Ava Gardner – most beautiful woman
Ava Gardner was one of the most prominent American actresses and most beautiful woman of the twentieth century. In the 1950s she was the brightest star in Hollywood. Her husbands were famous actor Mickey Rooney and legendary singer Frank Sinatra, and billionaire Howard Hughes sought her favor. But she spent her last years alone. One day she received a call from a film studio and was offered to play the role of a rich and lonely woman. She hung up the phone and said: “I’ve been playing it all my life!”
Ava Lavinia Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 to a Puritan family of farmers in a small town in North Carolina. The only book in their house was the Bible, the children were brought up in the most severe obedience and severity. Daughters were not allowed to wear makeup, buy new dresses, or think about anything other than school. For the slightest offense, the mother threatened them with terrible punishment and God’s wrath. Ava’s only passion was cinema.
As soon as the girl turned 18, she moved to a nearby town and enrolled in secretarial courses. A year later, her sister offered to come to New York, where her husband had his own photo studio. Soon, his windows were decorated with photos of Ava, and one day they were seen by an employee of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer film company. He was amazed at the beauty of the girl and invited her to come to screen tests and enroll in acting classes. So her film career began.
At first, she starred in episodes and did not show serious results. The first success came to her in 1946 after the film Assassins. Directors began to offer her leading roles. Ava became famous in 1952, when she played in the film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Snow of Kilimanjaro. The film was nominated for an Oscar, and Ava Gardner began to be called a Hollywood star. She received another nomination a year later for the film Mogabmo, where she co-starred with Clark Gable.
In the 1950s she became one of the most successful and sought-after Hollywood actresses. By the way, critics never called her a great actress, but everyone unanimously said that she was a great woman.
She always had many fans, but the girl raised in a puritanical family was in no hurry to start a relationship. In 1942, she married famous actor Mickey Rooney, but this marriage lasted a little over a year.
Nevertheless, thanks to Mickey Rooney, Ava Gardner was noticed by the directors, and another admirer of her. Famous aviator, billionaire and cinematographer Howard Hughes helped her become a brilliant film star. He showered her with jewelry, gave her luxurious outfits, sent her to rest on a private plane. But he was pathologically jealous and put a guard on her, watching her every step. Soon, she dreamed of breaking out of the golden cage.
In 1945, the actress met the head of a jazz orchestra and virtuoso clarinetist Artie Shaw. Intellectual and esthete, he conquered her with his mind and convinced her to become his wife. But that time the happiness was short-lived. He was outraged that his wife had not read a single book in her entire life except the Bible and Gone with the Wind, and he called her a provincial simpleton. Ava said: “He idolized my body and hated my brains. Living with Artie is like going to college. Therefore, it is better to leave on your own than to wait until you are expelled.”
After that, the actress had affairs with almost all her partners. Soon she met Frank Sinatra. After the first meeting, the most popular US singer and favorite of women lost his head and saw in Ave an opportunity to start a new life. He divorced his wife and in 1951 Sinatra married Gardner.
Their relationship was very stormy, they were constantly accompanied by scandals and reconciliations. Thanks to Ava Frank regained his popularity – after losing his voice and recession in his career, at her insistence, he was invited to star in the film From Now and Forever, for which Sinatra was awarded an Oscar. But soon he returned to his usual life – with parties, women and alcohol. In addition, Gardner was never able to give birth to a child. In 1955 she moved to Spain, and after 2 years their marriage broke up.
After that, the actress did not manage to build a family. She had romances with bullfighters and dancers, drank a lot and drove her Mercedes at breakneck speed on the night roads. Twice Ava had an accident. Once she persuaded one of her lovers to let her take part in the bullfight. It almost ended in tragedy – the bull ripped her cheek open, after which she decided that her beauty was forever lost. After plastic surgery, the scar was almost invisible, but the actress stopped appearing in public and spent a long time locked up in her Madrid apartment.
Due to her excessive addiction to alcohol and constant depression, she often refused serious roles. Ava Gardner moved to England – she said that only there she could walk unnoticed – and stopped communicating with everyone except Frank Sinatra, who occasionally visited her. She had serious health problems, and after suffering a heart attack, she was bedridden. Sinatra spent thousands of dollars on her treatment, but the doctors were powerless. An elderly housekeeper and her beloved dog were next to her. Longtime friend Gregory Peck and Sinatra visited the fading star.
In January 1990, one of the brightest Hollywood stars passed away. The last words of the 67-year-old actress were: “I’m so tired …”. Sinatra paid the debts of his ex-wife, took care of the funeral, but did not come to say goodbye. Gregory Peck took Ava’s housekeeper and dog.
Source: https://kulturologia.ru/blogs/241218/41749/