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Ava Gardner Biography (1922-1990)

Full name, Ava Lavinnia Gardner; born December 24, 1922, in Grabton (some sources say Smithfield), NC; died of respiratory problems and a stroke, January,1990, in London, England; buried in North Carolina; daughter of Jonas Bailey(a tobacco and cotton farmer) and Mary Elizabeth (a boarding house manager)Gardner; married Mickey Rooney (an actor), 1942 (divorced, 1943); married Artie Shaw (a musician and bandleader), 1945 (divorced, 1946); married Frank Sinatra (a singer and actor), 1951 (divorced, 1957).

Nationality

American

Gender

Female

Birth Details

December 24, 1922

Grabton, North Carolina, United States

Famous Works

• Credits; FILM APPEARANCES
• Girl, H.M. Pulham Esq., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 1941.
• Girl bit, Calling Dr. Gillespie, MGM, 1942.
• Girl, Joe Smith, American (also known as Highway to Freedom), MGM, 1942.
• Car Hop, Kid Glove Killer, MGM, 1942.
• Girl, Reunion in France (also known as Mademoiselle France; Reunion) MGM,1942.
• Ringsider, Sunday Punch, MGM, 1942.
• Girl in car, This Time for Keeps, MGM, 1942.
• Girl, We Were Dancing, MGM, 1942.
• Betty Williams, Ghosts on the Loose (also known as Ghosts in the Night; The East Side Kids Meet Bela Lugosi), Monogram, 1943.
• Katy Chotnik, Hitler's Madman (also known as Hitler's Hangman), MGM, 1943.
• Girl role, DuBarry Was a Lady, MGM, 1943.
• Girl role, Pilot No. 5, MGM, 1943.
• Girl role, Swing Fever, MGM, 1943.
• Girl role, Young Ideas, MGM, 1943.
• Hat Check Girl, Lost Angel, MGM, 1944.
• Gloria Fullerton, Maisie Goes to Reno (also known as You Can't Do That toMe), MGM, 1944.
• Jean Brown, Three Men in White, MGM, 1944.
• Rockette Girl, Two Girls and a Sailor, MGM, 1944.
• Hilda Spotts, She Went to the Races, MGM, 1945.
• Kitty Collins, The Killers, Universal, 1946.
• Mary, Whistle Stop, United Artists, 1946.
• Jean Ogilvie, The Hucksters, MGM, 1947.
• Linda, Singapore, Universal, 1947.
• Venus, Goddess of Love/Venus Jones, One Touch of Venus, Universal, 1948.
• Elizabeth Hinton, The Bribe, MGM, 1949.
• Isabel Lorrison, East Side, West Side, MGM, 1949.
• Pauline Ostrovski, The Great Sinner, MGM, 1949.
• Barbara Beaurevel, My Forbidden Past, RKO Radio Pictures, 1951.
• Pandora Reynolds, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, MGM, 1951.
• Julie LaVerne, Show Boat, MGM, 1951.
• Martha Ronda, Lone Star, MGM, 1952.
• Cynthia, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1952.
• The Movie Star, The Band Wagon, MGM, 1953.
• Queen Guinevere, Knights of the Round Table, MGM, 1953.
• Eloise Y. Kelly, Mogambo, MGM, 1953.
• Cordelia Cameron, Ride Vaquero!, MGM, 1953.
• Maria Vargas, The Barefoot Contessa, United Artists, 1954.
• Spectator, Around the World in Eighty Days, United Artists, 1956.
• Victoria Jones, Bhowani Junction, MGM, 1956.
• Lady Brett Ashley, The Sun Also Rises, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1957.
• Lady Susan Ashlow, The Little Hut, MGM, 1957.
• Duchess of Alba, The Naked Maja, United Artists, 1959.
• Moira Davidson, On the Beach, United Artists, 1959.
• Soledad, The Angel Wore Red, MGM, 1960.
• Baroness Natalie Ivanoff, 55 Days at Peking, Allied Artists, 1963.
• Maxine Faulk, The Night of the Iguana, MGM, 1964.
• Eleanor Holdbrook, Seven Days in May, Paramount, 1964.
• Sarah, The Bible ... In The Beginning, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1966.
• Empress Elizabeth, Mayerling, MGM, 1968.
• Michaela, The Devil's Widow (also known as Tamlin), British InternationalPictures, 1972.
• Lily Langtry, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, National General, 1972.
• Remy Graff, Earthquake, Universal, 1974.
• Katina Petersen, Permission to Kill, AVCO-Embassy, 1975.
• Luxury, The Blue Bird, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1976.
• Nicole, The Cassandra Crossing, AVCO-Embassy, 1976.
• Miss Logan, The Sentinel, Universal, 1977.
• Maggie, City on Fire, AVCO-Embassy, 1979.
• Beth Richards, The Kidnapping of the President, Crown International, 1980.
• Mabel Dodge, Priest of Love, Filmways, 1981.
• Also appeared in Fancy Answers (short), 1941, Mighty Lak a Goat (short),1942, We Were Dancing, 1942, and Regina, 1982.
• Credits; TELEVISION APPEARANCES
• Ruth Galveston, Knots Landing (series), CBS, 1985.
• Agrippina, A.D. (mini-series), NBC, 1985.
• Minnie Littlejohn, The Long Hot Summer (movie), NBC, 1985.
• Kadin, Harem (movie), ABC, 1986.
• Writings
• (With Alan Burgess) Ava: The Autobiography of Ava Gardner, Bantam, 1990.

Further Reference

BOOKS

• Bernard, Andre, Ava Gardner, (Paris), 1976.
• Gardner, Ava and Alan Burgess, Ava: The Autobiography of Ava Gardner, Bantam, 1990.
• Kass, Judith M., Ava Gardner, (New York), 1979.
• Parish, James R., and others, The Hollywood Beauties, Arlington House, 1978.
• Rampling, Matthew, Ava Gardner, (Paris), 1981.
• Romero, Jerry, Sinatra's Women, Manor Books, 1976.

PERIODICALS

• Cine Review, August 26, 1982.
• Ecran, August/September, 1974.
• Films In Review, June/July, 1965.
• New York Times, January 26, 1990.
• Radio Times, March 27, 1982.