10 Rare Photos of a Young Ava Gardner That Are Sure to Stun

Ava Gardner embodied Hollywood glamour like no other — her beauty, talent, charm and charisma made her one of the biggest stars of The Golden Age of Hollywood. However, the daughter of a poor tobacco farmer, a life on the screen wasn't exactly something she had set her sights on as a young girl born in North Carolina.

Signed at 18 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, she had countless small parts at the start of her career in films like Ghosts on the Loose (1943), 3 Men in White (1944), Maisie Goes to Reno (1944), She Went to the Races (1945) and Whistle Stop (1946) before her 1946 breakout role in The Killers put her on the map.

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From there, her resume continued to grow and her fame only increased. Some of the most notable works of her career include Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951), Mogambo (1953), Bhowani Junction (1956), On the Beach (1959) and plenty of others.

Here, take a look at Ava Gardner as a young actress during the height of her career.

1934: The young actress before life on the big screen

Ava Gardner flashes a smile in this photo of her as a young girl at just 12 years old.

1940: The actress makes a splash

Ava Gardner is pictured in this 1940 snapshot enjoying the water in a retro swimsuit.

1941: A Hollywood love story

At a mere 19 years old, Gardner married actor Mickey Rooney. In only 9 months, the couple separated, and the actress would go on to marry her second husband, Artie Shaw, in 1945.

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1946: A breakout role

In a pivotal role in her career, Gardner starred opposite Burt Lancaster in this famed film noir.

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1948: Ava Gardner gets bubbly

In a scene from the 1948 film, One Touch of Venus , Gardner enjoys a bubble bath.

1951: Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

Gardner looks like a certified star in this photo from the set of her 1951 film alongside James Mason.

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1951: Gardner and Frank Sinatra side by side

The love story of Gardner and Frank Sinatra is a famous one. The couple were marred in 1951 and their divorce was finalized in 1957.

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1953: Mogambo stars Ava Gardner and Clark Gable

Ava Gardner joined a star-studded cast in Mogambo . Acting alongside Clark Gable and Grace Kelly, Gardner played the part of Eloise Kelly, who falls for Victor Marswell (Gable), a game hunter. Meanwhile, when Grace Kelly's character of Linda Nordley arrives on the scene, she finds herself falling for him as well.

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1956: A famous film featuring Ava Gardner

In this 1956 film, Gardner plays a half Indian, half British woman who finds herself torn not only between her two heritages, but also torn between two male suitors.

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