INTRODUCTION

HER STORY

QUOTES

By the end of 1950, MGM's publicity department was sending out black-and-white photos of Ava Gardner to the tune of three thousand requests per week, a figure that only Esther Williams bettered.

Ava never forgot seeing Bette Davis at the Hilton in Madrid. She went up to her and said, "Miss Davis, I'm Ava Gardner and I'm a great fan of yours."  "Of course you are, my dear," Bette said. "Of course you are." And she swept on.

George Cukor once said of her, "Ava is a gentleman."  She claimed it was the nicest thing that's ever been said about her.

Ava divorced Mickey Rooney on May 21, 1943, the same day her mother died of breast cancer.

At age 36, she developed a phobia about being photographed and was convinced her career was doomed.

Louis B. Mayer viewed her screen test and remarked, "She can't act. She can't talk. She's terrific."

Humphrey Bogart nicknamed her the Boon Hill Gypsy.  Frank Sinatra's old pet name for her was Chi-Chi.

When MGM gave her star status, she was given Norma Shearer's old dressing room, the largest occupied by an MGM actress. The three-room suite consisted of a boudoir, bathroom, kitchen and the actual dressing room, which was lined with mirrors, light bulbs and closets.

Her full name is Ava Lavinia Gardner. She was named after her grandmother, Ava, who died giving birth to her nineteenth child, Lavinia.

When she died, she left her beloved Welsh corgi, Morgan, his own maid and limo, plus a monthly allowance.

Married Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. Her three husbands had nineteen wives between them; Rooney with eight, Shaw with seven and Sinatra with four.

In 1953 Ava and her then husband were both nominated for an Oscar. Ava for Mogambo and Frank for From Here To Eternity. Frank won, Ava lost to Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday.

When Ava heard Sinatra had married Mia Farrow, she exclaimed, "Hah! I always knew Frank would wind up in bed with a boy."