Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987) was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars. She appeared in 61 films over 37 years[1] and is listed as one of the American Film Institute's Greatest Stars of All Time.
Hayworth was born in Brooklyn, New York as Margarita Carmen Cansino, the daughter of Spanish dancer Eduardo Cansino, Sr.[2] and Volga Hayworth, a dancer of Irish and English descent, who had performed with the Ziegfeld Follies.[3] The Catholic couple married in 1917 and had two boys after Margarita, Eduardo, Jr. and Vernon. [4][3]
Rita's father wanted her to become a professional dancer while her mother hoped she would become an actress.[5] Her grandfather, Antonio Cansino, was the most renowned exponent in his day of Spain's classical dances; he popularised the bolero. His dancing school in Madrid was world famous.[6] Rita recalled, "From the time I was three and a half,... as soon as I could stand on my own feet, I was given dance lessons."[7]"I didn't like it very much,... but I didn't have the courage to tell my father, so I began taking the lessons. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, that was my girlhood."[8] She attended dance classes every day for a few years in a Carnegie Hall complex under the instruction of her uncle, Angel Cansino, performing publicly from the age of six. [3] In 1926, she featured in La Fiesta, a short film for Warner Bros..[3]
In 1927, when Hayworth was eight years old, the family moved to Hollywood. Her father was convinced there was a great future for dancing in the movies and that his family could be part of it. He established his own dance studio [3] and Hollywood luminaries, including James Cagney and Jean Harlow received specialized training from him.[citation needed] During the Great Depression the family's investments were wiped out. Musicals were no longer in vogue and commercial interest in her father's dancing classes waned. Hayworth partnered with her father to form "The Dancing Cansinos". Since Hayworth was not of legal age to work in nightclubs and bars according to California state law, she and her father traveled across the border to the city of Tijuana in Mexico, a popular tourist spot for Los Angeles citizens in the early 1930s.[3] Due to her work schedule, Hayworth did not finish high school but completed ninth grade at Hamilton High, in Los Angeles. She took a bit part in the films Cruz Diablo (1934) which led to another in In Caliente (1935) with Mexican actress Dolores del Río.[3] Hayworth danced in such nightspots as the Foreign Club and the Caliente Club and was at the Caliente Club where she was seen by the head of the Fox Film Corporation, Winfield Sheehan. A week later, Hayworth did a screen test for Fox. Impressed by her screen persona, Sheehan signed her for a short-term six-month contract, under the name of Rita Cansino.
Rita Hayworth lapsed into a semicoma in February 1987. She died a few months later on May 14, 1987, aged 68 from Alzheimer's disease in her Manhattan apartment. A funeral service for Hayworth was held on May 19, 1987 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills.[52] Pallbearers included actors Ricardo Montalbán, Glenn Ford, Don Ameche and choreographer Hermes Pan. She was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City. Her headstone includes the inscription: "To yesterday's companionship and tomorrow's reunion." "Rita Hayworth was one of our country's most beloved stars", said President Ronald Reagan, who had been an actor at the same time as Hayworth and would himself fall victim to Alzheimer's. "Glamorous and talented, she gave us many wonderful moments on stage and screen and delighted audiences from the time she was a young girl. In her later years, Rita became known for her struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Her courage and candor, and that of her family, were a great public service in bringing worldwide attention to a disease which we all hope will soon be cured. Nancy and I are saddened by Rita's death. She was a friend who we will miss. We extend our deep sympathy to her family."[ Awards Hayworth appeared with John Wayne in Circus World (1964) (U.K. title: Magnificent Showman), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, her only notable-award nod.[citation needed] In 1977, Hayworth was the recipient of the National Screen Heritage Award. Despite appearing in 61 films over 37 years,[1] including leading roles in successful films like Gilda, she never received an Academy Award nomination. Hayworth is included as one of the American Film Institute's Greatest Stars of All Time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rita_Hayworth
