The sultry screen beauty Ava Gardner would have been 85 today.
A stunning, green-eyed brunette, Ava's rise to fame and acclaim began when her portrait appeared in an artist's shop window in New York, and was spotted by a telent scout for MGM. Following screen tests - after which the studio had to pay for voice coaching as her Carolina accent was so impenetrable - she appeared in dozens of films during the 40s and 50s (including DuBarry was a Lady and the Oscar-nominated Mugambo). Her heyday came however in the 1960s, with such classics as The Night of the Iguana and 55 Days at Peking.
En route her beauty also attracted the eye of some of the top stars of her day, and she married both Mickey Rooney and Artie Shaw, and dated Howard Hughes. But it was Frank Sinatra who proved to be the most famous of her relationships - and despite the scandal of him leaving his wife for Ava, their tumultuous marriage and subsequent divorce, he always referred to her as the love of his life and they remained friends until her death.
Indeed, Frank paid for Ava's medical bills when she fell ill, and it is rumoured that he actually attended her funeral in London, viewing the scene from behind tinted windows in his limo. Apparently this song was his lasting tribute to Ava Gardner:
A tribute to Ava Gardner
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