The will of chance: how the first Hollywood stars appeared

Today they have become legends, the whole world knows about them. But everyone had to pave the way to the cherished glory and success in their own way. Someone has to work hard, beat the thresholds of film studios, change names and appearance and steadfastly listen to endless refusals, and someone just happens to be in the right place at the right time.

When a beautiful girl from a family of farmers living in South Carolina turned 18, her brother-in-law sent her photos to a famous film studio, whose logo depicts a roaring lion. Up to that moment, the young Gardner was going to become a secretary, but the studio invited her to come to the audition.

Ava changed her initial plans, passed the test and immediately received a seven-year contract with MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) only thanks to external data. At first, a shy and a little tight-lipped girl with a strong southern accent was given very small roles.

The studio paid for acting lessons and acting speech lessons and made of Ava Gardner is a real star. Success came after the movie "Murderers", then there were "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "Mogambo", for which Ava was nominated for an Oscar. But, despite universal recognition, Ava herself has never had a high opinion of her acting abilities.

American actress and singer, one of the brightest Hollywood stars of the 1940s and 1950s. She was included in the list of the greatest movie stars in the history of Hollywood. The owner of "the face of an angel and the body of a goddess" was often called one of the most beautiful actresses of the XX century. (Based on Wikipedia materials)

A 16-year-old boy worked at a tire factory in Ohio. One day he saw a play in a chamber theater and firmly decided that he would become an actor. He joined a traveling troupe and left his hometown.

For a while Clark played on the theater stage, but the troupe did not last long and went bankrupt. Then Gable hitchhiked to It was then that he met Josephine Dillon, who was 14 years older than Clark.

The girl became his manager, and then his first wife.The lovers came to Hollywood, and Clark began to go to auditions, but, alas, he was not taken: how can an actor have such huge ears? After several attempts, he still managed to get a small role in the film "Painted Desert".

After seeing Clark Gable on screen, MGM changed their minds about the ears and signed a contract with the actor. Clark Gable starred in more than 60 motion pictures, in 1934 he won an Oscar for his role in the film "It Happened one Night", and then twice nominated for the award for "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Gone with the Wind".

Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium, but spent her childhood and youth with her mother in the Netherlands, in the city of Arnhem, which was occupied by the Nazis. There she studied ballet, and after the war moved to London, worked as a model and dancer in local theaters.

In 1951 to Audrey was approached by one of the stars of the Belle Epoque, the French writer Colette (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette). The author believed that Audrey would be perfect for the main role of the Broadway production of her novel "Gigi". Hepburn, of course, agreed, signed a contract, and after a successful acting debut, she was almost immediately offered to play the main role in "Roman Holiday" with Gregory Peck, for which the actress received an Oscar.

Cary Grant was born in England under the name Archie Leach. At the age of 14, he joined a circus troupe and moved to New York. For a while he performed on stilts in circus productions, and then decided to try his luck in Hollywood.

The future actor failed the first tests, but on the second attempt he was hired by Paramount, however, on the condition that the actor would change his name. So, Archie Leach became Cary Grant, starred in more than 20 films, was twice nominated for an Oscar, was considered an icon of style and a true gentleman.

Taking the name of her first husband Herbert Lee Holman as a pseudonym, Vivien got her first role on the London stage at the age of 22. Then she played in several films and met the actor Laurence Olivier, with whom the young beauty had an affair.

To be close to Olivier (or was it just an excuse?), Vivien moved to Los Angeles and, using Lawrence's connections, met with director George Cukor, who was very impressed with an almost unknown artist.

Many criticized Cukor for choosing an actress for the main role in Gone with the Wind, because the leading Hollywood actresses auditioned for the role of Scarlett. But Vivien won an Oscar and became a star that the whole world still knows and adores.

Margarita Carmen Cancino was born in the family of a flamenco dancer and has been a professional dancer since the age of 12. The family moved to Los Angeles, and the girl from childhood performed with her father in nightclubs and Mexican dance shows.

At the age of 16, she was noticed by the head of the 20th Century Fox studio and immediately offered a contract. After filming in the first film, Rita changed her name, hair color, got one of the most profitable studio contracts, and then starred with Cary Grant in the movie "Only angels have Wings."

Lana's father was killed when the girl was still young, and her mother moved with her family to Los Angeles. Lana was an ordinary schoolgirl.

One day, when the girl was sitting in a cafe and drinking soda, William R. Wilkerson, editor of The Hollywood Reporter magazine, noticed her and asked if she wanted to play in a movie. Lana was not against it, and at the age of 16 she signed her first contract with the studio "Warner Bros", and two years later - with MGM.

Lana Turner was considered a sex symbol of the 1940s and 1950s and a famous pinup model, and films with her participation brought the studio more than $ 50 million.

They say that posters and posters with photos of Lana Turner enjoyed unprecedented success with American soldiers during World War II.