[Pics] She Passed Away and None of Her Ex-Husbands Showed Up—Here’s the Reason

Ava Gardner: The Bold Journey Of Strength, Passion, And Drama | Novelodge
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Ava Gardner: The Bold Journey Of Strength, Passion, And Drama
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Published on 09/18/2024
Few stars better encapsulate Hollywood’s Golden Age than Ava Gardner. Her attitude and talent let her shine on screen, and she appeared in some of the most popular films of her era. Her personal life continues to fascinate several generations, with her marriage to Frank Sinatra serving as a goldmine for rumor. Despite her successful career, her life was not always easy…
Ava Gardner: The Bold Journey Of Strength, Passion, And Drama
Ava Gardner’s Rural Upbringing
Ava was born in 1922, and her early years were far removed from the Hollywood princess she would become. She grew raised on a farm with six siblings, and her family was not wealthy. Things got so bad that they couldn’t afford to keep the farm, so they relocated to Virginia to start over. However, their new life wasn’t any better. The Great Depression was right around the corner. Gardner’s father died of bronchitis when she was only 15 years old. Gardner had a devout background, but she abandoned religion after the priest forgot to see her father as he died. They returned to North Carolina after that. Gardner graduated from high school and pursued a profession as a secretary.
Ava Gardner’s Rural Upbringing
Gardner’s Path to Success
Gardner did not set out to become an actor; he fell into it by chance. When she was 18, she went to New York City and was photographed by her brother-in-law, a professional photographer. He displayed her portrait in his studio, and several clients inquired about who the girl was. One of those clients was Barnard Duhan, who claimed to be an MGM talent scout. It turns out that Duhan was a law clerk who pretended to be a scout to meet girls. The receptionist at the studio was not duped by Duhan, but when he recommended that they actually send her portrait to MGM, Gardner’s brother-in-law recognized it was not such a horrible idea.
Gardner’s Path To Success
The Audition
Gardner was eventually offered a screen test by the company, and she flew to New York for it. Gardner’s agency encouraged her not to talk due to her loud southern accent. Gardner was awarded a contract with MGM in 1941, despite her dubious acting skills. They originally cast her in pin-ups and publicity photographs, and she played over a dozen minor roles that few people noticed, but she eventually worked with an MGM-provided speech coach and singing teacher, receiving the skills she needed to one day become a leading lady.
The Audition
Meeting Mickey Rooney
At the time Ava Gardner began her career at MGM, Mickey Rooney was one of America’s biggest performers. The child actor was 21 years old when he saw Ava Gardner on the studio lot. It was her first day there, and he was immediately interested in her. She was first hesitant to go out with him because she was young, inexperienced in Hollywood, and significantly taller than Rooney. However, it proved difficult to resist a movie star. When they first met, he was performing in drag as the Brazilian dancer Carmen Miranda, “complete with false eyelashes.” This obviously caught her eye.
Meeting Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney Courted Her, but MGM Got in the Way
Gardner did go out with Rooney, and he asked her to marry him. Just like when he asked her out, she objected at first, telling him she didn’t want to marry until she was 19. MGM also did not want Rooney and Gardner to be together. Rooney played boyish characters, which was not beneficial for his film image. Many of his female fans would have been heartbroken to learn that he was stolen. However, MGM eventually gave in to their star’s requests, and when the couple married, MGM made sure it was in Santa Barbara rather than Los Angeles, away from the media.
Mickey Rooney Courted Her, But MGM Got In The Way
The Marriage Was a Rocky One
Gardner had yet to become a well-known actress, but her gorgeous beauty made her the ideal companion for Rooney. In the public view, they were the most glamorous pair. However, they had their own demons. One issue was that they both abused alcohol while partying. Rooney’s drinking became an issue, and Gardner subsequently described how vicious he became when he was drunk. She was no angel when intoxicated, and when Rooney got angry, she was known to mock him for his diminutive stature. The star-crossed pair was beginning to experience some difficulties.
The Marriage Was A Rocky One
Gardner Still Struggled to Get Roles
It makes sense that Gardner’s reputation would rise at MGM after marrying Rooney, who was almost royalty there. However, she was still receiving only modest portions. MGM only credited her for one of the 15 roles she played for the studio during her early career. It was a difficult moment for Gardner. Her work was stalled, and her marriage was causing her anguish. She may not have had the kind of control she desired over her work, as the producers determined her fate, but she did have a say in her marriage, and she was about to make a huge decision.
Gardner Still Struggled To Get Roles
The Split
Ava Gardner’s marriage to Mickey Rooney was short-lived. They tied and loosened the knot in 1942 and 1943, respectively. Though she kept quiet in public to protect Rooney’s reputation as Andy Hardy, the respectable son of a judge, court documents reveal a more troubling story. According to the records, she experienced “grievous mental suffering” and “extreme mental cruelty” during their marriage, and he was accused of having affairs as well as a gambling issue. She received $25,000 in the settlement, paid for her own legal bills, and was relieved to be out of there.
The Split
Gardner Lost Her Mom the Same Day She Separated From Rooney
Gardner’s situation was improving as she was getting out of her disastrous marriage and having her contract with MGM renewed, which resulted in a raise. However, at the same time, she was dealing with a significant personal loss. In a tragic, ironic turn of events, her mother died on the same day she finalized her divorce from Rooney. Her mother died from uterine cancer after a protracted struggle with the disease. Unfortunately, Mary Elizabeth “Molly” Gardner never got to see her youngest child, Ava, become one of the world’s most recognized movie actresses. The split and her mother’s death served as reminders that she was on her own and had to forge her own path in the profession.
Gardner Lost Her Mom The Same Day She Separated From Rooney
Meeting Howard Hughes
Many prominent men had courted Ava Gardner, but few matched Howard Hughes’ status. He met her before she became single. Her mother was still living at the time, and the family had a lot of medical bills to pay, so Hughes helped out. It was a golden era for Hughes, who took time away from his other economic interests to produce films in Hollywood and romance starlets. Despite his request for her hand in marriage, she rejected, having learnt her lesson from marrying Rooney. She and Hughes had an on-and-off relationship for decades, and she described him in her memoir as “painfully shy, completely enigmatic, and more eccentric… than anyone [she] had ever met.”
Meeting Howard Hughes
Husband Number Two
Gardner didn’t take long to find someone new after her divorce, and while she and Rooney were both too young and inexperienced when they married, she was determined to try again, this time with someone more mature, the conductor and jazz musician Artie Shaw. While she and Rooney were only a few years apart, Gardner’s second husband, Artie Shaw, was more than a decade her senior, and his intelligence and masculinity made him the perfect match. The catch, however, is that Shaw was married when he and Gardner became connected. However, he left his wife for Gardner, and the two married in 1945.
Husband Number T…

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