"World-renowned for her sultry screen performances, down-to-earth personality, and lifelong love affair with Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner left an indelible mark on Hollywood history. Ava is a lavishly illustrated tribute to a legendary life. Authors Kendra Bean and Anthony Uzarowski take a closer look at the Academy Award-nominated actress's famous screen roles while shedding new light on the creation and maintenance of her glamorous image, her marriages, and her friendships with famous figures such as Ernest Hemingway, John Huston, and Tennessee Williams. From the backwoods of Grabtown, North Carolina to the bullfighting rings of Spain, from the MGM backlot to the Rome of La Dolce Vita, [this biography] takes readers on the stunning and exciting journey of a life lived to the fullest and through four decades of film history with one of its most iconic stars"--Dust jacket.