Birth Name: Margarita Carmen Cansino
Nickname: The Love Goddess
Height: 5' 6"

The famous Bob Landry photo of Rita in "Life", 11 August 1941, p. 33, made her the number 2 soldier pin-up of World War II, just behind Betty Grable. Rita's photo sold over five million copies.

The blush satin with black lace trim nightgown Rita wore in the famous WWII pin up photo taken by Bob Landry for Life was sold in an auction by Planet Hollywood for the sum of $22,500.00.

Fred Astaire stated that Rita Hayworth was his favorite dance partner onscreen.

The annual Rita Hayworth charity gala, managed by daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, raised $1.8 million in 1999 alone for the Alzheimer's Assn.

Rita appeared in 5 movies with classic leading actor, 'Glenn Ford' (qv), best known for their romantic pairing in the classic hit Gilda (1946).

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#54). [1995] Ranked #98 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Some legends say the Margarita cocktail was named for her when she was dancing under her real name in a Tijuana, Mexico nightclub.

Daughter of Eduardo Cansino Rita's dancer father Eduardo Cansino, himself the son of a dancer, came to New York from Spain in 1913 with sister Elisa. Mother, showgirl Volga Hayworth (sometimes spelled Haworth) met Eduardo on Broadway in 1916; they married 1917.

Rita's first (uncredited) appearance on film was with the dancing Cansino family in a Vitaphone short 'La Fiesta (1926)'. Rita appeared 5 times on the cover of "Life" Magazine.

Rita's singing was dubbed by Nan Wynn (1941-44), Martha Mears (1945), Anita Ellis (1946-48), and Jo Ann Greer (1952-57). Rita's own singing voice is heard in the introductions to her songs (otherwise dubbed by Jo Ann Greer) in 'Pal Joey (1957)'.

Daughters:
Rebecca Welles, born 17 December 1945;
Yasmin Khan born 28 December 1949.

Owns the production company "Hillworth Productions A.G." together with her 5th husband James Hill (II).

Rita Hayworth played the sister of Barbara Stanwyck in Message to Garcia, A (1936), but after a test screening all her scenes were cut at the request of Darryl F. Zanuck.

Her face was glued onto an A-bomb which was dropped on the Bikini Atol during a test in 1946.

Interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, USA, in the Grotto section, L196, #6 (to the right of the main sidewalk, near the curb).

Through her father she is descended from the Spanish Jews. Through her mother she is part Irish and part English.

Sort-of cousin of Ginger Rogers. Rita's uncle married Ginger's aunt.

In 1947 started her own production company "Beckworth Corporation" (formed from syllables of her daughters name (Rebecca) and her own surname). It was dissolved in 1954 under advice from her 4th husband, Dick Haymes.

In the early 1940s she replaced Jean Arthur as the top female star at Columbia Picture. Coincidentally, the 2 stars share the same birthday (October 17).

The famous red hair was not her natural colour (it was black).
When she was signed, studio heads decided that her hairline was too low on her forehead, and she underwent years of painful electrolysis to make it higher.

Niece of actor Vinton Haworth.