
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Considered one of the most iconic stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, she was ranked as the 25th greatest female screen legend by the American Film Institute. Initially cast in minor roles, her breakthrough came with the classic film noir The Killers (1946), which established her as a leading lady. Her career flourished in the 1950s with notable performances in films like Mogambo (1953), for which she received an Academy Award nomination, The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and The Night of the Iguana (1964), which earned her a BAFTA nomination.
Off-screen, Gardner's personal life and progressive politics attracted significant attention. Her marriages to Mickey Rooney and Artie Shaw were gossiped about, but her tumultuous relationship with Frank Sinatra particularly headlined. Gardner was a strong supporter of racial equality and desegregation, and became a member of the NAACP in 1968. Gardner was a heavy smoker, which deteriorated her health as she grew older. She continued acting in minor roles in the 1980s before she suffered a stroke in 1986 and retired. Gardner moved to Spain and England, where she spent her final years before passing away from bronchopneumonia on January 25, 1990.

The Cassandra Crossing
1976 · as Nicole Dressler

55 Days at Peking
1963 · as Baroness Natalie Ivanoff

Earthquake
1974 · as Remy Royce-Graff

The Bible: In the Beginning...
1966 · as Sarah

The Sentinel
1977 · as Helen Logan

The Band Wagon
1953 · as Ava Gardner (uncredited)

On the Beach
1959 · as Moira Davidson

The Killers
1946 · as Kitty Collins

The Night of the Iguana
1964 · as Maxine Faulk

The Barefoot Contessa
1954 · as Maria Vargas

Mayerling
1968 · as Empress Elisabeth of Austria

Swing Fever
1943 · as Receptionist (uncredited)

Whistle Stop
1946 · as Mary

Seven Days in May
1964 · as Eleanor Holbrook

Mogambo
1953 · as Eloise Y. Kelly

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982 · as (in "The Killers" / "The Bribe") (archive footage)

Show Boat
1951 · as Julie LaVerne

That's Entertainment!
1974 · as (archive footage) (uncredited)