American Legends: the Life of Ava Gardner

Publisher Marketing: *Includes pictures. *Includes Ava's quotes about her own life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "Because I was promoted as a sort of a siren and played all those sexy broads, people made the mistake of thinking I was like that off the screen. They couldn't have been more wrong." - Ava Gardner A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. In the 1940s, there were few women capable of reaching the level of Hollywood screen goddess like young Ava Gardner, who was "discovered" after having a portrait taken and displayed in the window of a shop. She burst onto the scene playing a seductive gangster's moll in The Killers (1946), and Gardner would continue to act for the next 4 decades, adding critical acclaim to her reputation as a sex symbol with an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953). Although Gardner's career spanned a long period of time and continued until a few years before her own death in 1990, she is better remembered today for being at the forefront of tabloids and gossip. While the same could be said of any major Hollywood celebrity, it was especially true with Gardner because of her third husband, Frank Sinatra, who left his previous wife Nancy for her. The couple had a tumultuous marriage that intrigued just about everyone, even though she confided to a friend, "With him it's impossible...it's like being with a woman. He's so gentle. It's as though he thinks I'll break, as though I'm a piece of Dresden china and he's gonna hurt me." The marriage lasted just 6 years, and Gardner went on to engage in other high profile relationships. She was able to put together an autobiography before her death, and in it she ruefully notes, "Although no one believes me, I have always been a country girl and still have a country girl's values." American Legends: The Life of Ava Gardner examines the life and career of one of America's most famous actresses. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Ava Gardner like never before, in no time at all.