1937. Ava Gardner age 15 looking poised and glamorous in this early portrait. Of all the pre-Hollywood shots, not forgetting Larry Tarr’s image that brings her to the attention of MGM, this is the one that best captures the devastating looks that will lead MGM to tout her as “The world’s most beautiful animal”. Yet the reality of Ava’s life at this point in time, including her painful shyness, is very different.
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