Rita Hayworth: Best Pictures Of The Iconic Femme Fatale

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Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth (1918-1987) was an icon of classical Hollywood, mid-20th century beauty, and pin-up culture. In this gallery, we'll take a look back at the best pictures of the Gilda movie star, who was famous for playing femme fatales and being a top pin-up girl in the 1940s and '50s.

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'Gilda'

Gilda was far from Rita Hayworth's first film role, but it certainly confirmed her big screen arrival in 1946. The star had been acting since the mid-1930s and gained attention as a pin-up girl, but Gilda caused a sensation with her deadly and self-aware performance as the femme fatale opposite actor Glenn Ford. It was especially notable for Hayworth's daring song and dance numbers, pictured here.

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'Gilda'

In addition to Gilda's opening number, Hayworth sang "Put the Blame on Mame" solo with a guitar in the film. Throughout her career, she also collaborated on musical and dance films with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.

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'Only Angels Have Wings'

Prior to Gilda—a role she played at age 28—some of Hayworth's better-known films were 1939 drama Only Angels Have Wings (pictured here) with Cary Grant, as well as 1944 technicolour musical Cover Girl.

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Pin-Up Girl Star

In the early 1940s, Hayworth appeared on the cover of Life, in a photo which made her a star of the pin-up world. She was said to have been one of the top pin-up girls of the WWII era, following the cover shoot.

After Gilda, Hayworth was famously rumoured to have had her image used on an atomic bomb that was tested at Bikini Atoll in 1946, a reference to her "bombshell" status.

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Famous Red Hair

Though Gilda was a black-and-white film, Hayworth was well-known in the mid-1940s for her shimmering red hair — featured in colour films and off-screen.

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'The Lady from Shanghai'

But her red-hair reputation changed in 1947, when she starred in husband Orson Welles's film The Lady from Shanghai. The actress bleached her hair blonde for the role, another of her well-regarded film noir works.

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Rita's Relationships

Hayworth was married five different times, with Lady from Shanghai director Orson Welles being her second husband. She had two daughters, one with Welles and one with her third husband, Prince Aly Khan.

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'Separate Tables'

In Hayworth's later career, 1958 drama Separate Tables was one of her better-known films. She's seen here beside co-star Burt Lancaster.

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'The Shawshank Redemption'

In later life, Hayworth battled Alzheimer's and died of complications from the disease in 1987, at age 68. The well-liked star's legacy lives on today in honours such as the one in The Shawshank Redemption — based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Her pin-up poster memorably featured in the 1994 movie and had a central role in the plot.

Rita Hayworth (1918-1987) was an icon of classical Hollywood, mid-20th century beauty, and pin-up culture.

The career of the actress, dancer, and model took off in the late 1930s, and by the mid-1940s, Hayworth was a superstar. She was best known for playing femme fatales in film noirs, most notably in Gilda, and as a pin-up model.

Gilda: Rita Hayworth's Best Pictures and Movies

In addition to Gilda, Hayworth appeared in classics including Orson Welles's The Lady from Shanghai and dramas such as Only Angels Have Wings and Separate Tables.

This gallery takes a look at Hayworth's best pictures, from Gilda to her tribute in The Shawshank Redemption and more. Enjoy!