Ava Gardner, Hollywood legend and Johnston County native

Todd Johnson, director of the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, will give a talk on the life of actress Ava Gardner. Born in Smithfield in 1922, Gardner became an international celebrity for her roles in movies such as Mogambo, with Clark Gable, The Killers, and Showboat. Considered one of the most beautiful women of her day, Gardner was married to Mickey Rooney, bandleader Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra. She also grabbed headlines for her relationships with Howard Hughes and Ernest Hemingway.