Hayworth, Rita

(1918-1987)

   Born Margararita Carmen Cansino in Brooklyn, New York, to parents who were both dancers, future movie star Rita Hayworth moved to California with her family in 1927. From 1936, she appeared in several films as Rita Cansino, but from 1937 onward she used the name Rita Hayworth. Like Betty Grable, Hayworth primarily appeared in musicals as a dancer. Her early successes were in Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and Blood and Sand (1941). She also appeared with Fred Astaire in You’ll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942). Also like Grable, Hayworth became a pin-up girl for servicemen during World War II and appeared on the cover of Life magazine. She was also an active fundraiser for the war effort. Appropriately, she starred in Cover Girl in 1944. After the war, Hayworth received considerable acclaim for her performances in very different roles in Gilda (1946) and The Lady from Shanghai (1948). Although she continued to appear in movies through 1971, including Salome (1953), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), and Pal Joey (1957), she was increasingly in the news for her stormy personal life. Hayworth was married five times, and her husbands included Orson Welles and Prince Aly Khan, head of the Shia Muslims. Her later performances were also affected by the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

   See also Cinema.