Susan Hayward became a versatile actress in Hollywood after a successful run as a model. She came to Hollywood during a nationwide search for someone to play Scarlett O’Hara in the screen version of the novel, “Gone with the Wind” . She and others would lose out to Vivien Leigh, but Hayward would prove to be an attractive addition to the Hollywood scene. That same year, she would gain a bit part in the movie, “Hollywood Hotel” with Dick Powell and jazz musician Benny Goodman.

Hayward would continue with bit parts until she landed a role in the action film, “Beau Geste” in 1939. From here, she would begin to show her talent for dramatic acting. As such, in 1947 Hayward would be nominated for the first of five Academy Award for the movie “Smash Up: The Story of a Woman” , a story about a former nightclub singer who begins to drown in an addiction to alcohol. Her second nomination was for the movie, “My Foolish Heart” ; unfortunately she would lose both times.

With two Academy nominations to her name, Hayward was able to receive the kind of roles she had hoped and looked for. She was able to pick up the script for “With a Song in My Heart” in which she played a songstress who is crippled in a plan accident, but continues to entertain the allies during World War II. This would lead to her to the role of Rachel Jackson, the wife of President Andrew Jackson in “The President’s Lady” . Both of these roles would lead to two more nominations for the Academy Awards, but once again she would lose out to other actresses.

Hayward would finally receive her recognition for the role of real life convicted killer Barbara Graham in “I Want to Live” , a film that is considered to be one of the best performances in film history. Hayward had a commanding portrayal of the murderess, though the movie is fictionalized to suggest that the real Graham was perhaps innocent of the charges against her. This film would be Hayward’s most recognized and she would finally win the Academy Award for this role.

Hayward would slowly begin to disappear from public life. In the early 1970’s she was diagnosed with brain cancer, succoming to complications in 1975. She survived longer than doctors had predicted and soon speculation began on how she may have developed the cancer. Some believed that it was the result of radioactive fallout from atomic bomb tests while making the movie, “The Conqueror” . Her co-star John Wayne and several production staff members would also succumb to cancer and cancer related illnesses. Hayward has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Frame.

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Ava Gardner became one of Hollywood’s top actresses in the golden age of movies. She has received nominations for both the Academy Awards and the BAFTA Awards for her performances. She is also known for her many loves and relationships.

Gardner was born in 1922 in a small farming community of North Carolina and was the youngest of seven children. In 1941, Gardner visited her sister in New York, where her brother in law – a professional photographer – offered to take a picture of her. So pleased with the results, he hung the finished product in his studio on fifth avenue. It was here that a Loews Theatre clerk saw the photo and made the comment that her information should be sent to MGM. And that’s what her sister and brother in law did. Shortly afterwards, Gardner was signed to a standard MGM contract and was set up with a voice coach to tame her thick Carolina drawl.

Her first initial parts were just one liners or bit parts due to her having no experience acting. In 1946, MGM loaned her to Universal Studios for the movie, “The Killers” with Burt Lancaster, based on a story by Ernest Hemmingway. Gardner made mediocre films for MGM, who had her under contract and used her popularity to sell these pictures. However, her talents would be coaxed by directors who could clearly see it, like John Ford who directed her in “Mogambo” in 1953. This would net Gardner her first Academy Award nomination. The next year, Gardner would star with Humphrey Bogart in “The Barefoot Contessa” , a movie that many claim is her signature role.

Gardner had a string of marriages and relationships, including marriages to fellow actor Mickey Rooney, jazz clarinetist Artie Shaw, and a bullfighter named Luis Miguel Dominguin. Her most famous relationship was her third marriage with singer and actor Frank Sinatra, whom she considered the love of her life. This relationship would make headlines, as Sinatra left his wife for Gardner, causing his popularity to suffered, while Gardner’s seemed to soar, painting her image as a screen siren. She would use this power in Hollywood to get her husband a role in “From Here to Eternity” which revitalized Sinatra’s singing and acting career and netted him an Oscar. The two remained good friends after their divorce and until Gardner’s death.

Gardner was also linked to Howard Hughes, who proposed to her numerous times. Gardner never considered him a romantic interest due to his eccentric personality, however they shared a close relationship through the 1950s.

Gardner died in 1990 from pneumonia after years of declining health. She is buried in her home state of North Carolina next to her brothers and parents. The town of Smithfield has an Ava Gardner Museum in her honor.

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Gregory Peck was one of 20th Century Fox’s most popular actors from 1940 until the 1960s, portraying memorable roles such as Atticus Finch, Captain Ahab, and Sam Bowden. Born and raised in San Diego, CA, Peck was involved in various sports while in college, including track and university rowing. He first enrolled at what is now San Diego State University before gaining admission to University of California Berkeley. It was at Berkeley where Peck would go into theatre work.

Peck would graduate from Berkeley with a BA in English and then would head to New York City to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Despite the change of scenery, Peck was usually broke, taking odd jobs like working at the 1939 World's Fair and as’a tour guide for NBC. He would sometimes sleep in Central Park. He made his debut on Broadway as a lead in “The Morning Star” and then following up with “The Willow and I”.

Film audiences wouldn’t make Peck’s acquaintance until 1944 when he would first appear on the big screen. Other roles would follow and Peck was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actor; four of these coming at the very beginning of his career - "The Keys of the Kingdom” (1944), “The Yearling” (1946), “Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947), and “Twelve O’clock High” (1949)

Gregory Peck is known to many due to his performances in memorable roles. His portrayal of Captain Ahab in the movie adaptation of “Moby Dick” is the most faithful to Herman Melville’s book; his role in “Cape Fear” as stalked lawyer Sam Bowden is notable for his onscreen fight with Robert Mitchum, as neither used stunt doubles. Peck would make appearances in the remakes of these movies – as Father Mapple to Patrick Stewart’s Ahab and as the lawyer to Robert Di Niro’s Max Cady.

Peck’s most remembered and famous role was his portrayal of Atticus Finch in the film adaptation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” . Not only was this role a favorite of Peck himself, but it received rave reviews and attention from the author herself, critics, and the public. Currently, the character of Atticus Finch – notably the role that has made Peck famous – tops the American Film Institute’s list of greatest heroes of American films. Peck received his first Academy Award for Best Actor win. The film was released during the height of the civil rights movement within the United States and Peck - who was a civil rights activist – once said that he put everything into the role, including his feelings on racial justice, inequality, and opportunity.

Peck was an activist, fighting against the blacklist of alleged communists and being outspoken in regards to the Vietnam War. He even managed to get listed on former president Richard Nixon’s enemy list. While he never thought of entering politics, Peck was often sought to run for office, both as a candidate against Ronald Regan for the office of governor and as an ambassador under former president Lyndon Johnson. One of his sons, Carey, has run for political office twice, being defeated both times by a small margin.

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George C Scott was an award winning actor, director, and producer. As a child, he had dreamed of becoming an author like F. Scott Fitzgerald, but was never able to complete a novel that he was satisfied with. He would later join the United States Marines before enrolling in college for journalism and then drama. He would later drop out in order to pursue acting.

Scott would win his first Obie Award in 1958, for his performance in Children of Darkness , which also co-starred Colleen Dewhurst, his future wife. Two more Obie Awards would follow, one for a performance in "As You Like It" and the third for playing Richard III in Shakespeare’s Richard III . The following year, he premiered on Broadway in "The Andersonville Trial" as the prosecutor.

Scott continued on Broadway, making a successful performance in Neil Simon’s "Plaza Suite" , which ran for over a thousand performances. During this time, he would also make television appearances, including "The Virginian" , "The Eleventh Hour" , and was one of the stars of the critically acclaimed drama series, "East Side, West Side" with Cicely Tyson.

Scott is perhaps recognized for his film roles, with his first feature opposite James Stewart in "Anatomy of a Murder" . He is best remembered for his role of Gen. Buck Turgidson in "Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" and for his role as George S. Patton in the film "Patton" , which is considered to be one of the greatest performances in cinema history. He won an Oscar for the role, but turned it down, stating he didn’t feel as though he was in competition with other actors.

Scott would try his hand at working behind the scenes, directing two movies in 1972 and 1975. In 1970, he would direct a television version of "The Andersonville Trial" , direct such talents as William Shatner and Jack Cassidy. He would gain acclaim however for his stage directing, directing himself in "Death of a Salesman" , "Sly Fox" , "Present Laughter" , and a revival of "Inherit the Wind" .

Scott has been married five times, with two of the marriages to Colleen Dewhurst. His youngest son from this union is actor Campbell Scott.

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David Carradine had a career that spanned nearly 45 years, continuing a family dynasty that began with his father, John, and is continued today with his four brothers - Bruce, Keith, Christopher, and Robert. He was not only an accomplished actor, but an artist and a musician as well.

David Carradine began his career in 1963 in an episode of the Armstrong Circle Theatre. He went on to do more television appearances, including Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. A year later, he made his film debut in the movie Taggart.

Carradine’s most famous role occurred in 1972, when he took on the character of Caine in the hit series, Kung Fu. The show helped to popularize martial arts and Eastern philosophy and garnered him nominations for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Carradine reprised the role in 1986 with Kung Fu: The Movie and again with Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, a series that ran from 1993 to 1997.

Carradine also had his share of memorable movie roles, including race car driver Frankenstein in the cult classic, Death Race 2000, singer Woody Gunthrie in Bound for Glory, and outlaw Cole Younger in The Long Riders. He made a comeback in 2003 in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill series.

Besides being a well-known actor, David Carradine was also an accomplished artist. From a young age, he enjoyed sculpting and drawing, with most of his work being influenced by painter Will Foster, who was Carradine’s great uncle. Many of his art work can be bought on his personal website. Carradine was also a gifted musician, as a pianist, guitarist, and composer.

Carradine passed away in 2009.

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