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Ava Gardner 1922 - 1990

Ava Lavinia Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 in Brogden, North Carolina USA to Jonas Bailey Gardner and Mary Elizabeth (Baker) Gardner, and died at age 67 years old on January 24, 1990 in London United Kingdom.

Ava Lavinia Gardner

Ava Lavinia Gardner - at birth.

December 24, 1922

Brogden, North Carolina, USA

January 24, 1990

London, United Kingdom

Female

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Ava Gardner Ava Gardner (1922 - 1990)

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Ava Lavinia Gardner's History: 1922 - 1990

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12/24

1922

Birthday

December 24, 1922

Birthdate

Brogden, North Carolina USA

Birthplace

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Nationality & Locations

United States Generation No. 1 1. Ava Gardner born December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, Johnston Co., NC; died January 24, 1990 in London, England. She was the daughter of 2. Jonas Bailey Gardner and 3. Mary Elizabeth Mollie Baker. She married (1) Mickey Rooney January 10, 1942 in Ballard, California. He was born September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. She married (2) Artie Shaw October 07, 1945. He was born May 23, 1910 in New York, New York. She married (3) Frank Sinatra November 07, 1951. He was born December 12, 1915, and died May 15, 1998. Generation No. 2 2. Jonas Bailey Gardner, born October 30, 1883; died March 26, 1938. He was the son of 4. James Bailey Gardner and 5. Mary Elizabeth Dilda. He married 3. Mary Elizabeth Mollie Baker January 21, 1903 in Wilson Co., NC. 3. Mary Elizabeth Mollie Baker, born November 22, 1883; died May 21, 1943. She was the daughter of 6. King David Baker and 7. Mary Elizabeth Bettie Forbes. Children of Jonas Gardner and Mary Baker are: i. Beatrice Bappie Gardner, born November 14, 1903; married (1) Larry Tarr; married (2) Cole. ii. Elsie Mae Gardner, born November 02, 1904; married Creech. iii. Edna Inez Gardner, born December 15, 1906; married Grimes. iv. Raymond Allison Gardner, born December 05, 1908. v. Jonas Melvin Jack Gardner, born September 11, 1911. vi. Myra Gardner, born November 05, 1915; married B. C. Pearce. 1 vii. Ava Lavinia Gardner, born December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, Johnston Co., NC; died January 24, 1990 in London, England; married (1) Mickey Rooney January 10, 1942 in Ballard, California; married (2) Artie Shaw October 07, 1945; married (3) Frank Sinatra November 07, 1951. Generation No. 3 4. James Bailey Gardner3, born 1828 in Edgecombe Co., NC; died August 02, 1913 in Wilson Co., NC. He was the son of 8. William Gardner and 9. Cynthia Eliza Batts. He married 5. Mary Elizabeth Dilda December 19, 1867 in Falkland Twp, Pitt Co., NC. 5. Mary Elizabeth Dilda, born May 08, 1850 in Pitt Co., NC. She was the daughter of 10. Benjamin Dilda and 11. Mattie Matilda Cobb. Children of James Gardner and Mary Dilda are: i. Benjamin Elexander Gardner, born March 24, 1870. ii. Warren Gardner, born January 28, 1877. iii. Ava Virginia Gardner, born August 1880. iv. Cynthia Gardner 2 v. Jonas Bailey Gardner, born October 30, 1883; died March 26, 1938; married Mary Elizabeth Mollie Baker January 21, 1903 in Wilson Co., NC. 6. King David Baker, born April 14, 1848 in Wilson Co., NC; died February 20, 1916. He was the son of 12. James Baker and 13. Temperance Ellis. He married 7. Mary Elizabeth Bettie Forbes March 17, 1869. 7. Mary Elizabeth Bettie Forbes, born 1852. She was the daughter of 14. Hyrum Forbes and 15. Milly Harrell. Children of King Baker and Mary Forbes are: 3 i. Mary Elizabeth Mollie Baker, born November 22, 1883; died May 21, 1943; married Jonas Bailey Gardner January 21, 1903 in Wilson Co., NC. ii. Willie R. Baker, born Abt. 1869. iii. Barley B. Baker, born 1871 in Wilson Co., NC; died 1923 in Wilson Co., NC; married Karon B. Meeks; born Abt. 1900. iv. Ida A. Baker, born December 05, 1874 in Wilson Co., NC; died December 06, 1894 in Wilson Co., NC; married J. R. Owens. v. James D. Baker, born 1877 in Wilson Co., NC. vi. Anna Baker, born January 27, 1879 in Wilson Co., NC; died October 28, 1965 in Wilson Co., NC; married Robert Allen Gardner. vii. William Daniel Baker, born May 16, 1881; died March 15, 1948 in Wilson Co., NC; married Annie Laurie Goff Abt. 1910. viii. Charley C. Baker, born 1883 in Wilson Co., NC. ix. Sally Baker, born Abt. 1887 in Wilson Co., NC; died 1907 in Wilson Co., NC; married Andrew J. Gardner. Generation No. 4 8. William Gardner, born Abt. 1807; died March 12, 1884 in Wilson Co., NC. He was the son of 16. Thomas Gardner. He married 9. Cynthia Eliza Batts January 03, 1828 in Edgecombe Co., NC. 9. Cynthia Eliza Batts, born 1806; died 1861. She was the daughter of 18. Bailey Batts and 19. Esther Jordan. Children of William Gardner and Cynthia Batts are: i. Cindarella Cindy Gardner, born Abt. 1841. ii. Martha A. Gardner, born Abt. 1842. iii. David W. Gardner, born September 07, 1842; married Sarah. iv. Joseph Gardner, born Abt. 1845. v. Louisiana Gardner, born Abt. 1846; married Jonas Dilda November 24, 1875 in Pitt Co., NC; died 1954 in Pitt Co., NC. vi. Walter C. Gardner, born March 04, 1848 in Pitt Co., NC; died April 25, 1929; married Mary Wooten October 05, 1871 in Pitt Co., NC. vii. Barnabas Spencer Gardner, born January 18, 1850 in Pitt Co., NC; died September 17, 1915 in Pinetops, Edgecombe Co., NC; married (1) Henrietta Johnston October 06, 1870 in Pitt Co., NC; married (2) Lydia Willoughby 1879; born February 21, 1843; died May 28, 1915 in Pinetops, Edgecombe Co., NC. 4 viii. James Bailey Gardner, born 1828 in Edgecombe Co., NC; died August 02, 1913 in Wilson Co., NC; married (1) Peninah Batts September 15, 1853; married (2) Mary Elizabeth Dilda December 19, 1867 in Falkland Twp, Pitt Co., NC. ix. Willis Gardner, born 1830. x. William S. Gardner, born 1832. xi. Calvin Gardner, born April 1834. xii. Emma Eliza Gardner, born April 1834; died June 23, 1863 in Pinetops, Edgecombe Co., NC; married (1) Calvin Sr. Moore January 03, 1854 in Edgecombe Co., NC; married (2) Willoughby Jones 1880. xiii. Rebecca Becky Gardner, born May 01, 1836. 10. Benjamin Dilda He was the son of 20. Jesse Dilda and 21. Ivy. He married 11. Mattie Matilda Cobb. 11. Mattie Matilda Cobb, born May 08, 1850 in Pitt Co., NC. She was the daughter of 22. Jonas Cobb and 23. Elizabeth Cherry. Children of Benjamin Dilda and Mattie Cobb are: 5 i. Mary Elizabeth Dilda, born May 08, 1850 in Pitt Co., NC; married James Bailey Gardner December 19, 1867 in Falkland Twp, Pitt Co., NC. ii. Sara Dilda, born August 08, 1851; married Joseph B. Gardner. iii. Jesse Dilda, born January 19, 1853; married Sarah Ledonia Owens. iv. Ann Eliza Dilda, married Joseph A. Hamilton. v. Jonas Dilda, died 1954 in Pitt Co., NC; married (1) Fannie Moore; married (2) Louisiana Gardner November 24, 1875 in Pitt Co., NC; born Abt. 1846. 12. James Baker, born December 1825 in Edgecombe Co., NC; died 1888 in Edgecombe Co., NC. He married 13. Temperance Ellis January 21, 1846. 13. Temperance Ellis, born July 21, 1825 in Edgecombe Co., NC; died January 02, 1903 in Edgecombe Co., NC. She was the daughter of 26. Archelaus Ellis and 27. Fannie.
Professional Career

Ava Gardner Movies 46 titles Ghosts on the Loose 1. Ghosts on the Loose (1943) The East Side Kids try to fix up a house for newlyweds but find the place next door "haunted" by mysterious men. Director: William Beaudine | Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Bela Lugosi 3 Men in White Comedy, Drama, Romance At Blair Hospital, physician Dr. Leonard Gillespie must choose an assistant from among his two brightest interns, Dr. Randall 'Red' Adams and Dr. Lee Wong How. Director: Willis Goldbeck | Stars: Lionel Barrymore, Van Johnson, Marilyn Maxwell, Keye Luke Maisie Goes to Reno 3. Maisie Goes to Reno (1944) Comedy, Romance Maisie is overworked at her defense job and is ordered to take a two-week vacation. When she meets Tommy, he offers her a job singing with his band in Reno, but she has to get there. Director: Harry Beaumont | Stars: Ann Sothern, John Hodiak, Tom Drake, Marta Linden She Went to the Races 4. She Went to the Races (1945) Comedy Scientists have developed a method for winning at the track. Lovely Ava is a horse owner interested in a desperate gambler. Director: Willis Goldbeck | Stars: James Craig, Frances Gifford, Ava Gardner, Edmund Gwenn Whistle Stop 5. Whistle Stop (1946) Crime, Drama, Film-Noir When beautiful Mary returns home to her "whistle-stop" hometown, long-standing feelings of animosity between two of her old boyfriends lead to robbery and murder. Director: Léonide Moguy | Stars: George Raft, Ava Gardner, Victor McLaglen, Tom Conway The Killers 6. The Killers (1946) Crime, Drama, Film-Noir Hit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins. Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Albert Dekker The Hucksters 7. The Hucksters (1947) Comedy, Drama, Romance A World War II veteran wants to return to advertising on his own terms but finds it difficult to be successful and maintain his integrity. Director: Jack Conway | Stars: Clark Gable, Deborah Kerr, Sydney Greenstreet, Adolphe Menjou Singapore 8. Singapore (1947) Action, Adventure, Crime After WW2, an American skipper returns to Singapore to retrieve his hidden stash of pearls and finds his lost fiancee who now has amnesia. Director: John Brahm | Stars: Fred MacMurray, Ava Gardner, Roland Culver, Richard Haydn One Touch of Venus 9. One Touch of Venus (1948) Comedy, Fantasy, Musical Fantasy comedy about a young window dresser who kisses a statue of Venus, which then comes to life in the form of Ava Gardner. However, the problems begin when Venus falls in love with him. Directors: William A. Seiter, Gregory La Cava | Stars: Robert Walker, Ava Gardner, Dick Haymes, Eve Arden The Bribe 10. The Bribe (1949) Crime, Drama, Film-Noir Federal agent Rigby, in Central America to trace stolen plane engines, falls for the gorgeous wife of the chief suspect. Directors: Robert Z. Leonard, Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price The Great Sinner 11. The Great Sinner (1949) Drama A young writer goes to Wiesbaden to write about gambling and gamblers, only to ultimately become a compulsive gambler himself. Losing all his wealth, as well as his moral fibre. Directors: Robert Siodmak, Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Melvyn Douglas, Walter Huston East Side, West Side 12. East Side, West Side (1949) Drama, Romance A vain businessman puts a strain on happy marriage to a rich, beautiful socialite by allowing himself to be seduced by a former girlfriend. Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, James Mason, Van Heflin, Ava Gardner 13. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) Drama, Fantasy, Mystery A seductive woman falls in love with a mysterious ship's captain. Director: Albert Lewin | Stars: James Mason, Ava Gardner, Nigel Patrick, Sheila Sim My Forbidden Past 14. My Forbidden Past (1951) Crime, Drama, Romance Barbara Beaurevel lives with her aunt and cousin in New Orleans in the late 1800s. In love with Mark Lucas, a research doctor at Tulane University, her plans to marry him are thwarted. Director: Robert Stevenson | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Ava Gardner, Melvyn Douglas, Lucile Watson Show Boat 15. Show Boat (1951) Drama, Family, Musical The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairy-tale romance is threatened after his luck turns sour. Director: George Sidney | Stars: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown Lone Star 16. Lone Star (1952) Drama, Western Ex-President Andrew Jackson sends Texan Devereaux Burke back home on a mission to facilitate Sam Houston's drive for U.S. statehood. Director: Vincent Sherman | Stars: Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Broderick Crawford, Lionel Barrymore The Snows of Kilimanjaro 17. The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) Adventure, Drama, Romance Writer Harry Street reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. Directors: Henry King, Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner, Hildegard Knef The Band Wagon 18. The Band Wagon (1953) Comedy, Musical, Romance A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition. Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray Votes: 11,911 Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $2.99 Ride, Vaquero! 19. Ride, Vaquero! (1953) Passed | 90 min | Romance, Western 6 Rate Two outlaws, Rio and Esqueda, raised together as stepbrothers, have a showdown over the issue of whether to evict new settlers from their territory. Director: John Farrow | Stars: Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Anthony Quinn Votes: 1,033 Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $2.99 Mogambo 20. Mogambo (1953) Passed | 116 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance 6.6 Rate On a Kenyan safari, white hunter Victor Marswell has a love triangle with seductive American socialite Eloise Kelly and anthropologist Donald Nordley's cheating wife Linda. Director: John Ford | Stars: Clark Gable, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Donald Sinden Votes: 8,591 Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $2.99 Knights of the Round Table 21. Knights of the Round Table (1953) Approved | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Drama 6.2 Rate King Arthur's rule is threatened by the adulterous love between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, a relationship the king's enemies hope to exploit. Director: Richard Thorpe | Stars: Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer, Anne Crawford Votes: 3,897 Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $2.99 The Barefoot Contessa 22. The Barefoot Contessa (1954) Not Rated | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery 6.9 Rate 70 Metascore This is the life of a Hollywood movie star named Maria, as told by writer/director Harry Dawes, from being discovered in Madrid, Spain, until her funeral in Italy. Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Marius Goring Votes: 11,833 Watch on Pluto TV Go to pluto.tv Bhowani Junction 23. Bhowani Junction (1956) Approved | 110 min | Adventure, Drama, History 6.4 Rate Anglo-Indian Victoria Jones seeks her true identity amid the chaos of the British withdrawal from India. Director: George Cukor | Stars: Ava Gardner, Stewart Granger, Bill Travers, Abraham Sofaer Votes: 1,959 Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $2.99 The Little Hut 24. The Little Hut (1957) Approved | 78 min | Comedy, Romance 5.6 Rate When shipwrecked on a deserted island, best friends Philip Ashlow and Henry Brittingham-Brett compete against each other for the affections of the only woman available, Philip Ashlow's neglected wife, Susan. Director: Mark Robson | Stars: Ava Gardner, Stewart Granger, David Niven, Walter Chiari Votes: 990 The Sun Also Rises 25. The Sun Also Rises (1957) Approved | 130 min | Drama 6.2 Rate A group of disillusioned American expatriate writers live a dissolute, hedonistic lifestyle in 1920s France and Spain. Director: Henry King | Stars: Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Errol Flynn, Mel Ferrer Votes: 2,535 Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $3.99 The Naked Maja 26. The Naked Maja (1958) 111 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama 5.5 Rate Love takes precedence over art and politics as Spanish painter Goya pines for an aloof duchess. Director: Henry Koster | Stars: Ava Gardner, Anthony Franciosa, Amedeo Nazzari, Gino Cervi Votes: 415 On the Beach 27. On the Beach (1959) Approved | 134 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi 7.1 Rate 55 Metascore After a global nuclear war, the residents of Australia must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months. Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins Votes: 13,798 | Gross: $11.00M Search on Amazon The Angel Wore Red 28. The Angel Wore Red (1960) Approved | 99 min | Action, Drama, War 5.8 Rate Father Arturo Carrera (Sir Dirk Bogarde) leaves the priesthood over the church's indifferent position during the Spanish Civil War, but finds himself attracted to beautiful entertainer Soledad (Ava Gardner). Director: Nunnally Johnson | Stars: Ava Gardner, Dirk Bogarde, Joseph Cotten, Vittorio De Sica Votes: 801 55 Days at Peking 29. 55 Days at Peking (1963) Unrated | 154 min | Action, Adventure, Drama 6.7 Rate During the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, U.S. marine, Maj. Matt Lewis, along with British consul, Sir Arthur Robertson, develop a plan to keep the rebels at bay until an international military relief force can arrive. Directors: Nicholas Ray, Guy Green, Andrew Marton | Stars: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, David Niven, Flora Robson Votes: 6,969 Search on Amazon Seven Days in May 30. Seven Days in May (1964) Approved | 118 min | Drama, Thriller 7.8 Rate 73 Metascore United States military leaders plot to overthrow the President because he supports a nuclear disarmament treaty and they fear a Soviet sneak attack. Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, Ava Gardner Votes: 16,445 | Gross: $7.96M Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $2.99 The Night of the Iguana 31. The Night of the Iguana (1964) Approved | 125 min | Drama 7.6 Rate An ostracized Episcopal clergyman leads a busload of middle-aged Baptist women on a tour of the Mexican coast and comes to terms with the failure haunting his life. Director: John Huston | Stars: Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon Votes: 12,348 | Gross: $9.43M The Bible: In the Beginning... 32. The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966) Unrated | 174 min | Drama, Family 6.2 Rate Extravagant production of the first part of the book of Genesis. Its main highlights are the Garden of Eden, the first brothers, Noah and his family obeying God to build an ark for the Flood and Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac. Director: John Huston | Stars: Michael Parks, Ulla Bergryd, Richard Harris, John Huston Votes: 5,811 | Gross: $34.90M Mayerling 33. Mayerling (1968) PG-13 | 140 min | Drama, History, Romance 6.1 Rate Based on real life events that led to tragic deaths of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his lover Baroness Mary Vetsera. Director: Terence Young | Stars: Omar Sharif, Catherine Deneuve, James Mason, Ava Gardner Votes: 1,646 Tam Lin 34. Tam Lin (1970) PG-13 | 106 min | Horror, Mystery 5.8 Rate An older woman uses witchcraft to keep her young jet-set friends. Based on an ancient Scottish folk song. Director: Roddy McDowall | Stars: Ava Gardner, Ian McShane, Richard Wattis, Cyril Cusack Votes: 651 The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean 35. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) PG | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance 6.9 Rate 57 Metascore In Vinegaroon, Texas, former outlaw Roy Bean appoints himself the judge for the region and dispenses his brand of justice as he sees fit. Director: John Huston | Stars: Paul Newman, Ava Gardner, Roy Jenson, Gary Combs Votes: 8,882 | Gross: $16.53M Earthquake 36. Earthquake (1974) PG | 122 min | Action, Drama, Thriller 5.9 Rate 56 Metascore Various interconnected people struggle to survive when an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude hits Los Angeles, California. Director: Mark Robson | Stars: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene Votes: 16,797 | Gross: $79.70M Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $3.99 The Executioner 37. The Executioner (1975) PG | 93 min | Drama, Thriller 5.6 Rate Western intelligence agents try, by all means necessary, to prevent a Communist-bloc defector from leaving the West in his bid to return home to lead an uprising. Director: Cyril Frankel | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Ava Gardner, Bekim Fehmiu, Timothy Dalton Votes: 331 Watch on Tubi Go to tubitv.com The Blue Bird 38. The Blue Bird (1976) G | 99 min | Adventure, Drama, Family 5.4 Rate A pair of peasant children, Mytyl (Patsy Kensit) and her brother Tyltyl (Todd Lookinland), are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness (Nedezhda Pavlova) by the Fairy... See full summary » Director: George Cukor | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda, Cicely Tyson, Ava Gardner Votes: 1,204 | Gross: $0.89M The Cassandra Crossing 39. The Cassandra Crossing (1976) R | 129 min | Drama, Thriller 6.3 Rate 30 Metascore Passengers on a European train have been exposed to a deadly disease. Nobody will let them off the train. So what happens next? Director: George P. Cosmatos | Stars: Sophia Loren, Richard Harris, Martin Sheen, O.J. Simpson Votes: 9,394 The Sentinel 40. The Sentinel (1977) R | 92 min | Horror 6.3 Rate 19 Metascore A young woman moves into an apartment in a building which houses a sinister evil. Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Cristina Raines, Ava Gardner, Chris Sarandon, Martin Balsam Votes: 10,875 City on Fire 41. City on Fire (1979) R | 106 min | Action, Drama 4.3 Rate A pyromaniac, ex-employee of a city oil refinery creates an explosion at the facility which starts a chain-reaction of fires that engulf the entire city. Director: Alvin Rakoff | Stars: Barry Newman, Susan Clark, Shelley Winters, Leslie Nielsen Votes: 1,428 Watch on The Roku Channel with subscription The Kidnapping of the President 42. The Kidnapping of the President (1980) R | 114 min | Thriller 5.4 Rate Based on the novel by Charles Templeton, a secret service chief leads a game of cat and mouse when a gang of third-world terrorists kidnap the President. Director: George Mendeluk | Stars: William Shatner, Hal Holbrook, Van Johnson, Ava Gardner Votes: 514 Watch on Prime Video rent/buy from $0.99 Priest of Love 43. Priest of Love (1981) R | 125 min | Biography, Drama, Romance 6.1 Rate Following the banning and burning of his novel, "The Rainbow", D.H. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, move to the United States, and then to Mexico. When Lawrence contracts tuberculosis, they ... See full summary » Director: Christopher Miles | Stars: Ian McKellen, Janet Suzman, Ava Gardner, Penelope Keith Votes: 463 Watch on Freevee Watch Free on Freevee Regina Roma 44. Regina Roma (1983) 86 min | Drama 5.2 Rate An aging couple search for peace and family harmony when their only son returns home after a long absence with his fiancee. Director: Jean-Yves Prate | Stars: Ava Gardner, Ray Sharkey, Anna Karina, Anthony Quinn Votes: 287 Watch on Freevee Watch Free on Freevee Harem 45. Harem (1986 TV Movie) Unrated | 190 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller 6 Rate Jessica, a young British girl, goes off to Arabia with her father to be with her fiancé when he's called there suddenly on diplomatic duty. On a tourist journey she's kidnapped by what ... See full summary » Director: William Hale | Stars: Nancy Travis, Art Malik, Sarah Miles, Yaphet Kotto Votes: 517 Search on Amazon Maggie 46. Maggie (1986 TV Movie) 60 min | Comedy, Mystery 7.1 Rate Following the death of her husband, Maggie Webb finds herself left with numerous debts and back taxes. Her wealthy sister-in-law, Diane, hires her to her London-based PR firm. Director: Waris Hussein | Stars: Stefanie Powers, Ava Gardner, Herb Edelman, Jeremy Lloyd Ava Gardner Born December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina, USA Died January 25, 1990 in Westminster, London, England, UK (bronchial pneumonia) Birth Name Ava Lavinia Gardner Nicknames Snowdrop Angel The Christmas Eve Girl Height 5' 6" (1.68 m) Ava Lavina Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina, to Mary Elizabeth (née Baker) and Jonas Bailey Gardner. Born on a tobacco farm, where she got her lifelong love of earthy language and going barefoot, Ava grew up in the rural South. At age 18, her picture in the window of her brother-in- law's New York photo studio brought her to the attention of MGM, leading quickly to Hollywood and a film contract based strictly on her beauty. With zero acting experience, her first 17 film roles, 1942-1945, were one-line bits or little better. After her first starring role in B-grade Whistle Stop (1946), MGM loaned her to Universal for her first outstanding film The Killers (1946). Few of her best films were made at MGM which, keeping her under contract for 17 years, used her popularity to sell many mediocre films. Perhaps as a result, she never believed in her own acting ability, but her latent talent shone brightly when brought out by a superior director, as with John Ford in Mogambo (1953) and George Cukor in Bhowani Junction (1956). After three failed marriages, dissatisfaction with Hollywood life prompted Ava to move to Spain in 1955; most of her subsequent films were made abroad. By this time, stardom had made the country girl a cosmopolitan, but she never overcame a deep insecurity about acting and life in the spotlight. Her last quality starring film role was in The Night of the Iguana (1964), her later work being (as she said) strictly "for the loot". In 1968, tax trouble in Spain prompted a move to London, where she spent her last 22 years in reasonable comfort. Her film career did not bring her great fulfillment, but her looks may have made it inevitable; many fans still consider her the most beautiful actress in Hollywood history. Ava Gardner died at age 67 of bronchial pneumonia on January 25, 1990 in Westminister, London, England. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Rod Crawford Spouse (3) Frank Sinatra (7 November 1951 - 5 July 1957) ( divorced) Artie Shaw (17 October 1945 - 25 October 1946) ( divorced) Mickey Rooney (10 January 1942 - 21 May 1943) ( divorced) Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#68). [1995] Her singing voice in Show Boat (1951) was dubbed by Annette Warren, although her voice is left in on the soundtrack album. Daughter of Jonas Bailey (October 30, 1878-March 26, 1938) and Mary Elizabeth Gardner (November 22, 1883-May 21, 1943). Both were born, raised, married and died in North Carolina. The youngest of 7 children. Her older siblings were Raymond, Melvin ("Jack"), Beatrice ("Bappie"), Elsie Mae, Inez, and Myra. Her early education was sketchy; by 1945, she had read two books, the Bible and "Gone with the Wind." In later life, she more than made up for this lack by continual self-education. She sang in her own voice for The Killers (1946) but in all MGM films her singing voice was dubbed (much to her disgust). Flamenco became one of Ava's favorite pastimes after she learned it for The Barefoot Contessa (1954); increasingly proficient and needing little sleep, she often danced all night. In a promotion for The Little Hut (1957), a small island in Fiji was renamed Ava Ava and leased to a contest winner. She was continuously under contract at MGM, 1941-1958. There is an Ava Gardner Museum of memorabilia in Smithfield, North Carolina. She is buried at Sunset Memorial Park. She spent her final years as a recluse in her London apartment -- her only companions were her longtime housekeeper Carmen Vargas and her beloved Welsh Corgi, Morgan. Two strokes in 1986 left her partially paralyzed and bedridden. Although Gardner could easily afford her medical expenses, Frank Sinatra wanted to pay for her to visit a specialist in the United States, and she allowed him to make the arrangements for a medically-staffed private plane. Her last words (to her housekeeper Carmen), were, "I'm so tired", before she died of pneumonia at age 67. Vargas took her body home to her native North Carolina for private burial. None of her ex-husbands attended. After her death in 1990, Ava's longtime housekeeper, Carmen Vargas, and her dog, a Welsh Corgi named Morgan, were taken in by her former co-star Gregory Peck. Once met J.R.R. Tolkien and neither knew why the other was famous. Ex-daughter-in-law of Joe Yule (Mickey Rooney's father). Was a good friend of Kathryn Grayson and Lena Horne, despite the fact that Ava and Lena both competed for the part of Julie LaVerne in Show Boat (1951). When shooting Earthquake (1974), she surprised director Mark Robson by insisting that she do her own stuntwork, which included dodging blocks of concrete and heavy steel pipes. A statue of her from The Barefoot Contessa (1954) was given to Frank Sinatra as a gift. He kept it in his backyard garden well after their divorce. When he married Barbara Marx, she forced him to get rid of it. During the first two years of her marriage to Frank Sinatra, he was at the lowest point of his career. She often had to lend him money so he could buy presents for his children. He went broke in 1951, and Gardner had to pay for plane tickets for him so that he could go with her to Africa, where she was shooting Mogambo (1953). This all changed after he won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in the film From Here to Eternity (1953). Once named "The World's Most Beautiful Animal" (in a 1950s publicity campaign). Chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest American female screen legends (Number 25). Although she often gave the name of her North Carolina hometown as Grabtown, and at other times as Smithfield, the township is a crossroads community named Brogden. "Grabtown" is a nickname given to it by locals. Smithfield is a larger town seven miles west. Is portrayed by Marcia Gay Harden in Sinatra (1992) , Deborah Kara Unger in The Rat Pack (1998), by Christine Andreas in Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995), Jon Mack in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), and by Kate Beckinsale in The Aviator (2004). Frank Sinatra nicknamed her "Angel". Had appeared in three films based on Ernest Hemingway stories: The Sun Also Rises (1957), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) and The Killers (1946). During her final years living in London, she became the dinner companion of director Michael Winner. While living in Spain, became a good friend of the writer Ernest Hemingway, whom she and his other friends called "Papa". Both of then were fans of bullfighting. An Australian reporter found that Gardner was quite adept at foul language, and her swearing was "like a sailor and a truck driver were having a competition." She threw a glass of champagne at the reporter, who said that at the moment she did so "the only thing I could think was how bloody gorgeous the woman was.". The production designer John Hawkesworth, an Englishman who was the set designer of her movie Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951), said about Gardner that she "could eat twice as much as anyone, and drink three times as much.". Her three husbands were eventually married to a total of 20 brides between them. Her The Angel Wore Red (1960) co-star Dirk Bogarde nicknamed her "Snowdrop" because, he said, anything less likely was difficult to imagine. Ava's paternal great-grandparents, William Gardner and Cynthia Eliza Batts, were also the paternal great-great-great-great-grandparents of actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead. This makes Ava and Mary Elizbaeth second cousins, three times removed. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 319-321. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. In Italy, most of her films were dubbed by Rosetta Calavetta. She was occasionally dubbed by Dhia Cristiani, Lydia Simoneschi and Andreina Pagnani. She suffered from a severe case of emphysema in her later life, and she could not travel far without an oxygen tank for breathing. When her first husband, Mickey Rooney, brought his hugely successful musical "Sugar Babies" to London in the late 1980s, Gardner confessed to him that she had contemplated suicide after being left partially paralyzed by two strokes in 1986. Frank Sinatra bought her a puppy for her birthday during their courtship, a Corgi she named Rags. For the rest of her life she always had a Corgi with her. After Rags died, she had Cara and then Morgan. She and Robert Taylor had a brief love affair during the filming of The Bribe (1949). She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960. London neighbor and close friend of Charles Gray. Charlton Heston revealed that Gardner behaved badly during the troubled shoot of 55 Days at Peking (1963) in his autobiography "In the Arena". For example, she stopped the filming when a Chinese extra took her picture without permission. Heston also stated that her character was killed off to keep the producers and director from having to deal with her anymore. Aunt of Billy Grimes. Louis B. Mayer once said of her, "She can't talk, she can't act, she's terrific". By 1945 she was smoking three packs of Winston cigarettes a day. When he was married to her, Artie Shaw paid tribute to her home town by making an instrumental record with his Gramercy Five (a small group within his big band) called "The Grabtown Grapple.". She and Gregory Walcott both came from the same hometown.
01/24

1990

Death

January 24, 1990

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

London United Kingdom
Death location

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