Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner stood out as one of Hollywood's true stars, both a wonderful actress and a legendary beauty. The stunning green-eyed brunette was perhaps best known for playing Mara Vargas in "The Barefoot Contessa" (1954). The role that launched Gardner's career, however, was that of ultimate femme fatale Kitty Collins in Ernest Hemingway's "The Killers" (1946).