Acting
Ava Gardner
Born Dec 24, 1922 · Grabtown, North Carolina, USA · Died Jan 25, 1990
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Considered one of the most iconic stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, she was ranked as the 25th greatest female screen legend by the American Film Institute. Initially cast in minor roles, her breakthrough came with the classic film noir The Killers (1946), which established her as a leading lady. Her 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), which earned her a BAFTA nomination.
Off-screen, Gardner's personal life and progressive politics attracted significant attention. Her marriages to Mickey Rooney and Artie Shaw were gossiped about, but her tumultuous relationship with Frank Sinatra particularly headlined. Gardner was a strong supporter of racial equality and desegregation, and became a member of the NAACP in 1968. Gardner was a heavy smoker, which deteriorated her health as she grew older. She continued acting in minor roles in the 1980s before she suffered a stroke in 1986 and retired. Gardner moved to Spain and England, where she spent her final years before passing away from bronchopneumonia on January 25, 1990.
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Acting
Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia
2023
Documentary · Mystery
Rat Pack
2022
Documentary
Beautiful Like a Poem
2020
Documentary
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
2018
Documentary
Ava Gardner, the Gypsy of Hollywood
2018
Documentary
Chavela
2017
Documentary
Ava Gardner: Life Is Bigger Than the Movies
2017
Documentary
Fallout
2013
Documentary · History
All Night Long
2010
Documentary
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2010
Documentary
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical
2009
Documentary
De Madrid a la Luna
2006
Documentary
Frank Sinatra glömde aldrig Finspång
2003
Documentary
Året var 1953
2003
Documentary · History
Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies
2000
Documentary · TV Movie
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
1998
Documentary
That's Entertainment! III
1994
Documentary · Music
Legends of the West
1992
Documentary
John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
1988
Documentary
Maggie
1986
Comedy · Mystery · TV Movie
Harem
1986
Romance · Drama · TV Movie
Harem
1986
Drama
The Long Hot Summer
1985
Drama
A.D.
1985
Drama
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982
Comedy · Mystery · Crime
Regina Roma
1982
Drama
Priest of Love
1981
Drama · Romance
The Kidnapping of the President
1980
Drama · Thriller
Knots Landing
1979
Drama · Soap
City on Fire
1979
Action
The Sentinel
1977
Horror · Mystery · Fantasy
Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti
1977
Documentary
The Cassandra Crossing
1976
Action · Thriller
The Blue Bird
1976
Adventure · Family · Fantasy
Permission to Kill
1975
Drama · Thriller
Earthquake
1974
Drama
That's Entertainment!
1974
Documentary · Family · Music
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1972
Western · Comedy
The Ballad of Tam Lin
1970
Mystery · Horror
Mayerling
1968
Drama · Romance · History
The Bible: In the Beginning...
1966
Adventure · History · Drama
The Night of the Iguana
1964
Drama · Romance
On the Trail of the Iguana
1964
Documentary
Seven Days in May
1964
Drama · Thriller
55 Days at Peking
1963
History · War · Drama
La Rabbia
1963
Documentary
The Angel Wore Red
1960
War · Romance · Drama
On the Beach
1959
Science Fiction · Drama · Romance
The Naked Maja
1958
Adventure · Drama · Romance
The Sun Also Rises
1957
Drama · Romance
The Little Hut
1957
Comedy · Romance
Bhowani Junction
1956
Adventure · Romance · Drama
The Barefoot Contessa
1954
Drama
Knights of the Round Table
1953
Romance · Action · Adventure
Mogambo
1953
Adventure · Drama · Romance
The Band Wagon
1953
Comedy · Romance
Ride, Vaquero!
1953
Western · Drama
Lone Star
1952
Western
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
1952
Adventure · Romance · Drama
Show Boat
1951
Romance · Drama
My Forbidden Past
1951
Drama
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
1951
Romance · Drama · Fantasy
The Costume Designer
1950
Documentary
East Side, West Side
1949
Drama · Romance
The Great Sinner
1949
Drama · Romance
The Bribe
1949
Crime · Drama · Thriller
One Touch of Venus
1948
Music · Comedy · Romance
Singapore
1947
Adventure · Romance · Crime
The Hucksters
1947
Drama · Romance · Comedy
The Killers
1946
Crime · Mystery · Thriller
Whistle Stop
1946
Crime · Drama
She Went to the Races
1945
Comedy
I'm a Civilian Here Myself
1945
Comedy
Blonde Fever
1944
Comedy · Drama
Maisie Goes to Reno
1944
Comedy · Romance
Two Girls and a Sailor
1944
Music · Comedy · Romance
3 Men in White
1944
Comedy · Drama
Twenty Years After
1944
Documentary
Lost Angel
1943
Drama
Swing Fever
1943
Comedy · Romance · Music
Du Barry Was a Lady
1943
Comedy · Fantasy · Music
Young Ideas
1943
Comedy
Ghosts on the Loose
1943
Comedy · Mystery · Horror
Hitler's Madman
1943
Drama · War
Reunion in France
1942
Drama · Romance · War
Mighty Lak a Goat
1942
Comedy
Calling Dr. Gillespie
1942
Drama · Thriller · Comedy
Sunday Punch
1942
Comedy · Drama · Romance
Kid Glove Killer
1942
Crime · Drama · Mystery
This Time for Keeps
1942
Comedy · Romance
Joe Smith, American
1942
Crime · Thriller · Drama
We Do It Because
1942
History
H.M. Pulham, Esq.
1941
Drama · Romance
Shadow of the Thin Man
1941
Comedy · Crime · Mystery
Strange Testament
1941
History
Fancy Answers
1941
Comedy · Documentary