Ava Gardner was an American actress and singer. In 1941, Ava was signed to a contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers. Ava was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo and also received BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for other films.
Birth Name
Ava Lavinia Gardner
Nickname
Snowdrop, Angel, The Christmas Eve Girl
Profession
Actress, Singer
Genres
Soundtrack
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Unsigned
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Ava Gardner was born on 24th of December 1922, in Grabtown, Johnston County, North Carolina, United States.
Died
She passed away from pneumonia at the age of 67 on 25th of January 1990, at her home in Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom.
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Ethnicity
White
Religion
She was raised in a Baptist household but with advancing age, she became disillusioned with religion and eventually became an atheist.
Education
Gardner graduated from Rock Ridge High School in 1939. She later took secretarial classes at Atlantic Christian College which she attended only for a year.
Family Details
- Father – Jonas Bailey Gardner (Tobacco and Cotton Farmer, Sawmill Worker)
- Mother – Mary Elizabeth Gardner (Dormitory Housekeeper, Boarding House Manager)
- Siblings – Raymond Gardner (Older Brother), Melvin Gardner (Older Brother), Beatrice Gardner (Older Sister), Elsie Mae Gardner (Older Sister), Inez Gardner (Older Sister), Myra Gardner (Older Sister)
Marital Status
Divorced
Boyfriend / Spouse
Ava Gardner had dated –
- Mickey Rooney (1941-1943) – Ava started going out with actor Mickey Rooney in the summer of 1941. She met him just after having moved to Los Angeles. Like Ava, Rooney was also signed up with MGM. In January 1942, they took their relationship to the next level by getting married. She was just 19 years old at the time of their marriage while Mickey was only 21. It had been widely reported that she lost her virginity on their wedding night. But, she was less than happy about his skills which she revealed in her later interviews and memoirs. They officially divorced in the summer of 1943.
- Artie Shaw (1944-1946) – Gardner started dating Jazz musician and bandleader Artie Shaw in August 1944. They got married in a small ceremony in October 1945. But, their relationship barely lasted a year as they got divorced in 1946.
- Howard Duff (1947-1950) – In 1947, Ava started dating actor Howard Duff. As per some accounts, she was madly in love with him. During the course of their relationship, she had even got pregnant. But, then she suffered a miscarriage which sparked the decline of their relationship.
- Frank Sinatra (1949-1957) – Gardner’s ill-fated and tempestuous relationship with singer and actor Frank Sinatra has been widely discussed in the tabloids over the years. She first met Sinatra in 1945 but their affair didn’t start until 1949. It has been often alleged that their affair was the final blow to Nancy and Frank Sintra’s marriage as Ava and Frank got married in November 1951, which was only about 10 days after he had finalized his divorce with Nancy. Gardner was vilified by the press and Hollywood for being a marriage wrecker. Even the Catholic church got involved in criticism. However, she helped Sinatra get his career back on track. She got him his role in From Here to Eternity, which helped him win an Academy Award. But as his career took off once again, their marriage crumbled. They decided to separate in October 1953 and their divorce was finalized in 1957. She later claimed that Sinatra was the love of her life. He also wasn’t able to get over her.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 6 inches
- In centimeters – 167 cm
- In meters – 1.67 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 57 kg
- In Pounds – 119 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 34-25-36
- Bust – 34 inches
- Waist – 25 inches
- Hip – 36 inches
- Bra Size – 33C
Body Build
Slim
Eye Color
Green
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Shoe Size
She wears a size 8 (US) shoe.
Dress Size
Her dress size is 6 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Having appeared in several popular and successful movies such as Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, 55 Days at Peking, Seven Days in May, and The Night of the Iguana.
Singer Debut
Ava sang a number of songs for her movies. Her singing voice was widely appreciated in the soundtrack of The Killers. However, her singing voice was dubbed for all the MGM movies.
Film Debut
In 1941, Gardner made her theatrical film debut in the comedy and crime movie, Shadow of the Thin Man. However, her small role in the movie wasn’t credited. In 1943, she made her first credited appearance in a theatrical movie as she was cast in a minor role in the movie, Ghosts on the Loose.
Television Debut
In September 1953, Ava made her first TV show appearance in the family game show, What’s My Line?
Brand Endorsements
Gardner had neither appeared in any TV commercial nor had she done endorsement work for any brand.
Ava Gardner Favorites
- Favorite Pastime – Flamenco
Ava Gardner Net worth
Her favorite things are unknown.
Social Media Profiles
She doesn’t have any social media account.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Ava Gardner
- In 1995, the Empire magazine placed her on the 68th spot in a list featuring 100 Sexiest Stars in the film history.
- She especially learned flamenco for her role in the movie, The Barefoot Contessa.
- Even after the shooting was done for the movie, she continued performing it and that eventually became such a big pastime for her that Ava used to stay occupied dancing through the nights.
- She initially got the exposure due to her sister Beatrice’s husband Larry Tarr, who decided to photograph her when she was visiting them in New York City. Tarr, who was a professional photographer, placed her photograph in the front window of his studio, where it was seen by the scout of MGM.
- She was subsequently called by MGM for an audition. She was 18 years old at that time. In 1941, she signed a standard contract with MGM and moved to Hollywood with her sister Beatrice joining her.
- As soon as she signed a contract with MGM, they provided her with a speech coach as her Carolina accent was impossible to comprehend for them.
- The American Film Institute included her in their list featuring Greatest Female Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
- After having mostly appeared in small roles, she finally got her big breakthrough in 1946 with the noir movie, The Killers. She won an Academy Award nomination as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination for her work in the movie.
- In February 1960, she was honored with her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street in Hollywood.
- In 1966, she lobbied Mike Nichols to win the lead role in his movie, The Graduate, which is considered one of the most commercially successful movies. Although Mike visited her hotel, he never seriously considered her as he wanted to cast a younger actress in the movie.
- In 1968, she moved to London and underwent an elective hysterectomy as she was worried about contracting uterine cancer, which had previously claimed her mother’s life.
- In her later years, she suffered from emphysema, which was brought on by her lifelong smoking habit. She was also diagnosed with an unidentified auto-immune disorder.
- In 1986, she suffered from 2 strokes, which left her bedridden and partially paralyzed.
