2. Rita
Hayworth
Dancer, Film Actress, Pin-up (1918–1987)
QUICK FACTS
NAME
Rita Hayworth
OCCUPATION
Dancer, Film Actress, Pin-up
BIRTH DATE
October 17, 1918
DEATH DATE
May 14, 1987
PLACE OF BIRTH
Brooklyn, New York
PLACE OF DEATH
New York, New York
NICKNAME
The Love Goddess
3. FULL NAME
Margarita Carmen Cansino
She appeared in five films during her contract period with the Fox
Corporation, all of which were minor roles. Her contract was not renewed
after its expiration.
In 1935, she appeared in movies like ‘Dante’s Inferno’, ‘Under the
Pampas Moon’, ‘Charlie Chan in Egypt’ and ‘Paddy O’Day’, in which she
played the role of a Russian dancer.
In 1936, she played her first major starring role in the movie ‘Human
Cargo’, a movie directed by Allan Dwan.
In 1937, after she signed a contract with Columbia Pictures, she was
seen in five of their minor films and she also appeared in other independent
films.
In 1939, she played the role of ‘Judy MacPherson’ in the Howard Hawks
film ‘Only Angels Have Wings’. The role was small but pivotal and film’s
box office success also brought stardom for her.
In 1941,she played the second female lead in the Warner Bros. film titled
‘The Strawberry Blonde’, directed by Raoul Walsh; the film was a
commercial success.
After the success of ‘The Strawberry Blonde’, she bagged many roles
and appeared in films like ‘Blood and Sand’, ‘You'll Never Get Rich’, ‘You
Were Never Lovelier’, ‘Tales of Manhattan’ and ‘My Gal Sal’.
In 1944, she starred in one of her most popular films ‘Cover Girl’, an
Academy Award winning American musical film, directed by Charles Vidor.
The film was one of the most popular films during the war years.
From 1945 to 1947, she showcased her dancing talent in films like
‘Tonight and Every Night’, ‘Down to Earth’ and also appeared in the black-
and–white film noir ‘Gilda’.
In 1947, she starred in the critically acclaimed Orson Welles film noir
‘The Lady from Shanghai’, a film that failed to do well at the box office.
In 1948,she played the role of ‘Carmen’ in the American romantic drama
film ‘The Loves of Carmen’, directed by Charles Vidor, which was a big
commercial success.
In 1952, after taking a break for four years, she starred in what became
her comebackfilm ‘Affair in Trinidad’, a film that was an immediate success
at the box office.
4. In 1953, she acted in the films ‘Salome’ and also in the critically
acclaimed film, ‘Miss Sadie Thompson’.
By 1957, she was considered to be one of the top female actresses in
Hollywood and appeared in the films ‘Fire Down Below’ and the musical
film ‘Pal Joey’.
In 1960, she starred in the film ‘The Story on Page One’, an American
drama film written and directed by Clifford Odets.
In 1964, she earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role as ‘Lili
Alfredo’ in the drama film ‘Circus’, directed by Henry Hathaway.
In 1970, she played the role of ‘Mara’ in the French psychological thriller
film ‘Road to Salina’, starring Robert Walker, Jr. and Mimsy Farmer; the
film was directed by Georges Lautner.
5. Synopsis
American film bombshell Rita Hayworth was born October 17, 1918. Trained
as a dancer, she hit stardom as an actress with her appearance in The
Strawberry Blonde (1941). She is best known for her performance in Charles
Vidor's Gilda (1946). Her career ended with Ralph Nelson's The Wrath of God
(1972). Hayworth died of Alzheimer's disease on May 14, 1987.
Early Years
A legendary Hollywood actress whose beauty catapulted her to international
stardom in the 1940s and 1950s, Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen
Cansino on October 17, 1918, in New York City. She changed her last name
to Hayworth early on in her acting career on the advice of her first husband
and manager, Edward Judson.
Hayworth hailed from show business stock. Her father, the Spanish-born
Eduardo Cansino, was a dancer, and her mother, Volga, had been a Ziegfeld
Follies girl. Soon after their daughter was born, they shortened her name to
Rita Cansino. By the time Rita was 12 she was dancing professionally.
Still a young girl, Rita moved with her family to Los Angeles and eventually
joined her father on the stage in nightclubs both in the United States and in
6. Mexico. It was on a stage in Agua Caliente, Mexico, that a Fox Film Company
producer spotted the 16-year-old dancer and inked her to a contract.
Rita Cansino, as she was still known, made her film debut in 1935 with Under
the Pampas Moon, which was followed by a string of other films including
Dante's Inferno (1935) with Spencer Tracy, Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935),
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936), and Human Cargo (1936).
In 1937 she married Judson, a man 22 years older than her, who would set
the stage for his young wife's future stardom. On his advice, Rita not only
changed her last name, but also dyed her hair auburn. Judson worked the
phones and managed to get Hayworth plenty of press in newspapers and
magazines, and eventually helped her get a seven-year contract with
Columbia Pictures.
International Star
7. After a few disappointing roles in several mediocre films, Hayworth landed an
important role as an unfaithful wife opposite Cary Grant in Only Angels Have
Wings (1939). Critical praise came Hayworth's way. So did more movie offers.
Just two years after the relatively unknown actress shared the screen with
Grant, Hayworth was a star herself. Her stunning, sensual looks greatly
helped, and that year Life magazine writer Winthrop Sergeant nicknamed
Hayworth "The Great American Love Goddess."
The moniker stuck, and only helped further her career and the fascination
many male movie fans had with her. In 1941 Hayworth took the screen
opposite James Cagney in Strawberry Blonde. That same year she shared
the dance floor with Fred Astaire in You’ll Never Get Rich. Astaire later called
Hayworth his favorite dance partner.
The following year Hayworth starred in three more big films: My Gal Sal, Tales
of Manhattan, and You Were Never Lovelier
8. Hayworth's high-voltage power of allure was affirmed in 1944 when a
photograph of her in Life magazine wearing black lace became the unofficial
pin-up photo for American servicemen serving overseas in World War II.
For her part, Hayworth didn't shy away from the attention. "Why should I
mind?" she said. "I like having my picture taken and being a glamorous
person. Sometimes when I find myself getting impatient, I just remember the
times I cried my eyes out because nobody wanted to take my picture at the
Trocadero."
Her stardom peaked in 1946 with the film Gilda, which cast her opposite
Glenn Ford. A favorite of film noir fans, the film was chock-full of attraction
innuendo, which included a controversial (tame by today's standards)
striptease by Hayworth.
The following year she starred in another film noir favorite, The Lady From
Shanghai, which was directed by her then-husband, Orson Welles.
Hayworth starred in more than fifteen films in the two decades following The
Lady From Shanghai, including Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), Pal Joey
(1957), Separate Tables (1958), and Circus World (1964) for which she
earned a Golden Globe nomination.
Failed Loves
Hayworth's marriage to Welles in 1943 and subsequent divorce from the
director and actor in 1948 garnered plenty of press. It was Hayworth's second
marriage, and with Welles she had a daughter, Rebecca.
9. It was during the filming of The Lady From Shanghai that Hayworth filed for
divorce from Welles. In court documents she claimed, "she showed no interest
in establishing a home. When I suggested purchasing a home, he told me he
didn't want the responsibility. Mr. Welles told me he never should have
married in the first place; that it interfered with his freedom in his way of life."
But Hayworth had also met and fallen in love with Prince Aly Khan, whose
father was the head of the Ismaili Muslims. A statesman and a bit of a
playboy, Khan eventually served as Pakistan's representative to the United
Nations.
10.
11. DIVORCED RITA HAYWORTH
Hayworth and Khan married in 1949 and had a daughter together, Princess
Yasmin Aga Khan. After divorcing Khan after just two years of marriage,
Hayworth later married and divorced the singer Dick Haymes. Her fifth and
final marriage was to movie producer James Hill.
Later Years
12. As her personal life was dogged by turmoil, her acting career sputtered.
Periodic film roles did come her way, but they failed to capture magic and
project the kind of star power her earlier work once had. In all, Hayworth
appeared in more than 40 films, the last of which was the 1972 release The
Wrath of God.
In 1971 she briefly attempted a stage career, but it was quickly halted when it
was apparent that Hayworth was unable to memorize her lines.
Hayworth's diminished skills as an actress were largely chalked up to what
many believed was a severe alcohol problem. Her deteriorating state made
headlines in January 1976 when the actress, appearing disheveled and out of
sorts, was escorted off a plane.
That same year a California court, citing Hayworth's alcohol issues, named an
administrator for her affairs.
But alcohol was only one of the factors ruining her life. Hayworth was also
suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which doctors diagnosed her as having in
1980. A year later she was placed under the care of her daughter, Princess
Yasmin, who used her mother's condition as a catalyst for increasing
awareness of Alzheimer's disease. In 1985, Yasmin helped organize
Alzheimer's disease International, and eventually helmed the group as its
president.
After years of struggle Hayworth died on May 14, 1987, in the apartment she
shared with her daughter in New York City. Her passing elicited an outpouring
of appreciation from fans and fellow actors.
13. "Rita Hayworth was one of our country's most beloved stars," President
Ronald Reagan said upon hearing of Hayworth's death. "Glamorous and
talented, she gave us many wonderful moments on the stage and screen and
delighted audiences from the time she was a young girl. Nancy and I are
saddened by Rita's death. She was a friend whom we will miss."
Citation Information
Article Title
Rita Hayworth Biography
Author
Biography.com Editors
Website Name
The Biography.com website
URL
http://www.biography.com/people/rita-hayworth-9332633
Access Date
October 29, 2015
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Original Published Date
March 17, 1988
14. SUMMARY
I chose Rita Hayworth for my article because she has made a
history so far. Her second marriage (first so called love marriage)
was with Prince Aly Khan who is son of Prince Agha Khan III
Agha Khan himself was 48th
Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Community
and one of the five founders of All India Muslim League.
Prince Aly Khan had a son named Prince Agha Khan IV.
Rita Hayworth has indirect history with Pakistanis and her role
was shown in World’s best motion picture so far
She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars
appearing in a total of 61 films over 37 years of her career
Rita Hayworth is listed as one of the top 25 female motion picture
stars of all time in the American Film Institute’s Survey
The year she was born women got right to vote but still it was
difficult in America for a Spanish dancer to survive but she did
due to her sheer hard work.
She won two Golden Apple awards and Walk of Fame in 1960
At age of 12, the mature looking Rita Hayworth joined a stage act
for three years later by Fox studio head leading to her first studio
contract and film debut at age 16 in Dante's Inferno (1935)
Fox dropped her after her small roles but she gained attention
from Columbia pictures which lent her to famous Warner Bros
later on by her hard work and husband’s support.
15. As she was a dancer her dance was the reason which made her a
star in 1941.
After all this success the cutting edge in her acting arose later in
her who was shown to the world by her in the movie Gilda 1946
which I’ve also seen
She was a great actress but some of her acting was interrupted
by marriages due to which later on she said that she is not
interested to develop a home.
After her divorce with Prince Aly Khan her role was only in straight
acting.
In 1960 when she was 42, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
disease due to which her role was reduced .Secondly, she had a
tough life resulting her to be alcoholic which ruined final decade of
her career as it was difficult for her to memorize dialogues.
She was helpless in 1981 when she was 63 and lived with her
daughter Yasmin Khan until her death at age of 68.
