Ava Gardner
Acting
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.
Born: December 24, 1922
Place of Birth: Grabtown, North Carolina, USA
Known For
Rat Pack
In the 1950s, a small group of artists monopolized the attention of the cameras and the public. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford together form the "rat pack": they sing the most popular hits of the moment, star in the most profitable Hollywood films and are already making a splash on television . This documentary, produced by a recognized specialist in the history of Hollywood, recounts the exceptional destiny of this informal group which flirted with the greats of this world, notably through Sinatra, personal friend of American President Kennedy.
Lost Angel
Alpha's been raised along scientific principles, and will make Mike Regan a great human interest story for his paper. But when his interview prompts Alpha to run away from the institute and ask him to show her some magic, Mike gets more responsibility than he bargained for. Especially since another story of his, one involving gangsters, has also come home to roost.
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
Acknowledged as one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century, Arena explores the rise of the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra from his early family background to overwhelming show business success. Interviews with friends, family and associates reveal a star-studded career in music and film alongside a fascinating private life of four marriages, liaison with the Kennedy family, Las Vegas business interests and an alleged association with the Mafia
Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia
With his mafia wiseguy links and access to entertainment industry star power, Frank Sinatra helped John F. Kennedy into the White House in 1960. But it all came to a bitter end.
That's Entertainment!
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields
Actor, model, and global superstar Brooke Shields’ journey from a sexualized young girl to a woman who embraces her identity and voice.
The Killers
Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.
Seven Days in May
A U.S. Marine Corps colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.
The Bible: In the Beginning...
Covering only the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis, vignettes include: Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden until their indulgence in the forbidden fruit sees them driven out; Cain murdering his brother Abel; Noah building an ark to preserve the animals of the world from the coming flood; and Abraham making a covenant with God.
The Night of the Iguana
A defrocked Episcopal clergyman leads a bus-load of middle-aged Baptist women on a tour of the Mexican coast and comes to terms with the failure haunting his life.
Filmography
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as Pandora Reynolds / Maria Vargas (archive footage)
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as (archive footage)
as Self
as Lily Langtry in 'The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'
as Self (archive footage)
as Kadin
as Kadin
as Minnie Littlejohn
as Agrippina
as (in "The Killers" / "The Bribe") (archive footage)
as Mama
as Mabel Dodge Luhan
as Beth Richards
as Ruth Sumner Galveston
as Maggie Grayson
as Helen Logan
as Nicole Dressler
as Luxury
as Katina Petersen
as Remy Royce-Graff
as (archive footage)
as Lily Langtry
as Michaela Cazaret
as Empress Elisabeth of Austria
as Sarah
as Maxine Faulk
as Self
as Eleanor Holbrook
as Baroness Natalie Ivanoff
as Self (archive footage)
as Soledad
as Moira Davidson
as Maria Teresa, duchess of Alba, nicknamed Cayetana
as Lady Brett Ashley
as Lady Susan Ashlow
as Victoria Jones
as Maria Vargas
as Guinevere
as Eloise Y. Kelly
as Ava Gardner (uncredited)
as Cordelia Cameron
as Martha Ronda
as Cynthia Green
as Julie LaVerne
as Barbara Beaurevel
as Pandora Reynolds
as Self (archive footage)
as Self
as Isabel Lorrison
as Pauline Ostrovsky
as Elizabeth Hintten
as Venus
as Linda Grahame / Ann Van Leyden
as Jean Ogilvie
as Kitty Collins
as Mary
as Hilda Spotts
as Dream Girl (uncredited)
as Minor Role (uncredited)
as Gloria Fullerton
as Dream Girl (uncredited)
as Jean Brown
as (archive footage)
as Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
as Receptionist (uncredited)
as Perfume Girl (uncredited)
as Co-ed (uncredited)
as Betty
as Franciska Pritric (uncredited)
as Marie, Parisian shopgirl (uncredited)
as Girl at Theatre Boxoffice
as Student (uncredited)
as Ringsider (uncredited)
as Car Hop (uncredited)
as Girl in Car Lighting Cigarette (uncredited)
as Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
as Lucretia Borgia (uncredited)
as Young Socialite (uncredited)
as Passerby at Racetrack (uncredited)
as Waitress (uncredited)
as Girl at Recital