charles Laughton, Gregory Peck, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Mitchum…

At the end of the Forties, Howard Hughes always forms part of the applicants of Ava, it also has connections with Howard Duff, Robert Taylor… It at this period that it falls in love with Frank Sinatra, then is married with his first Nancy wife. The actor-singer with rock bottom and the star rising will know a tumultuous and animated passion which will defray the Tabloid press during years. Corroded mutually by the jealousy, their relation will be punctuated violent arguments. When their connection bursts at the great day, the press breaks out, Ava is described as breaker of households, the catholic priests send accusing letters to them, the League of Defense of the Decency threatens to boycott films of Ava. But Nancy Sinatra will end up divorcing and the two lovers marry on November 7th, 1951.

De Pandora with the Countess

After two years of absence comes time from the great roles. A film will propel it at the top and the myth of this Venus descended on ground will meet another legend: that of the Dutch stealing on its Ghost ship in the film symbolic system of Albert Lewin Pandora (1951). Ava Gardner is definitively devoted by this melodrama Onirique, where she is filmed for the first time colors, she shows its extraordinary presence on the screen and its imperial beauty illuminates this myth eternal. It is during the turning of this film that she discovers for the first time the Europe and particularly two countries which will mark its career and its private life for always, the England and the Spain. Fascinated from the start by Spain it will settle there during several years, as from December 1955.

Ava Gardner has from now on the wheel in motion and the diffuse MGM of the photographs of it at the rate of 3.000 per week. George Sidney the advertisement for the very beautiful role of Julie Laverne, initially planned for Judy Garland, in the musical film Show Boat . Its following film, Snows of Kilimandjaro , brings the international repute to him. Ideal heroin of the novels of Hemingway, which she knew at the time of the Killers and who became his friend later, Ava turned three adaptations drawn from works of this author: the Killers , Snows of Kilimandjaro and the Sun rises also .

In 1951, it connects with three films which all will be of immense successes. First of all with a chivalrous film of adventures, model of the genre, Knights of the Roundtable , turned with London with Robert Taylor. It is the first film of the MGM in Cinémascope. It finds Robert Taylor the same year in a western, Vaquero . And especially Mogambo , remake of the Beautiful one of Saigon where it takes again the role of Jean Harlow accompanied by Clark Gable already present in the first version of 1932! Realized by John Ford, this film with large budget is made in Africa in natural decorations, it gives to Ava a greater credibility of actress in Hollywood and she receives a nomination with the Oscars, the first and only.

But its more beautiful role is to be come. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the realizer with the two Oscars, requests it, in spite of the reserves of the MGM, to play Maria Vargas in the Countess with the barefeet . As of the rumors of production, the largest stars put themselves on the rows to interpret this character whose life resembles curiously that of Rita Hayworth besides (she will refuse to interpret it), Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Jones, Linda Darnell, Yvonne De Carlo, Joan Collins between others are on the list, but Mankiewicz wants only Ava Gardner and the MGM ends up “lending it” for this film, but at ransom price. the Countess with the barefeet is also the history of Ava Gardner: poor origins, the brilliant rise, the temperament, the detachment with respect to its trade of actress and illusions/disillusions vis-a-vis happiness. Maria Vargas will say “I believe that I am beautiful, but I do not want to be only one star. If I could learn how to play, would you help me to become a good actress? ”. This masterpiece remains the apogee of its career.

Towards the eldorado

At 33 years, in 1955, Ava leaves the the United States and settles in Spain with Moraleja close to the center of Madrid. It had already met Luis Miguel Dominguin, Torero celebrates, some time before with an evening inhabitant of Madrid and the star finally has with him an love affair more alleviated than that which it divided with Sinatra. It is besides at that time that the Gardner-Sinatra couple separates during three years, they will end up divorcing in July 1957. They will keep throughout their life a major friendly relation. Always privileging his love life with the detriment of his career, “When I am in love or that I live an adventure, I cease working”, the MGM will inflict a suspension of contract in Ava to have refused the role of Ruth Etting in the Traps of the passion (role which will be held by Doris Day).

In spite of its caused exile, Ava still makes some beautiful films. After two years of interruption, it makes its return with the large director of actresses George Cukor in the Crossing of the destinies , a super production with two years of preparations and the thousands of observers, a sulfurous subject on the independence of the India and the racial problem Anglo-Indian. Darryl F. Zanuck requests it for the Sun rises also , under the councils of Hemingway. The film occurs to Spain as well as the following the naked Maja biography from the painter Francisco Goya and his egery the Duchess from Alba, her last film under contract with the MGM. From now on independent actress, Stanley Kramer entrusts the splendid twilight role to him of Moired Davidson in the Last Shore . One of the best services of Ava Gardner is that of the Night of the iguana of John Huston. It will magnificiently express its vitality and its exceptional sensuality in this adaptation of a play of Tennessee Williams. It will still make some beautiful appearances especially in the role of Lily Langtry, sublimated icon of the judge Roy Bean in Juge and outlaw where it finds for the third time the realizer John Huston who decrees this ultimate homage to him. It will have a connection, animated again, with the actor George C. Scott who under the influence of L `alcohol becomes violent. Their relation will be of short duration.

Ava Gardner settles definitively with London in 1968.

It makes some film TV of which its last Harem in 1986.

She falls ill in 1986 and dies of a pneumonia at her in London the January 25th 1990.

References

Catalog of films

Television

  • 1985 : Knots Landing , series created by David Jacobs
  • 1985: The Long Hot Summer , telefilm of Stuart Cooper
  • 1985: A.D. , series of Stuart Cooper
  • 1986: Harem, telefilm of William Hauls

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