Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), born Margarita Carmen Cansino, was a Spanish-American actress who rose to stardom in the 1940s as the era's leading sex symbol. She is listed as one of the American Film Institute's greatest stars of all time.

Early career

Rita Hayworth Cansino, better known as Rita Hayworth, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Spanish-born flamenco dancer Eduardo Cansino (Sr.) and English/Irish-American Ziegfeld girl Volga Haworth.

Hayworth was on stage by the age of six as a member of The Dancing Cansinos, a famous family of Andalusian flamenco dancers working in vaudeville. Her father had performed in a dancing duo with his sister Elisa earlier in his career, and later he revived the duo with his daughter Rita as his dancing partner, performing in nightclubs in California and the Foreign Club in Tijuana, Mexico. At age 16, already an accomplished professional dancer, Hayworth attracted the attention of film producers and was signed by Fox Studios in 1935, where she appeared mostly in small roles.

From Cansino to Hayworth

After her option was not renewed by Fox, Rita Cansino freelanced at minor film studios before signing with Columbia Pictures in 1937.

At Columbia Rita Cansino was renamed Rita Hayworth, adding a 'y' to her mother's maiden name of Haworth. She also endured a long series of electrology treatments to raise the hairline on her forehead during this period. After two more years of minor roles, she gave what was called an impressive performancefact: date=June 2008 in Howard Hawks' Only Angels Have Wings (1939), as part of an ensemble cast headed by Cary Grant. Her portrayal of a disillusioned wife sparked the interest of other studios. Between assignments at Columbia Pictures, she was borrowed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer for George Cukor's Susan and God (1940) with Joan Crawford and Warner Brothers for the title role in Raoul Walsh's The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with James Cagney.

While on loan to Fox Studios for Rouben Mamoulian's Blood and Sand (1941 film) starring Tyrone Power, Hayworth achieved top stardom with her sizzling performance as the amoral and seductive "Doña Sol des Muire". This Technicolor film forever branded her as one of Hollywood's most beautiful redheads. Gene Tierney was originally intended for the role but was dropped by Darryl F. Zanuck when she eloped with Oleg Cassini. Carole Landis was the next choice for the role, but refused to dye her blonde hair red. Fox then borrowed Hayworth from Columbia and dyed her dark brown hair red-auburn. With this shade, her head of long, flowing hair soon became Hayworth's best remembered feature.

Career success

The "love goddess" image was cemented with Bob Landry's 1941 Life magazine photograph of Hayworth kneeling on her own bed in a silk and lace nightgown, which caused a sensation and became (at over five million copies) one of the most requested wartime pinups. Also in 1941 Rita made the cover of Time Magazine, her image drawn by famed pin up artist George Petty. During World War II she ranked with Betty Grable, Dorothy Lamour, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner as the pinup girls most popular with servicemen.