Rita Hayworth

NAME Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino)

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Rita Hayworth was one of Hollywood’s most iconic film stars of the 1940s, celebrated for her roles in musicals and film noir classics such as Gilda (1946). Known as “The Love Goddess,” she became an enduring symbol of glamour and sensuality.

BIRTH Rita Hayworth was born on October 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York City. Some sources also reference Manhattan as her birthplace. She was the eldest of three children born to dancer parents Eduardo Cansino and Volga Hayworth.​

FAMILY BACKGROUND Rita's father, Eduardo Cansino, was a Spanish-born dancer from Castilleja de la Cuesta, a town near Seville, Spain, and was of Romani (Calé) descent. He emigrated to the United States in 1913. 

Her mother, Volga Margaret Hayworth, was an American of Irish and English descent who had performed with the Ziegfeld Follies. The couple married in 1917. 

Rita had two younger brothers: Eduardo Jr. (born 1919) and Vernon (born 1922), both of whom served in World War II.​​

Her paternal grandfather, Antonio Cansino, was renowned as a classical Spanish dancer who popularized the bolero, and his dancing school in Madrid was world-famous. Her maternal uncle, Vinton Hayworth, was an actor.​

CHILDHOOD Rita's childhood was marked by rigorous training and performance from an early age. From the time she was three and a half years old, she was given dance lessons. She recalled, "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". She attended dance classes daily at a Carnegie Hall complex under the instruction of her uncle Angel Cansino.​ (1)

At age eight, she appeared in her first film, the 1926 short La Fiesta, an uncredited appearance with her family. As a child, she also performed in a Broadway production called The Greenwich Village Follies as one of the Four Cansinos.​

When Rita was twelve years old, her family moved to Los Angeles, where her father established a dance studio and trained stars like James Cagney and Jean Harlow. After the Great Depression affected his business, Eduardo formed a dance act called "The Dancing Cansinos" with his twelve-year-old daughter. Since California law prohibited Rita from working in nightclubs and bars due to her age, Eduardo took her to perform in Tijuana, Mexico, a popular tourist destination, where child labor laws were less restrictive..​

Photograph of Rita Haywood age 12 The American Magazine

Tragically, Rita's childhood was marred by severe abuse. According to her biographer Barbara Leaming, Rita confided to her second husband Orson Welles that her father had sexually abused her during their touring years as the Dancing Cansinos. Her mother Volga reportedly knew about the abuse and slept in the same bed as Rita when they were home to try to protect her. This childhood trauma would profoundly affect Rita's relationships and mental health throughout her life.​

EDUCATION Rita attended the Carthay School in Los Angeles and later spent her first and only year of high school at Hamilton High School. Her formal education was cut short as she was taken out of school at age twelve to become her father's dancing partner. Throughout her school years, she continued taking acting and dancing lessons alongside her academic studies.​

CAREER RECORD Rita Hayworth's professional career spanned from 1926 to 1972, encompassing 61 films over 37 years.​

1926-1937: She began in Spanish-language films in the mid-1930s.

1937-1939: fter being signed to Columbia Pictures, studio head Harry Cohn rebranded her. She changed her hair color from black to red and adopted her mother's maiden name, Hayworth.

1939-1941: Roles in films like Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and The Strawberry Blonde (1941) established her.

1941-1946: Her image as a glamorous pin-up girl was cemented by her role in Blood and Sand (1941) and especially the musical Cover Girl (1944).

1946: Gilda made Haywood a global phenomenon. Her performance of "Put the Blame on Mame" became legendary.

1946-1972: Other notable films include The Lady from Shanghai (1947), directed by her then-husband Orson Welles, and Miss Sadie Thompson (1953). Her career gradually declined in the 1950s and 1960s, marred by personal problems and health issues.

APPEARANCE Hayworth was known for her striking beauty—especially her red hair, which was not natural. Her hair was originally black, but studio executives dyed it auburn and raised her hairline through years of painful electrolysis to make her look more “glamorous” by Hollywood standards.

Standing 5'6" tall, Rita had what costume designer Jean Louis described as "a good body" with "very thin-limbed" legs and arms, "long and thin," with "beautiful hands," though "the body was thick". He noted she had "a belly" after pregnancy, which his costume designs helped conceal.​ (2)

Photographs and film footage show Haywood with soft, watchful eyes, a captivating smile, and a magnetic presence. Her physical transformation from Margarita Cansino to Rita Hayworth involved not just the hair changes but also makeup techniques that changed her from what studio executives considered too "ethnic" to a more conventional Hollywood beauty standard.​

Hayworth on the cover of Stardom magazine, March 1942

FASHION Rita Hayworth's fashion legacy is inextricably linked with costume designer Jean Louis, who became her primary collaborator at Columbia Pictures through nine films from 1945 to 1959.​

Jean Louis created some of cinema's most iconic gowns for Rita, most famously the strapless black satin gown she wore in Gilda (1946) for the "Put the Blame on Mame" scene. This dress, inspired by John Singer Sargent's painting Portrait of Madame X, was "a marvel of engineering" featuring an internal harness "like you put on a horse" with grosgrain under the bust, darts, three stays, and molded plastic shaped around the top to ensure it never fell down. The dress was valued at approximately $60,000 in 1946 and has become universally recognized as an icon of fashion and cinema. ​(1)

Other memorable Jean Louis creations included the elaborate costumes for Tonight and Every Night (1945), the two-piece backless "Amado Mio" gown in Gilda with high side slits, and numerous other glamorous ensembles that showcased Rita's figure while cleverly concealing any perceived imperfections.​

Off-screen, Rita preferred a more casual style, reportedly favoring jeans and sweaters. However, for public appearances and photoshoots, she embodied Hollywood glamour with elaborate gowns, fur stoles, elbow-length gloves, and pin-waved locks.​

CHARACTER Haywood was often described as being shy, reserved, and insecure, a stark contrast to her confident, sensual on-screen persona. She was known to be quiet and deeply desired a stable, normal family life, often struggling with the overwhelming demands of her fame.  Fred Astaire's co-star James Cagney remembered that once work was done, Rita would "simply go back to her chair and sit there and not communicate". 

She was also reportedly sweet and kind to crew members on set.

Despite her shyness, Rita could display a strong will and fierce independence. She fought against Harry Cohn and Columbia Pictures over contracts, script approval, and her personal life. One colleague noted, "She hated them all. She didn't pull many punches with Cohn as to what she thought of him".  (3)

Hayworth also had an explosive temper, particularly evident in her later marriages when she would fly into rages, throw objects, and become irrational—behavior that may have been early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.​

SPEAKING VOICE Rita Hayworth's speaking voice had a low, soft, slightly husky quality that suited her on-screen presence. In interviews from the 1970s, her voice comes across as warm but somewhat reserved. She spoke both English and Spanish, reflecting her bilingual heritage.​​

While Rita was considered "a capable vocalist," her singing voice was consistently dubbed by other singers in all of her musical films. Among the ghost singers who provided vocals for her were Martha Mears (who dubbed 38 films total and worked with Rita multiple times), Anita Ellis (who dubbed "Put the Blame on Mame" in Gilda), and Jo Ann Greer. This was something Rita reportedly resented, as the public was unaware of the dubbing.​​

SENSE OF HUMOUR Rita Hayworth possessed a sense of humor that emerged especially during happier periods of her life. In a 1970 interview, she stated, "That's why the most important thing you have to have in this business is a sense of humor".​

An anecdote from the filming of The Lady from Shanghai reveals her playful side: Orson Welles asked her to direct him in a scene and watch to tell him if he was doing it right or wrong. After watching, when Welles asked "Well, mama, what did you think of it?" Rita replied, "You overacted." She later noted, "Imagine me telling him that," but added that Welles "wanted the truth" and "was very, very pleased that I was honest with him".​

RELATIONSHIPS Rita Hayworth married and divorced five times within twenty-four years and had numerous affairs throughout her life.​

First Marriage - Edward C. Judson (1936-1942): At age eighteen in 1936, Rita married Edward Judson, an oilman-turned-promoter who was more than twice her age and had been previously married twice without telling her. 

He became her manager and helped launch her career but was domineering and controlling. Rita later said, "I married him for love, but he married me for an investment. For five years he treated me as if I had no mind or soul of my own". Judson forced her to undergo painful electrolysis, controlled her career, and allegedly encouraged her to sleep with studio executives to advance her career. (3)

Rita filed for divorce in 1942, citing cruelty, claiming Judson compelled her to transfer considerable property to him under threats of "great bodily harm". After the divorce she said, "He helped me with my career and helped himself to my money".​ (4)

Second Marriage - Orson Welles (1943-1948): Rita married director and actor Orson Welles on September 7, 1943. They had a daughter, Rebecca, in December 1944. 

Wedding of Orson Welles and Hayworth, with best man Joseph Cotten, 1943

Welles pursued Rita after seeing sultry photographs of her but found her to be clinging and insecure rather than the sex goddess he expected. Within two years, Welles was romancing other women, including Judy Garland, and frequenting sex workers. 

Rita filed for divorce, stating Welles "showed no interest in establishing a home" and "told me he never should have married in the first place; that it interfered with his freedom". The divorce was granted on November 10, 1947 and finalized in 1948. Despite everything, Rita later called Welles "the great love of her life", and Welles said of their brief happiness, "If this was happiness, imagine what the rest of her life had been".​ (4)

Third Marriage - Prince Aly Khan (1949-1953): After a failed relationship with Howard Hughes that resulted in an abortion, Rita met playboy Prince Aly Khan in 1948 in France. Their scandalous courtship began while both were married to others—Rita was divorcing Welles while Khan was still married to Joan Yarde-Buller. Rita became pregnant, and they married on May 27, 1949, in Vallauris, France, in both civil and Muslim ceremonies. Their daughter, Princess Yasmin, was born in December 1949. 

Hayworth and Aly Khan at their wedding reception in the garden of the Château de l'Horizon

Rita found the lifestyle of a princess unfulfilling and became unhappy with Khan's womanizing and endless high-society parties. She would lock herself in her room, drinking and dancing alone to Spanish records, and had explosive fights with Khan where she threw objects and once flung orange juice in his face. Rita filed for divorce on September 2, 1951, on grounds of "extreme cruelty, entirely mental in nature," rejecting Khan's offer of $1 million if she would raise Yasmin as a Muslim. A bitter custody battle followed.​

Fourth Marriage - Dick Haymes (1953-1955): Rita married big band singer Dick Haymes on September 24, 1953, at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Haymes was experiencing career and financial difficulties, and Rita ended up paying most of his debts, including child support owed to his ex-wives. The marriage was troubled and abusive. After two tumultuous years, Haymes struck Rita in the face in public at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles in 1955. Rita immediately packed her bags and left, never returning. She later said she "could hardly believe I could be a princess one minute and be treated like that the next".​ (3)

Fifth Marriage - James Hill (1958-1961): On February 2, 1958, Rita married film producer James Hill, who helped her secure a role in Separate Tables. The marriage was troubled from the start, with Rita exhibiting sudden rages and violent outbursts—likely early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. She once hurled a candelabra at Hill, narrowly missing his head. 

James Hill and Hayworth obtaining their marriage license in Santa Monica, 1958

Rita filed for divorce on September 1, 1961, alleging extreme mental cruelty. Charlton Heston described witnessing Hill heap "obscene abuse" on Hayworth at a restaurant dinner in Spain, reducing her to "a helpless flood of tears," calling it "the single most embarrassing evening of my life" and a "marital massacre".​ (4)

Rita had affairs with several of her leading men, most notably Victor Mature during the filming of My Gal Sal in 1942. She was also briefly involved with Howard Hughes.​​

MONEY AND FAME Rita Hayworth achieved considerable wealth during her peak years, though much of it was controlled or taken by others. At the time of her death in 1987, she had a net worth of $10 million, equivalent to approximately $30 million in today's dollars.​

During her career, Columbia Pictures paid her increasingly substantial salaries. By 1944, she negotiated a new contract that gave her a portion of the profits from her films. However, studio head Harry Cohn exercised iron control over her career, bugging her dressing rooms and soundstages, and making her professional life difficult when she refused his sexual advances.​

Rita's financial situation was complicated by her marriages. Her first husband Edward Judson helped himself to her money, forcing her to transfer considerable property to him. Her fourth husband Dick Haymes had severe financial problems, and Rita ended up paying most of his debts, including $3,800 in alimony to one ex-wife and $4,800 in child support to another. After her marriage to Haymes, Rita was short of money and even sued Orson Welles for back payment of child support, though unsuccessfully.​

As "The Love Goddess," Rita's fame was enormous during the 1940s. She appeared on the cover of Life magazine four times, a record equaled only by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Her famous 1941 pin-up photograph in a negligee became the second most popular pinup of World War II, with over five million copies distributed. The negligee she wore in that photo sold at Sotheby's in 2015 for almost $27,000.​

Iconic 1941 photograph of Hayworth for Life magazine

However, Rita struggled with the burden of fame. She famously said, "Every man I've ever known has fallen in love with Gilda and awakened with me", expressing her frustration with being confused for her on-screen persona. She wanted Harry Cohn to allow her to protest when her image was affixed to the atomic bomb tested at Bikini Atoll in 1946 (nicknamed "Gilda"), but Cohn refused, saying it would be "unpatriotic".​​

FOOD AND DRINK Haywood enjoyed simple meals and was not known for indulgence. Later in life, when her health declined, she reportedly lost much of her appetite, but her relationship with alcohol worsened.

Rita Hayworth's most famous beverage association was with the margarita cocktail. As one of the most popular actresses of her day, Hayworth reportedly greatly enjoyed margaritas when it was time to relax or socialize. There are competing stories that the drink may have been invented especially for her—one claiming bartender Enrique Bastante Gutierrez created it for her during Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1940s, another that a hotel waiter invented it to gain her favor by mixing lemon and orange with tequila. The drink's name also coincidentally matches Rita's birth name, Margarita Carmen Cansino.​

A Spanish finger food called "Gilda" was named after Rita's character in the 1946 film. Created at Casa Valles bar in San Sebastián in the 1940s, this pintxo consists of olives, an anchovy, a pickled green guindilla pepper, and sometimes a gherkin pickle or sundried tomato, all on a toothpick. It was named after the character as being "bold and a little spicy".​

Rita was not known for cooking. According to her biographer Caren Roberts-Frenzel, "I never heard Orson Welles say anything about her cooking. I mean I guess it's possible she did a little bit but it certainly was not her forte". During her peak years as a starlet and star, she didn't have time to cook and likely never learned.​

MOVIE CAREER Rita Hayworth’s film career was the sort of thing that made studio publicists lose sleep trying to find new ways to describe perfection. Over four decades and more than 60 films, she evolved from a teenage dancer in sequined shoes to the embodiment of Hollywood glamour. She could smolder, sparkle, or soft-shoe across a soundstage with equal grace—and all while looking as though she’d just casually wandered in from the cover of Life magazine.

In the mid-1930s, Rita—then still going by her birth name, Rita Cansino—began showing up in movies the way parsley shows up on dinner plates: decorative, brief, and not always noticed. She appeared in films like Cruz Diablo (1934), Under the Pampas Moon (1935), and Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935), though you’d be forgiven for missing her in the credits. But in Only Angels Have Wings (1939), opposite Cary Grant, she finally had a role with a pulse—and audiences noticed. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was luminous, the sort of person you couldn’t look away from even if the room caught fire.

The 1940s were Rita’s decade, and she seized it with both perfectly manicured hands. In The Strawberry Blonde (1941), she played the kind of woman men fought over and women secretly wanted to be. Her pairing with Fred Astaire in You’ll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942) was a revelation—Astaire called her his favorite dance partner, which, coming from him, is rather like being told by Einstein that you do a decent bit of math. Cover Girl (1944), with Gene Kelly, cemented her as a bona fide musical star.

Then came Gilda (1946), and everything changed. When she tossed back her hair and purred through “Put the Blame on Mame,” moviegoers everywhere seemed to forget to breathe. She became “The Love Goddess,” a title that would follow her forever—though she often remarked, with wry humor, that men fell in love with Gilda and woke up with her.

Post-Gilda, Rita continued to prove she was more than a poster on a barracks wall. She worked again with Orson Welles, her then-husband, in The Lady from Shanghai (1947)—a film that was both brilliant and, like their marriage, a bit of a beautiful wreck. Other standout performances came in The Loves of Carmen (1948), Affair in Trinidad (1952), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), Pal Joey (1957) with Frank Sinatra, and Separate Tables (1958). Her final screen role, in The Wrath of God (1972), showed that even after decades in the spotlight, the camera still adored her.

Hayworth danced, sang, schemed, and smoldered her way through musicals, dramas, noir thrillers, and romantic comedies with a versatility that modern stars can only envy. Her transformation from dark-haired Spanish dancer to flame-haired Hollywood icon was not just a makeover—it was a reinvention of what a movie star could be. She became the model for a certain kind of woman: magnetic, mysterious, and slightly untouchable.

Rita Hayworth didn’t just define an era of Hollywood—she was the era, all crimson lips and satin gowns, a reminder that glamour, when done properly, is not just surface sparkle but a kind of magic that lingers long after the spotlight fades.

MUSIC AND ARTS Rita Hayworth was fundamentally a dancer before becoming an actress. She trained extensively from age three and a half in both classical dancing and Spanish dancing, learning from her uncle Angel Cansino and later her father. By age twelve, she was dancing professionally as part of the Dancing Cansinos.​

Her dancing abilities were her greatest artistic strength. Fred Astaire said of her, "She learned steps faster than anyone I'd ever known. I'd show her a routine before lunch. She'd be back right after lunch and have it down to perfection. She apparently figured it out in her mind while she was eating". Astaire cited her as his favorite dance partner.​ (3)

A natural dancer with great stamina and rhythm, Rita showcased her dancing talent in numerous films, including the Astaire musicals You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942), Cover Girl (1944) with Gene Kelly, and various production numbers in Gilda (1946) and other films. She was described as "a natural dancer with great stamina and rhythm".​

Regarding music, while Rita sang in many films, her voice was always dubbed by professional singers. She reportedly resented this substitution, which the public was initially unaware of.​​

In her private life, during her troubled marriage to Prince Aly Khan, Rita would lock herself in her room "drinking and dancing alone to her Spanish record collection", suggesting music and dance remained a personal solace.​ (3)

Rita also had an extensive art collection displayed in the paneled walls of her home's entry gallery. 

LITERATURE Although not an avid reader by reputation, Hayworth enjoyed poetry and romantic fiction, which reflected her own longing for love and idealism. She maintained a cherished book collection in custom built-ins in her library

Rita's legacy in literature is notable: she inspired Stephen King's 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, which was later adapted into the acclaimed film The Shawshank Redemption. In the story, Rita's famous pin-up image serves as a symbol of hope for the imprisoned protagonist.​

Her fifth husband, James Hill, wrote Rita Hayworth: A Memoir after their divorce, in which he suggested their marriage collapsed because he wanted Hayworth to continue making movies while she wanted them both to retire from Hollywood.​

NATURE Hayworth enjoyed the outdoors and a quieter life away from the Hollywood machine. Her marriage to Prince Aly Khan involved living in the French Riviera and traveling to exotic locations, offering a temporary escape.

PETS Rita Hayworth was a pet owner who had several dogs throughout her life. The most documented was her cocker spaniel named Pookles (also spelled "Pookie"), whom she was photographed with in 1949. Images show Rita enjoying the companionship of this dog, with one caption reading "Actress Rita Hayworth enjoys the companionship of her cocker spaniel, Pookles".​

Rita Hayworth at home with her dog Pookles, 1947. Source Reddit

Rita was also photographed with a Doberman at various points in her life.​

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Hayworth loved dancing, swimming, and horseback riding—activities she pursued both on and off-screen.

She enjoyed golf as a recreational activity. Her fifth husband James Hill reportedly wanted Rita to continue making movies instead of her preference to "play golf, paint, tell jokes and have a home." (5)

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Rita Hayworth was raised as a Roman Catholic and maintained this faith throughout her life, especially in her later years as she faced illness.

Her religious background became particularly relevant during her custody battle with Prince Aly Khan over their daughter Yasmin. Khan, as the son of Aga Khan III (the leader of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam), wanted Yasmin raised as a Muslim from age seven. Hayworth adamantly wanted their daughter raised as a Christian and rejected Khan's offer of $1 million if she would rear Yasmin as a Muslim and allow her to visit Europe for two or three months each year.​

POLITICS Rita Hayworth was a lifelong Democrat. She was active in the Hollywood Democratic Committee and supported President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.​

Her participation in the war effort during World War II, including USO tours, Hollywood Canteen volunteering, war bond sales, and scrap metal drives, demonstrated her patriotic engagement during that critical period.​

SCANDAL Rita Hayworth's life was marked by several major scandals that captivated public attention.  The most sensational scandal was Rita's courtship and marriage to Prince Aly Khan. Their relationship began in 1948 while both were married to others—Rita was undergoing divorce from Orson Welles, while Khan was still married to Joan Yarde-Buller. The "well-publicized intercontinental courtship" faced "intense media scrutiny due to the cultural and moral standards of the late 1940s". When they married on May 27, 1949, Rita was two months pregnant with their daughter Yasmin, "a fact that added fuel to the already volatile scandal". The wedding featured both civil and Muslim ceremonies and highlighted "the clash of public perceptions, religious considerations, and personal desires".​

The marriage itself became scandalous as Khan's womanizing became public. He was spotted with dancer Katharine Dunham and other women, and the subsequent divorce in 1951 involved a bitter custody battle over Yasmin, with public discussions about the child's religious upbringing. Rita's departure from Khan and Hollywood royalty to return to America shocked many, as did her rejection of his million-dollar settlement offer.​​

Perhaps Rita's most tragic scandal involved her public decline before her Alzheimer's diagnosis was known. In 1976, she became agitated on a plane trip to London, and "photos of the disheveled actress were broadcast worldwide". For years, her erratic behavior, memory problems, and public spectacles were attributed to alcoholism by doctors, colleagues, and the media. Her nephew Richard Cansino later recalled, "It's upsetting that we all thought that she was drinking and we attributed all of her behavior to her being an alcoholic. I feel guilty I perceived it that way".​ (6)

While not public during her lifetime, Barbara Leaming's 1989 biography revealed allegations that Rita had been sexually abused by her father Eduardo Cansino during their years touring together as the Dancing Cansinos. This revelation, based on what Rita reportedly told Orson Welles, recontextualized understanding of her troubled life and relationships.​

MILITARY RECORD Rita Hayworth never wore a uniform, but few Hollywood stars did more for the morale of American servicemen during World War II. Though a civilian entertainer, her contribution to the military effort was immense — and deeply personal.

Hayworth’s brothers, Eduardo Jr. and Vernon Cansino, both served in the U.S. Army, while she became a pin-up legend back home. Her famous photograph in a black lace negligee, shot by Bob Landry and published in Life on August 11, 1941 (months before Pearl Harbor), became an emblem of hope and desire for millions of troops overseas. By war’s end, more than five million copies of the image had been distributed to servicemen, and the U.S. Navy affectionately dubbed her “The Redhead We’d Most Like to Be Shipwrecked With.” Only Betty Grable’s iconic swimsuit photo eclipsed Hayworth’s popularity among GIs.

Rita threw herself into wartime service with remarkable energy. She volunteered tirelessly at the Hollywood Canteen — the celebrated club where stars served and danced with enlisted men — often staying until dawn. She joined a USO tour in 1942 that took her to six military camps, where the crush of adoring soldiers led to exhaustion and, according to reports, a brief nervous breakdown. She appeared frequently on morale-boosting radio programs such as Bob Hope’s broadcasts and Armed Forces Radio shows including Command Performance, GI Journal, and Mail Call.

Her patriotism went beyond performance. She promoted war bonds, collected scrap metal, and even donated her car’s bumpers to the war effort — replacing them with wooden ones. She also volunteered with the Naval Aid Auxiliary, offering comfort and connection to the troops. On one occasion, she gave a serviceman a lock of her hair as a keepsake. Those who worked with her later described her wartime efforts as “intense, crowded, and deeply appreciated by the servicemen.” (7)

One postwar episode left her shaken. In 1946, Hayworth was horrified to learn that a photograph of her — from Esquire magazine’s June 1946 issue — had been pasted on the first atomic bomb tested at Bikini Atoll. The bomb had been nicknamed Gilda after her recent film. “Rita almost went insane, she was so angry,” Orson Welles recalled. “She wanted to go to Washington to hold a press conference, but Harry Cohn wouldn’t let her, saying it would be unpatriotic.” (3)

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Rita Hayworth experienced what was reported as a "nervous breakdown" in 1942 during her USO tour, attributed to "over enthusiasm" from servicemen. During her pregnancy with daughter Rebecca in 1944, costume designers had to cleverly conceal her condition while filming Tonight and Every Night.​

Rita maintained her dancer's physique through much of her career. She engaged in golf as exercise and recreation, and her demanding dance rehearsals and performances kept her physically active throughout her peak years.​

Rita Hayworth began showing symptoms of Alzheimer's in the 1960s while in her 40s, experiencing trouble remembering her lines. During the 1970s, her mental status worsened, and she experienced several distressing public incidents, including the 1976 plane trip to London where she became agitated and photos of the disheveled actress were broadcast worldwide.​

For years, her symptoms were misdiagnosed. Her colleagues, friends, and doctors largely attributed her problems to alcoholism. Despite increasing confusion and memory loss, Rita remarkably rose to the challenge on occasion, successfully playing a role in the 1972 film The Wrath of God.​

Finally, in 1979, New York psychiatrist Ronald Fieve made the correct diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The diagnosis was made public in 1981, making Rita one of the first celebrities to publicly share she had Alzheimer's. This brave disclosure "increased awareness at a time when very little was known about dementia and very little was discussed, and helped start a national conversation around the disease".​ (8)

The disease progressively robbed Rita of her speech and memory. By 1987, she had "lapsed into a semi-coma" before her death. Her public disclosure of Alzheimer's helped ensure that future patients did not go undiagnosed and helped destigmatize the condition. Federal funding for Alzheimer's research dramatically increased from $146 million in 1990 to more than $650 million, thanks in large part to Hayworth and later Ronald Reagan.​​

HOMES Rita Hayworth lived in several notable residences throughout her life in the Los Angeles area:

In 1942, Rita rented her first home on her own after divorcing Edward Judson—a storybook-style house built in 1934 at approximately 3,000 square feet with four bedrooms and four baths. This period was described as possibly "one of the happiest times of her life" as she enjoyed personal freedom for the first time, dating Victor Mature. 

Rita owned a four-bedroom, four-bathroom Tudor-style dwelling in Los Angeles built in 1934 by architect Allen Siple. This delightful abode featured a stone courtyard, tower, leaded glass windows, soaring beamed ceilings, a cozy fireplace in the living room, a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, independent guest accommodations, formal dining room, breakfast area with yellow-and-white striped walls, an atrium, balcony, stone front porch, and quaint interior stone courtyard with outdoor fireplace. The property was listed for sale in 2021 for $3.95 million, marking the first time in half a century it was on the market.​

Rita lived with Orson Welles in a Cape Cod-style estate at 8545 Franklin Ave in the Hollywood Hills, originally built in 1928 by Sidney Toler. The nearly 3,000 square foot property sat atop Sunset Boulevard on its own 15,000 square foot private knoll and featured a lagoon pool with jacuzzi, outdoor deck with views of Hollywood, four bedrooms including a master suite, and a pool table. After Welles, the house was later inhabited by Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, and David Bowie.​

One of Rita's later homes was in Beverly Hills, which had also previously been the home where Jean Harlow was living when she died.​

Rita had a home in Westwood, Los Angeles, that was sadly demolished in mid-2024.​

Rita also spent significant time at Villa d'Este on Lake Como, Italy, with Orson Welles while he worked on the screenplay for The Lady from Shanghai. They enjoyed the elegant retreat, took day trips on a Riva yacht around the lake, and had long dinners at the Veranda Restaurant.​

Rita Hayworth died at the New York residence of her daughter, Princess Yasmin Khan Embiricos, on Central Park West in Manhattan.​

TRAVEL Rita fled to Europe in 1948 after a failed relationship with Howard Hughes resulted in an abortion. It was there she met Prince Aly Khan. Her marriage to Aly Khan took her into royal circles and across the Mediterranean. She was often photographed in Cannes, Monaco, and Paris during the height of her fame.

Rita traveled to Africa with Prince Aly Khan, where she witnessed his serious interactions with his Moslem followers, which disturbed her as she "couldn't comprehend how he could be such a god for them, and such a fun loving playboy in France".​ (9)

Rita visited Spain on multiple occasions, filming there and visiting her father's homeland. She had dinner in Spain with Charlton Heston, director George Marshall, and actor Rex Harrison during filming of The Happy Thieves. Andalusia in particular served as a filming destination for movies featuring Rita.​

DEATH Rita Hayworth died on May 14, 1987, at age 68 (though her daughter Yasmin said she was 69). She died from complications of Alzheimer's disease at the New York residence of her daughter, Princess Yasmin Khan Embiricos, on Central Park West in Manhattan.​​

In her final days, Rita had "lapsed into a semi-coma" as the disease had progressively robbed her of speech and memory during her last years.​​

A funeral service was held on Monday, May 18, 1987, at 10 a.m. at the Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. More than 500 mourners attended, including film greats, fans, relatives, and friends.​​

Jane Withers, a child actress from the 1930s and friend of Rita's, gave a eulogy describing Rita as a "sweet, kind, gentle lady" who was actually shy away from the cameras. Withers recalled Rita "trembling with nervousness" before filming their first movie together in 1935, and said she told Rita, "Lord, this is Rita and she's afraid... Please be with her because she's special".​

Present at the services were Rita's daughters: Rebecca Welles of Tacoma, Washington, and Princess Yasmin Khan.​

Pallbearers included actors Glenn Ford (with whom she had teamed in films in the 1940s), Tony Franciosa, Ricardo Montalban, and Cesar Romero; choreographer Hermes Pan; and family friend Phillip Luchenbill.​ (10)

Following the church service, Rita was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Her gravesite is located at the Grotto, beneath a statue. The grave marker reads:​​

Margarita Carmen Cansino

Rita Hayworth

October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987

"To yesterday's companionship and tomorrow's reunion"​

Rita's death came just three days after the second annual "Rita Hayworth Gala," a black-tie affair at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel hosted by her daughter Yasmin that raised $1.3 million for the Alzheimer's Disease Society. These annual galas have continued and raised millions of dollars for the Alzheimer's Association over the years.​

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Her famous pin-up photograph became one of the most iconic images of World War II​.

The atomic bomb tested at Bikini Atoll in 1946 was nicknamed "Gilda" and featured her photograph​

Stephen King's 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption was named after her and later adapted into the film The Shawshank Redemption​.

She appeared as a character in Salvador Plascencia's novel The People of Paper​

Jessica Rabbit's performance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit was modeled after Rita's "Put the Blame on Mame" scene from Gilda​

The character in the 2012 film Skyfall referenced Rita's iconic black dress scene​.

Immortalized in song, notably in the line "Rita Hayworth gave good face" from Madonna's "Vogue."

The subject of numerous biographies and documentaries, including the 2008 documentary Prodigal Sons, which featured her grandson Marc McKerrow.

ACHIEVEMENTS Cultural Icon: One of the quintessential Hollywood sex symbols of the 1940s, nicknamed "The Love Goddess."

Dance: An accomplished and highly trained dancer, famously performing with Fred Astaire in You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942).

Alzheimer's Advocate: Her daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, became a dedicated advocate for Alzheimer's awareness and research after her mother's diagnosis, making a significant impact on public understanding of the disease.

Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Motion Pictures).

Source (1) Historical Snaps (2) GlamAmor (3) Vanity Fair (4) Past Hollywood History (5) Encyclopedia.com (6) LA Times (7) Taking Up Room (8) Alzheimer's Association (9) Vintage Paparazzi (10) LA Times