MANILA, Philippines ? Rita Hayworth was destined to be a star for all seasons?and reasons. Her parents were both dancers. Her father, Eduardo, trained his daughter early in life. By the age of 12, Rita looked mature enough to get noticed by Fox studio head, Winfield R. Sheen, who offered her a contract. Four years later, she made her screen debut in ?Dante?s Inferno.?

Attention

The actress then married Edward Judson, who forced her to undergo electrolysis to change her hairline and looks. She also caught the attention of Columbia?s head, Harry Cohn. Rita was no flash in the pan?she worked her way up. In 1941, after 13 minor roles, she was loaned to Warner Brothers and was accepted by the public in ?Strawberry Blonde.?

However, it was her excellent dancing with Fred Astaire in ?You?ll Never Get Rich? that made her a star and a certified sex symbol. But, she is best remembered for her impressive performance in ?Gilda.? Her famous photograph kneeling on a bed in a negligee was rivaled only by Betty Grable?s bathing suit-clad pose as the most desired pinup of GIs during World War II.

Soon, Rita divorced Judson and married Orson Welles, the brilliant director of ?Citizen Kane,? who starred with her in ?The Lady from Shanghai.? But, she later divorced Welles and married Aly Kahn. Rita was the first Hollywood star to become a princess. Next, she married singer Dick Haymes, but that union also ended in divorce.

Rita was shy and timid, but when the cameras rolled, she became the sexpot the world lusted for. She once complained that ?Men fell in love with Gilda, but awakened with me.?

Serious roles

In 1995, Rita was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history. Aside from ?Gilda,? she is also remembered for ?Blood and Sand,? ?Salome? and ?Pal Joey,? where her combination of sex appeal and terpsichorean charm won her a faithful following. In later years, she was accepted in more serious roles (?Sadie Thompson,? ?Separate Tables?).