Rita Hayworth
Active - 1935 - 1987 | Born - Oct 17, 1918 in Brooklyn, NY | Died - May 14, 1987 in Manhattan, NY | Genres - Drama, Crime, Musical, Comedy, Romance | Height: 5' 6"
Margarita Carmen Cansino was born on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo was a dancer as was his father before him. He emigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita's mother met Eduardo in 1916 and were married the following year. Rita, herself, studied as a dancer in order to follow in her family's footsteps. She joined her family on stage when she was eight years old when her family was filmed in a movie called La Fiesta (1926). It was her first film appearance, albeit an uncredited one.
Rita was seen dancing by a 20th Century Fox executive and was impressed enough to offer her a contract. Rita's "second" debut was in the film Cruz Diablo (1934) at age 16. She continued to play small bit parts in several films under the name of "Rita Cansino" until she played the second female lead in Only Angels Have Wings (1939) when she played Judy McPherson. By this time, she was at Columbia where she was getting top billing but it was the Warner Brothers film The Strawberry Blonde (1941) that seemed to set her apart from the rest of what she had previously done. This was the film that exuded the warmth and seductive vitality that was to make her famous. Her natural, raw beauty was showcased later that year in Blood and Sand (1941), filmed in Technicolor. She was probably the second most popular actress after Betty Grable. In You'll Never Get Rich (1941) with Fred Astaire, was probably the film that moviegoers felt close to Rita. Her dancing, for which she had studied all her life, was astounding.
After the hit Gilda (1946), her career was on the skids. Although she was still making movies, they never approached her earlier success. The drought began between The Lady from Shanghai (1947) and Champagne Safari (1954). Then after Salome (1953), she was not seen again until Pal Joey (1957). Part of the reasons for the downward spiral was television, but also Rita had been replaced by the new star at Columbia, Kim Novak. After a few, rather forgettable films in the 1960s, her career was essentially over.
Her final film was The Wrath of God (1972). Her career was really never the same after Gilda (1946). Her dancing had made the film and it had made her. Perhaps Gene Ringgold said it best when he remarked, "Rita Hayworth is not an actress of great depth. She was a dancer, a glamorous personality, and a sex symbol. These qualities are such that they can carry her no further professionally." Perhaps he was right but Hayworth fans would vehemently disagree with him. Rita, herself, said, "Every man I have known has fallen in love with Gilda and wakened with me". By 1980, Rita was hit with Alzheimer's Disease. It ravaged her so, and she finally died at age 68 on May 14, 1987, in New York City.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Denny Jackson
Available Films:
Active - 1935 - 1987 | Born - Oct 17, 1918 in Brooklyn, NY | Died - May 14, 1987 in Manhattan, NY | Genres - Drama, Crime, Musical, Comedy, Romance | Height: 5' 6"
Margarita Carmen Cansino was born on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo was a dancer as was his father before him. He emigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita's mother met Eduardo in 1916 and were married the following year. Rita, herself, studied as a dancer in order to follow in her family's footsteps. She joined her family on stage when she was eight years old when her family was filmed in a movie called La Fiesta (1926). It was her first film appearance, albeit an uncredited one.
Rita was seen dancing by a 20th Century Fox executive and was impressed enough to offer her a contract. Rita's "second" debut was in the film Cruz Diablo (1934) at age 16. She continued to play small bit parts in several films under the name of "Rita Cansino" until she played the second female lead in Only Angels Have Wings (1939) when she played Judy McPherson. By this time, she was at Columbia where she was getting top billing but it was the Warner Brothers film The Strawberry Blonde (1941) that seemed to set her apart from the rest of what she had previously done. This was the film that exuded the warmth and seductive vitality that was to make her famous. Her natural, raw beauty was showcased later that year in Blood and Sand (1941), filmed in Technicolor. She was probably the second most popular actress after Betty Grable. In You'll Never Get Rich (1941) with Fred Astaire, was probably the film that moviegoers felt close to Rita. Her dancing, for which she had studied all her life, was astounding.
After the hit Gilda (1946), her career was on the skids. Although she was still making movies, they never approached her earlier success. The drought began between The Lady from Shanghai (1947) and Champagne Safari (1954). Then after Salome (1953), she was not seen again until Pal Joey (1957). Part of the reasons for the downward spiral was television, but also Rita had been replaced by the new star at Columbia, Kim Novak. After a few, rather forgettable films in the 1960s, her career was essentially over.
Her final film was The Wrath of God (1972). Her career was really never the same after Gilda (1946). Her dancing had made the film and it had made her. Perhaps Gene Ringgold said it best when he remarked, "Rita Hayworth is not an actress of great depth. She was a dancer, a glamorous personality, and a sex symbol. These qualities are such that they can carry her no further professionally." Perhaps he was right but Hayworth fans would vehemently disagree with him. Rita, herself, said, "Every man I have known has fallen in love with Gilda and wakened with me". By 1980, Rita was hit with Alzheimer's Disease. It ravaged her so, and she finally died at age 68 on May 14, 1987, in New York City.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Denny Jackson
Available Films:
Trivia:
She appeared in five movies with classic leading actor Glenn Ford: Affair in Trinidad (1952), The Lady in Question (1940), The Loves of Carmen (1948), The Money Trap (1965) and Gilda (1946).
Some legends say the Margarita cocktail was named for her when she was dancing under her real name in a Tijuana, Mexico nightclub.
Her dancer father, Eduardo Cansino, himself the son of a dancer, came to New York from Spain in 1913 with sister Elisa.
She played the sister of Barbara Stanwyck in A Message to Garcia (1936), but after a test screening all her scenes were cut at the request of Darryl F. Zanuck.
The famous red hair was not her natural color (which was black). When she was signed, studio heads decided that her hairline was too low on her forehead, and she underwent years of painful electrolysis to make it higher.
Knocked out two of Glenn Ford's teeth during their fight in Gilda (1946).
She was the producers' first choice for Casablanca (1942), but they couldn't get her and were fortunate to settle for Ingrid Bergman.
Under of the influence of second husband Orson Welles, Rita began to read classic literature. While pregnant in 1944, she was very impressed by Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" and named her firstborn daughter Rebecca after the novel's heroine.
Director Rouben Mamoulian said of her to "Vogue", "On the screen, if an actor can move, he needs little else for a successful career. Hayworth moved better than anyone else I have ever seen in film. The camera responded to her movement as it did to Garbo's intelligence and Chaplin's mime.".
Became the first public face for Alzheimer's. During the 1960s she began forgetting her lines. The people around her thought it was due to drinking. Looking back it is believed she was in the early stages of Alzheimer's.
Fred Astaire recalled how gifted and quick she was in learning the most advanced routines-often learning the steps in the morning, mulling over them during lunch, and after lunch performing the dance without a single mistake.
[To writer Virginia Van Upp] "Every man I have ever known has fallen in love with Gilda and awakened with me."
"What surprises me in life are not the marriages that fail, but the marriages that succeed."
"I think all women have a certain elegance about them which is destroyed when they take off their clothes."
"I guess the only jewels of my life were the pictures I made with Fred Astaire."
"Dancing in Tijuana when I was 13--that was my 'summer camp.' How else do you think I could keep up with Fred Astaire when I was 19?"
"Movies were much better in the days I was doing them."
She appeared in five movies with classic leading actor Glenn Ford: Affair in Trinidad (1952), The Lady in Question (1940), The Loves of Carmen (1948), The Money Trap (1965) and Gilda (1946).
Some legends say the Margarita cocktail was named for her when she was dancing under her real name in a Tijuana, Mexico nightclub.
Her dancer father, Eduardo Cansino, himself the son of a dancer, came to New York from Spain in 1913 with sister Elisa.
She played the sister of Barbara Stanwyck in A Message to Garcia (1936), but after a test screening all her scenes were cut at the request of Darryl F. Zanuck.
The famous red hair was not her natural color (which was black). When she was signed, studio heads decided that her hairline was too low on her forehead, and she underwent years of painful electrolysis to make it higher.
Knocked out two of Glenn Ford's teeth during their fight in Gilda (1946).
She was the producers' first choice for Casablanca (1942), but they couldn't get her and were fortunate to settle for Ingrid Bergman.
Under of the influence of second husband Orson Welles, Rita began to read classic literature. While pregnant in 1944, she was very impressed by Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" and named her firstborn daughter Rebecca after the novel's heroine.
Director Rouben Mamoulian said of her to "Vogue", "On the screen, if an actor can move, he needs little else for a successful career. Hayworth moved better than anyone else I have ever seen in film. The camera responded to her movement as it did to Garbo's intelligence and Chaplin's mime.".
Became the first public face for Alzheimer's. During the 1960s she began forgetting her lines. The people around her thought it was due to drinking. Looking back it is believed she was in the early stages of Alzheimer's.
Fred Astaire recalled how gifted and quick she was in learning the most advanced routines-often learning the steps in the morning, mulling over them during lunch, and after lunch performing the dance without a single mistake.
[To writer Virginia Van Upp] "Every man I have ever known has fallen in love with Gilda and awakened with me."
"What surprises me in life are not the marriages that fail, but the marriages that succeed."
"I think all women have a certain elegance about them which is destroyed when they take off their clothes."
"I guess the only jewels of my life were the pictures I made with Fred Astaire."
"Dancing in Tijuana when I was 13--that was my 'summer camp.' How else do you think I could keep up with Fred Astaire when I was 19?"
"Movies were much better in the days I was doing them."