Ava Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 on a tobacco farm in Grabtown, North Carolina. She is buried at the Sunset Memorial Park, Smithfield, North Carolina, next to her brothers and their parents. Smithfield is just down the road from where we were staying and the town has an Ava Gardner museum, dedicated to her life.

Gardner first came to fame after her brother-in-law posted a photograph of her in the window of his New York photo studio. At the age of 18, MGM Studios became aware of her and signed her to a film contract based strictly on her beauty.

At 19 she married Mickey Rooney but they divorced a little after a year due to Rooney’s serial adulterer tendencies!

Gardner married for a second, and equally brief time, to jazz musician and band-leader Artie Shaw. Third time lucky was to Frank Sinatra whom she remained married to for some six years. In her autobiography, she says that Sinatra, who left his wife Nancy for her, was the love of her life. Allegedly, Sinatra and Gardner remained good friends for the rest of their lives.

In 1955 after three failed marriages and dissatisfaction with Hollywood, Gardner moved to Spain. She remained there until 1968 and a tax issue forced her to move to London, England. She lived out the remaining 22 years of her life in the London.

In January 1990 Ava Gardner died in Westminster, London at the age of 67.

Gardner mainly appeared in small roles until she drew attention for her performance in The Killers, 1946. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo, 1953, and also received a BAFTA Award and award nominations for other films.