Born Margarita Carmen Dolores Cansino, Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 May 14, 1987) reached fame during the 1940s as the era's leading lady. Daughter of a Spanish father Eduardo Cansino (Sr.) and Irish mother Volga Haworth, Rita Hayworth is widely regarded to be the first Hispanic-American actress in Hollywood with leading roles; at a time when Hispanic actors often faced prejudice.

Hayworth was on stage by the age of six as a member of 'The Cansinos', a famous family of Roma Gitano Spanish dancers working in vaudeville. At age sixteen, she attracted the attention of film producers and was signed by Fox Studios in 1935.

In those days, Latin-ness was often used as a kind of “flounce” or a decorative feature. To gain mainstream recognition, Hayworth went through a metamorphosis with the help of Hollywood's “king of cosmetics”, Max Factor, which minimised her ethnic features. In 1937, Margarita Carmen Cansino became Rita Hayworth.

After two more years of minor roles she gave an impressive performance in Howard Hawks' Only Angels Have Wings (1939) as part of an ensemble cast headed by Cary Grant. Her sensitive portrayal of a disillusioned wife sparked the interest of other studios.

Between assignments at Columbia Pictures she was borrowed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer for George Cukor's Susan and God (1940) with Joan Crawford and Warner Brothers for Raoul Walsh's The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with James Cagney.

While on loan to Fox Studios for Rouben Mamoulian's Blood and Sand (1941) starring Tyrone Power, Hayworth achieved stardom with her sizzling performance as the amoral and seductive Doña Sol des Muire. This Technicolor film forever branded her as one of Hollywood's most beautiful redheads. Her stardom was solidified when she made the cover of Time Magazine as Fred Astaire's new dancing partner in You'll Never Get Rich (1941).

The "love goddess" image was cemented with Bob Landry's Life magazine photograph of her in 1941, which caused a sensation and became (at over five million copies) one of the most requested wartime pinups.

Her well-known films include the musicals that made her famous: My Gal Sal (1942) with Victor Mature and Cover Girl (1944) with Gene Kelly. Hayworth was one of Hollywood's best dancers, imbued with power, precision, tremendous enthusiasm, and an unearthly grace. Her erotic appeal was most notable in Gilda (1946), a black-and-white film noir directed by Charles Vidor. The role made her into a cultural icon as the ultimate femme fatale. Alluding to her bombshell status, in 1946 her likeness was placed on the first nuclear bomb to be tested after World War II at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Rita left her film career in 1948 to marry Prince Aly Khan, son of the Aga Khan, the leader of the Ismaili sect. The couple moved to Europe, causing a media frenzy.

After the marriage collapsed in 1951, Hayworth returned to America with great fanfare to film a string of hit films: Affair in Trinidad (1952) with favourite costar Glenn Ford, Salome (1953) with Charles Laughton and Stewart Granger, and Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) with Jose Ferrer and Aldo Ray, for which her performance won critical acclaim. In 1972 Hayworth made her last film, The Wrath of God.

After about 1960, Hayworth suffered from extremely early onset of Alzheimer's disease, which was not diagnosed until 1980. She continued to act in films until the early-1970s.

Rita Hayworth passed away from Alzheimer's in 1987 at age 68.

One of the major fundraisers for the Alzheimer's Association is the annual Rita Hayworth Gala, which is held in New York City and Chicago. Since 1985, the events have raised more than US $42 million for the Association.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent