Impressions of Ava
“Ava was exactly the opposite of the roles she played. She looked like a femme fatale, and she wasn’t.”
– Actress & Close Friend, Arlene Dahl
“Ava was the warmest, kindest, and most generous person I have ever known.”
– Haute Couture Designer, Franka
“Ava was always outspoken, and there was something refreshing about that because sometimes she’d be outspoken when other people would be afraid to.”
– Actor & Close Friend, Gregory Peck
“Ava Gardner had no sense of being a liberated woman. She lived her life like a liberated woman at a time when it was not kool!”
– Actress & Playwright, Elizabeth McGovern
“She was this very passionate, fiery, feisty woman, and she just had a lot of warmth and a lot of strength at the same time. She was like one of the guys.”
– Actress, Kate Beckinsale
“Ava was exquisite. She was just so beautiful…a lovely person.”
– Director, John Frankenheimer
“Ava and I loved each other instantly. I’ve worked with some of the most wonderful, extraordinary creatures. From Brigitte Bardot aged 18 to Ava, Ava Gardner, who is one of my greatest and most beloved friends.”
– Actor & Writer, Dirk Bogarde
“Ava Gardner was the most beautiful woman in the world, and it's wonderful that she didn't cut up her face. She addressed aging by picking up her chin and receiving the light in a better way. And she looked like a woman. She never tried to look like a girl.”
– Actress & Singer, Shirley Jones
“I read Ava’s biography, and I thought her life was fascinating. I love that Ava was an advocate for humanity and fairness.”
– Actress, Debi Mazar
“You want a friend? You can’t do better than Ava Gardner. Good Lord, do not ask her a question, any question, unless you want the unvarnished, peppery truth. She will level you with honesty, kindness, appreciation, open and pure love. If you deserve it, of course.”
– Playwright, Tennessee Williams
“Ava was like the most fantastic relative, because she didn't make you pay a price for knowing her. She was the great older sister who just adores you. And spoils you. Her loyalty was devastating. In fact, it could be embarrassing. Because if she was your friend, she would kill for you, and sometimes you didn't want her to. She believed in the good decent things, she really did. And to the best of her ability, she lived that way.”
– Actor, Director, & Close Friend, Roddy McDowall
“Ava and I were spiritually akin. She had great inner warmth. Ava and I sort of took to each other right away because she is basic, she is down, she is laid back.”
– Actress, Singer, & Close Friend, Lena Horne
“She was very, very much her own person. She was not one of these people who said a man can run my life. That's not who she was.”
– Actress & Singer, Shirley Jones
She was one of those people who broke the rules all the time. Spontaneous. A real child of nature. She was a straightforward person who did whatever she wanted.
– Actress & Dancer, Marge Champion