Ava Lavinia Gardner, born on December 24th, 1922, Grabtown, North Carolina, U.S., was an actress and singer. Ava was signed to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during 1941, having appeared mainly in small roles until she attracted attention with her performance in The Killers (1946), opposite Burt Lancaster. Gardner was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Mogambo (1953), having also received BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for other roles.