Rita Hayworth

Throwback Thursday Snapshot

Rita Hayworth, 1946

Introduction

"I ask that whatever you write about Rita, please be gentle and kind - because that's the kind of lady she is." - Glenn Ford

Rita Hayworth had talent, ambition, and smarts. And she had stardom. In the 1940s and 50s, Rita captivated audiences worldwide, epitomizing glamour and allure on the silver screen. Yet, behind the dazzling facade stood a woman grappling with the pressures of fame and the complexities of her identity. At times, it all proved difficult to cope with. As Rita said, "I haven't had everything from life. I've had too much."

Rita’s personality made those challenges even harder. Friends described her as "shy, reserved, and closemouthed. An intensely private individual. Vulnerable and sincere. A most unlikely candidate to cope with the mega-stardom she attained."

But while coping didn't come easy and was not always done well, cope she did, all while becoming one of the most memorable actresses in film history. 

Early Years

"I naturally am very shy...and I suffer from an inferiority complex." - Rita Hayworth

While the world came to know her as Rita Hayworth, her birth name was Margarita Carmen Cansino. She was born in 1918 to Eduardo Cansino Sr., a Spanish-born dancer, and Volga Haworth, a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl of Irish descent. 

With parents and other family members working as performers, Rita's journey into performing began at a young age. As Rita recalled:

"From the time I was three and a half...as soon as I could stand on my own feet, I was given dance lessons."

"I didn't like it very much ... but I didn't have the courage to tell my father, so I began taking the lessons. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, that was my girlhood."