Title supplied by cataloger. Rita Hayworth (Margarita Carmen Cansino 1918-1987) was a film actress and dancer who performed publicly for the first time at the age of six with her father, dancer Eduardo Cansino, Sr. By the age of 8 she was featured in her first film for Warner Bros., and by age 16 was working with Dolores del Rio. The first performances of her career were under her birth name, Margarita Carmen Cansino, and Rita Cansino. In 1936, Harry Cohn, studio head for Columbia and her then-husband, Edward C. Judson began working on her physical transformation, which would be dramatic and prove to be fruitful. Rita had electrolysis to raise her hairline, changed her hair color to dark red, and changed her name to Rita Hayworth, taking on her mother's maiden name. The transformation complete, the exotic foreigner had now become a classic "American" pin-up. As Rita Cansino, she made fourteen pictures. As Rita Hayworth, she made fifty-one, and became one of the eras top stars, winning critical acclaim for many of her films. She was featured on the cover of Life magazine five times. Her personal life proved to be tumultuous from the beginning. She married five times, with all unions ending in divorce: Edward Charles Homgren Judson (1937-1942), Orson Welles (1943-1948), Prince Aly Khan (1949-1953), Dick Haymes (1953-1955) and James Hill (1958-1961); she had two daughters, Rebecca Welles (1944) and Yasmin Aga Khan (1949). Sadly, Hayworth struggled with alcohol throughout her life and had difficulty coping with the ups and downs of the business and with her personal life, causing her once stellar career to spiral downward. Unfortunately her alcoholism hid symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (discovered in 1980), which went undiagnosed for approximately 20 years. In February 1987, Hayworth lapsed into a semi coma. She died a few months later on May 14, 1987 from Alzheimer's disease, and was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City. Photograph caption dated October 30, 1961 reads, "Rita And Merrill Back In Los Angeles - Actress Rita Hayworth and actor Gary Merrill, loaded with coats, arrive at Los Angeles International Airport via American Airlines. They were constant companions during a holiday in Italy recently and this led to rumors Merrill will become Rita's sixth husband. She recently divorced James Hill. Merrill is Bette Davis' 'ex.'"
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Hayworth, Rita,--1918-1987 Merrill, Gary Los Angeles International Airport American Airlines Motion picture actors and actresses--United States Dating (Social customs)--United States Airports--California--Los Angeles Vacations--United States Air travel--United States Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
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