Ava Gardner

Birth Name:

Ava Lavinia Gardner

Birth Place:

Grabtown, North Carolina, United States

Profession

Actress, Soundtrack

For her performance in "The Night of the Iguana," she won the Prize San Sebastián for Best Actress at the 1964 San Sebastián International Film Festival
Ranked No․ 25 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years․․․ 100 Stars" list for Female Legends
Was awarded a Star on the Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures in 1960
Helped her mother operate boarding houses throughout her youth
Quote: "After my screen test, the director clapped his hands gleefully and yelled, 'She can't talk! She can't act! She's sensational!'"
Quote: "I have only one rule in acting -- trust the director and give him heart and soul․"
She was contracted by MGM based almost solely on a photograph, and was renowned for her beauty throughout her acting career
Some of her best work allowed her to be darker or earthier than the image MGM tried to project for her
Learned Flamenco for "The Barefoot Contessa," and it became one of her favorite ways to spend her free time
Loved to go barefoot, a habit she picked up on the tobacco farm where she was born
Met author J․R․R․ Tolkien, but neither party knew what the other was famous for

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