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 Ava Lavinia Gardner - Smithfield, NC
N 35° 31.060 W 078° 21.578
17S E 739438 N 3933659
Actress Ava Gardner was recognized as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood.
Waymark Code: WMQR5G
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 03/22/2016
Views: 5
Ava Gardner was born on a tobacco farm near Smithfield, North Carolina on December 24, 1922. She grew up as a child of rural America and never forgot the love that she had for the simple life. At the age of 18 she was discovered by MGM and she began her acting career. Even though still under contract with MGM, Ava got her first starring role in Whistle Stop a 1946 film produced by Universal. For 17-years, Ava remained under contract with MGM where she starred in several mediocre film. It wasn’t until she starred in several films directed by the legendary John Ford and George Cukor that Ava’s true acting ability was realized. In the mid-1950’s Ava moved to Spain where she continued to star in several foreign films. In 1968, tax issues in Spain forced Ava to move to London where she live for the remainder of her life. Ava Gardner died in London on January 25, 1990. Never forgetting her humble roots, Ava Gardner returned to her hometown and was buried in Sunset Memorial Park in Smithfield, North Carolina. Source/Credit: ( visit link)
Description:
Ava Lavinia Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 in Smithfield, 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, London, England.
Date of birth: 12/24/1922
Date of death: 01/25/1990
Area of notoriety: Entertainment
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - Dawn to Dusk
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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