Six facts you probably didn't know about Rita Hayworth
Legendary Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth.
by Gemma Westacott
17th Oct 2016 10:13 AM
LEGENDARY Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth would have celebrated her 98th birthday today, had she still been alive.
Sadly the world lost the talented star to Alzheimer's Disease on May 14, 1987.
But she left a legacy of wonderful cinematic moments, such as her performance in Charles Vidor's Gilda (1946), which she is probably best known for.
Other career highlights included The Lady From Shanghai, Miss Sadie Thompson, Pal Joey, Separate Tables, and Circus World, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination.
Here are six facts you probably didn't know about this much-loved star:
1/ She was born Margarita Carmen Cansino on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York. She changed her last name to Hayworth early on in her acting career on the advice of her first husband and manager, Edward Judson.
2/ Her natural hair colour wasn't the trademark red that she was well known for. Instead her hair was naturally dark brown.
3/ She was the first Hollywood actress to become a princess after she married Prince Aly Khan in 1949. They had a daughter together, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, but divorced two years later
4/ In reference to Rita's bombshell status, her likeness was placed on the first nuclear bomb to be tested at the Bikini Atolls in 1946. It is reported that Rita Hayworth was horrified when she found out.
5/ In 1971, Rita briefly attempted a stage career, but soon gave the idea away when it became apparent that she was unable to memorise her lines.
6/ Princess Yasmin, who cared for her mother after her diagnosis of Alzheimer's, used her mother's condition as a catalyst for increasing awareness of the disease. In 1985, Princess Yasmin helped organise Alzheimer's Disease International and eventually helmed the group as its president.
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