rita hayworth biography | filmography (the love goddess)

Rita Hayworth

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Rita Hayworth autographs (they do appear from time to time), photographs and more @ ebay.com (direct link to photographs)

2020: Separate Tables UK Dvd now in stock

Born in 1918 to professional dancers (her father Eduardo Cansino was descended from Spanish Jews), the latin beauty Rita Hayworth made her official movie debut in the 1935 Fox feature Dante's Inferno. Billed under her real name Rita Cansino, she graces the screen for two minutes during an energetic dance sequence with Gary Leon. Before the dance is over, the stage has become engulfed in flames, women are screaming and men are fainting in the aisles. It was an apt start for one of the most explosive of all actresses to ever grace the silver screen!

However, it was a long haul from Rita Cansino to Rita Hayworth as she had to endure a lengthy apprenticeship in the world of lowbudget B programmers.

Her first husband (Ed Judson) engineered the breakthrough as he pushed her through painful electrolysis treatment to alter her hairline, initiated an overblown publicity campaign and had her signed long term to Columbia Pictures under her new name of Rita Hayworth.

The result of this was the creation of a woman possessing such spectacular beauty that it is little wonder she shone so brilliantly on screen.

Her first A picture and the point when her career blossomed was the 1939 Howard Hawks movie Only Angels Have Wings. Despite the general approval of her performance, her brief screen appearance shows signs of her own insecurity and shyness. It was in Blood and Sand (1941), her first Technicolor film, that she showed a new facet of her acting - a raw animal grace and poise which no actress has ever come close to equalling. This was no ordinary Doña Sol and comparing Rita in Charlie Chan in Egypt with Blood and Sand requires at least two double takes!...(scroll down).

Dec. 13: I just love this header poster of Rita in our Orson Welles film poster gallery. Check it out here.

RITA HAYWORTH, GILDA
© COLUMBIA

Name: Rita Hayworth
Real Name: Margarita Carmen Cansino
Nickname: The Love Goddess
Sometimes Credited as: Rita Cansino
Profession: Actor, dancer
Date of Birth: 17 October 1918
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Height: 5' 6" (1.68 m)
Spouses:
Died: 14 May 1987
Place of Death: New York, USA. (Alzheimer's disease)

"All I wanted was just what everybody else wants, you know, to be loved
- RITA HAYWORTH

BIOGRAPHY: FRAGMENTS FROM A LIFE

Before starting her film career, Rita was first and foremost a dancer. This speciality was used to good effect as over the next few years she paired with the likes of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in a brace of delightful musicals. Then in 1945, working with Glenn Ford, George Macready and director Charles Vidor, she began filming the film which would become her trademark and nemesis: Gilda. It was Gilda that permanently defined the Hayworth image, established the legend and condemned Rita to spending the rest of her life trying to escape it. Her oft mentioned quote "Men fall in love with Gilda and wake up with me" is a sad reflection on the two worlds she was forced to live in.

Her husband at the time of Gilda was one Orson Welles and together they made the film The Lady From Shanghai.Written and directed by Orson, the film is a massive personal statement about their relationship and it is almost chilling in places to realise the analogies weaved into the film. More positively, Orson gave Rita a chance to break from her image by cutting her hair short and dying it platinum blonde. However, due to this change in image and editorial interference from the studio, the film bombed.

She continued working in Hollywood until 1948 when after completing The Loves of Carmen, she left for Europe and married Prince Aly Khan thus becoming Hollywood's first princess.

Rita Hayworth autographs (they do appear from time to time), photographs and more @ ebay.com (direct link to photographs)

She had two daughters: Rebecca Welles, born 17 December 1945; Yasmin Khan born 28 December 1949.

Her marriage to Prince Aly Khan ended in divorce (she was married five times) so she returned to the States and reluctantly resumed her career with Affair in Trinidad. Despite its predictability, the film is quite good fun and contains two great dance numbers for Rita. However, there was one thing missing -the Hayworth spark. During the 40's there was always an indefinable sparkle to her acting, it was an innate effervescence that coupled with her sheer physical presence made her so bewitching. Now that she had reluctantly returned to the fold and was pursuing a career under the all seeing glare of the tyrannical Harry Cohn, that spark was snuffed out. She still had her moments of course but otherwise, she gave the impression of being weary and tired. Miss Sadie Thompson and Pal Joeyare definite highlights from this period but her career began to decline and unknown at the time, she started suffering from Alzheimer's Disease (early onset of which occurred when she was just 42 in 1960 but remained undiagnosed until 1980).

As Alzheimer's took hold, her output decreased and her last film The Wrath of God was shot in 1972. By 1981 she was almost helpless. Her daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan who has become a leading campaigner in the fight against Alzheimer's Disease nursed Rita through her final years until she died in May 1987.

She was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, USA, in the Grotto section, L196, #6 (to the right of the main sidewalk, near the curb).

Rita Hayworth autographs (they do appear from time to time), photographs and more @ ebay.com (direct link to photographs)

Rita Hayworth was never a great actress in the conventional sense; the power of her screen presence was a combination of staggering beauty, electric dancing and the ability to play with audiences' imagination through her use of subtle gestures. This is not to say that she couldn't act - far from it - her best performances have an open natural air to them which other actresses in the same role would only hint at or make seem convoluted.

Dancing was her forte and in my opinion she was the best that Hollywood has seen. Not only was her movement instinctive but she also imbued her dancing with that vital ingredient: enjoyment. Her duets with Fred Astaire show this to best advantage where occasional glances indicate how she is wrapped up in the dance, ready and anticipating the next step. Additionally, her timing was always spot on and this also enabled the dubbing of her songs to work so well. The Please don't kiss me song in The Lady from Shanghai would be a nightmare for any actress lacking this ability but Rita handles it perfectly and creates an air of awesome stillness with her pauses between the song's last lines.

Branded as the screen's Love Goddess, Rita became a legend but one which does not attract the same attention today as do the likes of Monroe or Dean. This is a shame because she deserves much more recognition. Ignore her films of the late 50's onwards and those made before 1940. Instead, concentrate on the legacy of her golden period during the 40's when from Blood and Sand through to The Loves of Carmen, she was at the peak of her powers.

For this she deserves to be remembered.

- Paul Page, 2015

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Filmography
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hayworth

Wrath of God, The (1972) .... Sra. de la Plata
Naked Zoo, The (1971) .... Mrs. Golden
... aka Grove, The (1971)
... aka Hallucinators, The (1971)
Road to Salina (1971) .... Mara
... aka Quando il sole scotta (1971) (Italy)
... aka Route de Salina, La (1971)
... aka Sur la route de Salina (1971) (France)
Bastardi, I (1968) .... Martha
... aka Bâtard, Le (1969) (France)
... aka Bastard, Der (1969) (West Germany)
... aka Cats, The (1968)
... aka Sons of Satan (1968)
Avventuriero, L' (1967) .... Aunt Caterina
... aka Rover, The (1967)
Poppies Are Also Flowers (1966) .... Monique Markos
... aka Danger Grows Wild (1966) (UK)
... aka Mohn ist auch eine Blume (1966) (Austria)
... aka Opium Connection, The (1966)
... aka Poppy Is Also a Flower, The (1966) (USA)
Money Trap, The (1965) .... Rosalie Kelly
Circus World (1964) .... Lili Alfredo
... aka Magnificent Showman, The (1964) (UK)
... aka Samuel Bronston's Circus World (1964)
Happy Thieves, The (1962) .... Eve Lewis
Story on Page One, The (1960) .... Josephine 'Jo' Brown Morris
They Came to Cordura (1959) .... Adelaide Geary
Separate Tables (1958) .... Ann Shankland
Pal Joey (1957) .... Vera Simpson
Fire Down Below (1957) .... Irena
Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) .... Sadie Thompson
Salome (1953) .... Princess Salome
... aka Salome: The Dance of the Seven Veils (1953) (USA)
Affair in Trinidad (1952) .... Chris Emery
Loves of Carmen, The (1948) .... Carmen Garcia
Lady from Shanghai, The (1947) .... Elsa 'Rosalie' Bannister
Down to Earth (1947) .... Terpsichore/Kitty Pendleton
Gilda (1946) .... Gilda
Tonight and Every Night (1945) .... Rosalind 'Roz' Bruce
Cover Girl (1944) .... Rusty Parker/Maribelle Hicks (in flashback sequence)
You Were Never Lovelier (1942) .... Maria Acuna
Tales of Manhattan (1942) .... Ethel Halloway
My Gal Sal (1942) .... Sally Elliott
You'll Never Get Rich (1941) .... Sheila Winthrop
Blood and Sand (1941) .... Dona Sol des Muire
Affectionately Yours (1941) .... Irene Malcolm, aka Mrs. Murdock
Strawberry Blonde, The (1941) .... Virginia Brush Barnstead
Angels Over Broadway (1940) .... Nina Barone
Lady in Question, The (1940) .... Natalie Roguin aka Jean Renie
Susan and God (1940) .... Leonora 'Lee' Hutchins
... aka Gay Mrs. Trexel, The (1940) (UK)
Blondie on a Budget (1940) .... Joan Forrester
Music in My Heart (1940) .... Patricia O'Malley
Only Angels Have Wings (1939) .... Judith 'Judy' MacPherson
Lone Wolf Spy Hunt, The (1939) .... Karen
... aka Lone Wolf's Daughter, The (1939) (UK)
Homicide Bureau (1939) .... J.G. Bliss
Renegade Ranger, The (1938) .... Judith Alvarez
Juvenile Court (1938) .... Marcia Adams
Convicted (1938) .... Jerry Wheeler
There's Always a Woman (1938) .... Mary
Special Inspector (1938) .... Patricia Lane
... aka Across the Border (1938) (Canada: English title)
Who Killed Gail Preston? (1938) .... Gail Preston
Shadow, The (1937) .... Mary Gillespie
... aka Circus Shadow, The (1937) (UK)
Paid to Dance (1937) .... Betty Morgan
... aka Hard to Hold (1939) (USA: new title)
Life Begins with Love (1937) (uncredited) .... Girl Friend
Game That Kills, The (1937) .... Betty Holland
Girls Can Play (1937) .... Sue Collins
Criminals of the Air (1937) .... Rita
... aka Honeymoon Pilot (1937) (preview title)
Trouble in Texas (1937) (as Rita Cansino) .... Carmen Serano
Hit the Saddle (1937) (as Rita Cansino) .... Rita
Old Louisiana (1937) (as Rita Cansino) .... Angela Gonzales
... aka Louisiana Gal (1937) (USA: reissue title)
Rebellion (1936) (as Rita Cansino) .... Paula Castillo
... aka Lady from Frisco (1947) (USA: reissue title)
... aka Treason (1936) (UK)
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936) (as Rita Cansino) .... Maria Maringola
Human Cargo (1936) (as Rita Cansino) .... Carmen Zoro
Dancing Pirate (1936) .... Los Polomas dancer
Professional Soldier (1935) (uncredited) (as Rita Cansino) .... Gypsy Dancer
Paddy O'Day (1935) (as Rita Cansino) .... Tamara Petrovitch
Piernas de seda (1935) (uncredited) .... Ballerina
Dante's Inferno (1935) (as Rita Cansino) .... Dancer
Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935) (as Rita Cansino) .... Nayda
Under the Pampas Moon (1935) (as Rita Cansino) .... Carmen
In Caliente (1935) (scenes deleted)
... aka Viva Senorita (1935) (USA: poster title)
Cruz Diablo (1934) (uncredited) .... Extra
... aka Devil's Cross, The (1934)
Anna Case with the Dancing Cansinos (1926) (uncredited) ....
... aka A Dancing Cansino Fiesta, La (1926) (uncredited) .... Dancing child

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