Ava Gardner

The barefoot star of Hollywood's Golden Age.

She earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Mogambo.^[1][2] Ava Lavinia Gardner, the last of seven children, entered the world on December 24, 1922, in Grabtown, North Carolina.^[3][2]

Last updated 2026-10-02 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Ava Lavinia Gardner
Born: 24 December 1922
Birthplace: Grabtown, North Carolina, U.S.
Died: 25 January 1990
Place of death: Westminster, London, England
Burial place: Sunset Memorial Park; Smithfield, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation: Actress
Years active: 1941–1986

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Gardner's family lost their property during the Depression when she was still young.^[4][5] Her father died from bronchitis in 1938 while the family lived in Newport News, Virginia.^[6][5] Her first screen billing came in Ghosts on the Loose (1943).^[7] She came to prominence playing the femme fatale Kitty Collins in The Killers (1946).^[7]

Gardner married Mickey Rooney on January 10, 1942, and divorced him in 1943 citing mental cruelty.^[8] Her third marriage was to Frank Sinatra from 1951 to 1957, and she later said he was the love of her life.^[9] In 1940, while visiting her sister in New York City, Gardner's brother-in-law, a professional photographer, took her portrait as a gift for her mother; pleased with the result, he exhibited it in the front window of his Fifth Avenue studio.^[10] MGM's head, Louis B. Mayer, sent a telegram to Al Altman after seeing her screen test, and the studio subsequently gave her a standard contract; she then left school and traveled to Hollywood in 1941, accompanied by her sister.^[11]

On January 25, 1990, in Westminster, London, England, Gardner passed away at 67 years old due to bronchopneumonia.^[12]

What the cited sources add

The Freedom From Religion Foundation notes that Gardner was nominated once for a Best Actress Oscar for Mogambo, losing to Audrey Hepburn.^[2] Her only Golden Globe nomination was for 1964's Night of the Iguana, according to the same source.^[2] The Ava Gardner Museum staff states that Jonas Gardner died of a bronchial condition on May 26, 1938.^[5] The museum staff also reports that after her marriage with Frank Sinatra began to crumble in 1955, she moved to Spain to escape Hollywood pressures.^[5]

That article also states that Gardner died of pneumonia and Frank Sinatra took care of the funeral.^[13] The Associated Press notes that Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner were married on November 7, 1951.^[14]

References

Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vega, "The Remarkable Story Behind Ava Gardner's Last Portrait", vanityfair.com, January 27, 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
"Ava Gardner – Freedom From Religion Foundation". facts only, no text reused. ffrf.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Flint, "Ava Gardner Is Dead at 67; Often Played Femme Fatale", New York TImes, January 6, 1990; "Ava Gardner", Biography.com, April 22, 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Server, "Ava Gardner: "Love Is Nothing"", St. Martin's Publishing Group, April 1, 2007; Server, "Ava Gardner: "Love Is Nothing"", St. Martin's Publishing Group, April 1, 2007; Server, "Ava Gardner: "Love Is Nothing"", St. Martin's Publishing Group, April 1, 2007 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
"A list of frequently asked questions about Ava Gardner, from the staff of the Ava Gardner Museum.", www.johnstoncountync.org. facts only, no text reused. johnstoncountync.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lemon, "Many Passions, No Regrets (obituary)", People, February 12, 1990 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ghosts on the Loose", Monogram Pictures, 1943 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ava Gardner and Mickey Rooney Divorce Papers. Three-page set of Lot #22009", Heritage Auctions (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Frank Sinatra and Bride Fly to Miami on Honeymoon Trip", Evening Star, November 8, 1951, p. Image 3, col 2 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bean, "Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies", Running Press, July 11, 2017; Server, "Ava Gardner: "Love Is Nothing"", Macmillan, May 15, 2007; Encyclopedia of World Biography Vol. 25 (2005) Gale, Detroit (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Encyclopedia of World Biography Vol. 25 (2005) Gale, Detroit (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Ava Gardner" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Certified Copy of a Register of Deaths – Entry No. 225.; Peter B. Flint, "Ava Gardner Is Dead at 67; Often Played Femme Fatale", New York Times, January 26, 1990; Burt A. Folkart, "Ava Gardner, 67, Dies of Pneumonia", Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1990 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Vega, "The Remarkable Story Behind Ava Gardner's Last Portrait", vanityfair.com, January 27, 2021. facts only, no text reused. vanityfair.com
Associated Press, "Today in Entertainment History: Sinatra and Gardner married", baytobaynews.com, November 7, 2024. facts only, no text reused. baytobaynews.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ava Gardner (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.