Rita Hayworth

“Sensitive, shy, of course I was. The fun of acting is to become someone else.” Rita Hayworth was an American actress and dancer who stood out in Hollywood during the 1940s. Imposed by her family, she took her first steps as a dancer, but at age 16, a producer offered her a film role, leading to her debut in Dante's Inferno (1935). She got a contract with Columbia Pictures and her first role as a supporting actress in Only Angels Have Wings (1939), directed by Howard Hawks, after which she started receiving more prominent roles. Hayworth embarked on a successful career with 20th Century Fox, the studio that had previously rejected her, starring in hits such as Blood and Sand (1941), Cover Girl (1944), and The Lady from Shanghai (1947), by director Orson Welles, with whom she had a romantic relationship; however, it was her role in Gilda (1946) that brought her to absolute stardom. Recognized as one of the best female characters in the history of cinema, she became the highest paid actress of the time. In the 1970s, symptoms of Alzheimer's began to appear, as well as her inability to memorize scripts. Remembered as one of the most iconic Hollywood women of the era, nicknamed “The Love Goddess”, she captivated everyone with her unmistakable talent, her undeniable beauty and her fantastic sense of style.