Rita Hayworth was a popular leading lady, starring in films between the 1930's and 1950's. She was considered one the great screen beauties of the period, who could act as well as dance. She was the the most popular GI pin-up in World War 2. The family were all dancers and her early career was in dancing. Her initial screen roles were credited Rita Cansino and largely unremakrkable.She then signed with Columbia under Harry Cohen and changed her name to Rita Hayworth to become more American and a red head. Here break came when Howard Hawkes cast her in Only Angels Have Wings.
From there her popularity rose including dancing with Fred Astaire in You'll Never Get Rich and You Were Never Lovelier which to her were the highlights of her career as they allowed her to dance. She was used by the Hollywood studio system but in the early 1940's was a major star and poster girl. Her marriage to Orson Welles created almost created the idea of the celebritiy image and life style that was used by the studio as publicity.
Cover Girl with Gene Kelly was one of her biggest successes with choeography by Gene Kelly. It was however GIlda that defined her career and set her as a sex symbol of the 1940's. She was very different to the Gilda personality. She said people go to bed with Gilda but wake up with me. In the Lady From Shanghai with her husband Orson Welles she playes a very different blond character.
The film effectively ended her marriage to Orson Welles and in her next film, The Loves of Carmen, the studio brought her back to type as a red headed dancer. Her ill-fated marriage to Prince Ally Khan took her away from Hollywood but she returned with Affair In Trinidad. SHe had another marraige and a break from acting and then returned after another marriage. In Separate Tables she had a more dramatic acting role and one of her best acting roles. They Came To Cordura was her last major film. In later life she suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
