Ava Gardner
Biography
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was a renowned American actress and one of the most iconic stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. Born on December 24, 1922, in Grabtown, North Carolina, she grew up in a rural setting before being discovered by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1941. Initially cast in minor roles, her breakthrough came with the film noir classic The Killers (1946), which established her as a leading lady. Gardner's 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). Known for her beauty and talent, she worked with some of the most celebrated directors and actors of her time. Off-screen, Gardner's personal life attracted significant attention, including her marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra. She spent her later years in Spain and London, continuing to act until the mid-1980s. Ava Gardner passed away on January 25, 1990, in London, leaving behind a legacy as one of Hollywood's most enduring legends.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (43)
Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia
as Self (archive footage)
2023
Rat Pack
as Self (archive footage)
2022
Beautiful Like a Poem
as Self (archive footage)
2020
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
2018
Ava Gardner, the Gypsy of Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
2018
Chavela
as Self (archive footage)
2017
Ava Gardner: Life Is Bigger Than the Movies
as Self (archive footage)
2017
Fallout
as Self (archive footage)
2013
All Night Long
as Self (archive footage)
2010
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
as Pandora Reynolds / Maria Vargas (archive footage)
2010
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical
as Self (archive)
2009
De Madrid a la Luna
as Self (archive footage)
2006
Frank Sinatra glömde aldrig Finspång
as Self (archive footage)
2003
Året var 1953
as Self (archive footage)
2003
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
as Self (archive footage)
1998
That's Entertainment! III
as (archive footage)
1994
Legends of the West
as Lily Langtry in 'The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'
1992
John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
as Self (archive footage)
1988
Harem
as Kadin
1986
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
as (in "The Killers" / "The Bribe") (archive footage)
1982
Regina Roma
as Mama
1982
Priest of Love
as Mabel Dodge Luhan
1981
The Kidnapping of the President
as Beth Richards
1980
City on Fire
as Maggie Grayson
1979
The Sentinel
as Helen Logan
1977
The Cassandra Crossing
as Nicole Dressler
1976
The Blue Bird
as Luxury
1976
Permission to Kill
as Katina Petersen
1975
Earthquake
as Remy Royce-Graff
1974
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage)
1974
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
as Lily Langtry
1972
The Ballad of Tam Lin
as Michaela Cazaret
1970
Mayerling
as Empress Elisabeth of Austria
1968
The Bible: In the Beginning...
as Sarah
1966
The Night of the Iguana
as Maxine Faulk
1964
On the Trail of the Iguana
as Self
1964
Seven Days in May
as Eleanor Holbrook
1964
55 Days at Peking
as Baroness Natalie Ivanoff
1963
La Rabbia
as Self (archive footage)
1963
The Angel Wore Red
as Soledad
1960
On the Beach
as Moira Davidson
1959
The Naked Maja
as Maria Teresa, duchess of Alba, nicknamed Cayetana
1958
The Sun Also Rises
as Lady Brett Ashley
1957
