Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was signed as a contract player with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She drew both critics' attention and the public's attention with her performance in Robert Siodmak's film noir classic 'The Killers' (1946), co-starring Burt Lancaster, in his movie debut. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in John Ford's 'Mogambo' (1953), co-starring Clark Gable and Grace Kelly, and for best actress for both a Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for her performance in John Huston's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' 'The Night of the Iguana' (1964), co-starring Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr, and Sue Lyon. She was, without question, a very important part of the Golden Age of Hollywood. During the 1950's, Gardner established herself as a leading lady and one of the era's top stars with films like George Sidney's movie musical 'Show Boat' (1951), co-starring Kathryn Grayson, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Howard Keel, and Leif Erickson, Albert Lewin's British romantic fantasy drama 'Pandora and the Flying Dutchman' (1951), co-starring James Mason, Henry King's adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro' (1952), co starring Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 'The Barefoot Contessa' (1954), co-starring Humphrey Bogart and Edmond O'Brien, and Stanley Kramer's post-apocalyptic drama movie adaptation of Nevil Shute's 1957 novel 'On the Beach' (1959), co-starring Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire, and Anthony Perkins. She continued her movie career for three more decades, appearing in the movies Nicholas Ray's '55 Days at Peking' (1963), co-starring Charlton Heston, David Niven, and Flora Robson, John Frankenheimer's 'Seven Days in May' (1964), co-starring Burt Lancaster, Fredric March, and Kirk Douglas, Terence Young's 'Mayerling' (1968), co-starring Omar Sharif, Catherine Deneuve, and Genevieve Page, John Huston's 'The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean' (1972), co-starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Perkins, Roddy McDowall, Tab Hunter, Victoria Principal, Stacy Keach, and Ned Beatty, Mark Robson's disaster movie 'Earthquake' (1974), co starring Charlton Heston, Lorne Green, George Kennedy, Geneviève Bujold, Richard Roundtree, Lloyd Nolan, Victoria Principal, and Walter Matthau, and George Pan Cosmatos' disaster thriller 'The Cassandra Crossing' (1976), co-starring Sophia Loren, Burt Lancaster, Richard Harris, Martin Sheen, Lee Strasberg, and O. J. Simpson. And later in 1985, she had the major recurring role of "Ruth Galveston" on the television primetime soap opera programme 'Knots Landing', a spin-off of the extremely popular television primetime soap opera programme 'Dallas'. She continued to act regularly until 1986, four years before her death in 1990, at the age of 67. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Ava Gardner No. 25 on its greatest female screen legends of classic American cinema list. Many consider her to be one of the most beautiful and sensuous actresses to have ever graced the silver screen.