49 Inspiring Vintage Photos of Extraordinary Women

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The Love Goddess, Rita Hayworth (1947)

Best of Comic Books

Rita Hayworth was the most glamorous screen idol of the 1940s. Born Margarita Carmen Cansino in Brooklyn, New York to a family of Spanish and American dancers, she is best known for her title role in the 1946 film noir Gilda where she performed as the ultimate femme fatale. However, even though she was nicknamed “The Love Goddess” when she was featured in a Life cover story, Rita suffered much in love. Her father had started to sexually abuse her when she was very young. When she turned 12, he took her with him across the border to Tijuana, Mexico where he made her work in nightclubs and bars, dressed her in provocative clothes, and continued to sexually abuse her.

Despite of her strong and provocative role in Gilda, Rita confessed that she’s very shy, had an inferiority complex, and was attracted to mean personalities. She was married five times, once leaving her film career to wed a prince who still legally married to his first wife, but she was also divorced five times. Rita had several affairs, too, including Glenn Ford with whom she had a tumultuous relationship on and off screen.